Until The Quiet American, this was only decent thing Christopher Hampton had ever written, and why shouldn't he, he had the source material to help him. The film famously follows backstabbing and intrigue in France, 200 or so years ago, as kissing cousins place a bet over whether Valmont (John Malkovich) can land prissy Marie (Michelle Pfeiffer), ruining countless lives along the way. It would be almost perfect if it wasn't for southern belle Swoosie Kurtz mucking up the works. Probably the best adaptation of the celebrated novel you can find.