THE PAINTED VEIL — ** — Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber; rated PG-13 (violence, partial nudity, brief sex, brief drugs, racial epithets, mild profanity).
Redemption comes far too late in "The Painted Veil," an aloof and disappointing adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1920s novel that features one of the more unlikable, self-involved main characters in recent memory.
She's Kitty, a spoiled rich woman played by Naomi Watts (who helped produce the film). She agrees to marry socially awkward disease researcher Walter Fane (Edward Norton, another of the producers) and move with him to China. But her reasons for doing so are selfish; she's simply trying to get out from under the thumb of her domineering, disapproving parents.
Despite Walter's clumsy attempts to woo his new bride, however, she rejects him and instead winds up having an affair with a married diplomat, Charlie Townshend (Liev Schreiber, Watts' off-screen partner).
Once he discovers his wife's infidelity, the heartbroken Walter decides to take a researcher/physician job at a rural Chinese village that's been decimated by a cholera epidemic. He's hoping that he'll contract the often-fatal disease — and that Kitty may suffer the same fate.
To say this is pretty depressing and bleak stuff is putting it mildly. Director John Curran's sluglike pacing may allow him to focus on the beautiful Chinese scenery, but the story crawls.
As for Watts' performance, this character proves too tricky even for someone with her talent. And as he did earlier in last year's "The Illusionist," the usually solid Norton shows he has no aptitude for affecting accents.
The most interesting character is a resigned-to-her-fate nun played by Diana Rigg. When she shows up — all too briefly — the film finally has some life and vitality.
"The Painted Veil" is rated PG-13 for violent content (shootings and some disturbing imagery), brief, partial male and female nudity, simulated sex and other sexual contact, brief drug content (use of medicines and hypodermic needles), and use of racial epithets and religiously based profanity. Running time: 125 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com