The End of the Affair

Play trailer

The End of the Affair

R

Released Dec 2, 1999

1h 49m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In the years following World War II, writer Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) has an unexpected run-in with Henry Miles (Stephen Rea) and his wife, Sarah (Julianne Moore), with whom he once shared a passionate affair. Henry, who never knew, confides in Maurice that he suspects Sarah of adultery, leading to the hiring of a detective (Ian Hart) to follow her. As Sarah never explained why she called off their affair, Maurice follows the investigation closely, his feelings for her reawakened.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Neil Jordan has good direction with solid performances from Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore.

Read Critics Reviews

Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Apr 25, 2003

Full Review

Jay Carr

Boston Globe

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 18, 2002

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Can anyone fail to recognize this as a fundamental betrayal of the author’s creative vision?

Rated: C

May 8, 2002

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 3/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Alan Dale

Blogcritics.org

The whole thing is beyond purple and yet so careful and reverent you can't even enjoy it as camp.

Nov 19, 2005

Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

But the biggest flaw in Neil Jordan's movie is how severely it contradicts the core of Graham Greene's novel.... What a sad and melancholy piece of work.

Rated: C

Dec 6, 2004

Full Review

Read all reviews

Amanda L

A film that takes chances in attempting to portray the conversations and struggles one might have with his or her higher power. Definitely makes me want to read the novel by Graham Greene, having made me all snot-nosed and puffy-faced with its closing scene.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/24

Full Review

K W

I love this movie. It feels like a tale I've heard before. Julianne Moore is beautiful.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/22

Full Review

colin m

A bit boring and old-fashioned. Slow going.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really liked this film I found it very moving. At first glance it appears to be the story of a woman in a sexless marriage who embarks on an affair, but it's actually much more than that. It's also about how jealousy can create havoc within a relationship and ultimately it's about a woman finding her faith and her belief in God.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

steve d

The acting is great, but I felt nothing for the characters.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

brendan n

Neil Jordan created a slow burning drama film that the trailer paints as a thriller. The film is amazing to watch and only the overbearing plot grinds a little too much. Great acting and a film that is worthy of more attention. Jordan is an expert at these slow burning plots and it's a shame it didn't become his niche I the market. 11/05/2019

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Neil Jordan

Director

Ralph Fiennes

Maurice Bendrix

Julianne Moore

Sarah Miles

Stephen Rea

Henry Miles

Ian Hart

Mr. Parkis

Samuel Bould

Lance Parkis

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - I Am a Jealous Man

2:06

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - I'm in Love

2:15

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - I Never Stopped Loving You

2:41

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - The Bombing

2:06

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - Sarah Is Dying

2:17

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - Praying for a Miracle

2:37

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - It’s Only Love, After All

2:56

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - Love Doesn't End

2:41

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - Are You Two Lovers?

2:07

The End of the Affair: Official Clip - Jealous of the Rain

2:26

View more videos

The Indian Runner

76%

80%

The Indian Runner

Watchlist

I Like It Like That

89%

91%

I Like It Like That

Watchlist

Mortal Thoughts

56%

36%

Mortal Thoughts

Watchlist

Higher Learning

46%

74%

Higher Learning

Watchlist

Bitter Moon

63%

80%

Bitter Moon

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In the years following World War II, writer Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) has an unexpected run-in with Henry Miles (Stephen Rea) and his wife, Sarah (Julianne Moore), with whom he once shared a passionate affair. Henry, who never knew, confides in Maurice that he suspects Sarah of adultery, leading to the hiring of a detective (Ian Hart) to follow her. As Sarah never explained why she called off their affair, Maurice follows the investigation closely, his feelings for her reawakened.

Director: Neil Jordan
Producer: Neil Jordan, Stephen Woolley
Screenwriter: Graham Greene, Neil Jordan
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 2, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.7M
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now