Movieo
Poster for The Leading Man

The Leading Man

Indecent. Immoral. Irresistible. It's the role he was born to play.

1996 · 1h 40m · R Thriller
Directed by John Duigan

Seen it?

Overview

Successful playwright Felix Webb has a new play, 'The Hit Man', in rehearsal. Directed by his old friend Humphrey, it is already being hailed as a masterpiece; but Felix can't enjoy his success. He has fallen passionately in love with Hilary, a beautiful, fiesty young actress, and is preparing to desert his perfect family, his wife Elena and three lively children. His intolerable situation is further complicated when Humphrey casts Hilary as one of the leads in 'The Hit Man'. Enter Robin Grange, a charismatic young Hollywood actor making his London theatre debut. Robin is attractive, charming and dangerous, and soon inveigles his way into everyone's life. He ingratiates himself with the cast and, quickly grasping Felix's dilemma, sets about weaving his web of mischief. He suggests that if he were to seduce Elena, she would be distracted from Felix's affair, regain her self respect, and perhaps even willingly part from the unfaithful husband to whom she clings...

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
63%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Begins as a backstage story about the London theater world, and then a little Hitchcockian intrigue edges into the frame.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

Talk about the film with other members

More films