With is being the 10th anniversary of playwright Harold Pinter, his co-written adaption The Comfort of Strangers focuses it’s erotic thriller on a couple holidaying in Venice. However, after meeting the mysterious stranger played by Christopher Walken, things begin to take a perverted turn. Paul Scharder carefully crafts a clear tone and nuance to Ian McEwan’s 1981 novel. Yet despite the good camerawork and well relayed themes, there remains a missing puzzle piece. The sudden climax leaves behind no real explanation. And as motive is what really makes a villain, if we don’t understand what it is…how can we be thrilled by it?