Successful lobbyist Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) is unhappy in her relationship with her boyfriend David King (Morris Chestnut), as he does not feel ready to commit to her wishes of starting a family, causing them to break up. Two months later, she ends up meeting the charming Carter Duncan (Michael Ealy), who works in IT for another company. They quickly grow close, and he manages to work his way into the hearts of her friends as well as her mother and father. On their way home from a trip to San Francisco, a stranger inquires Leah about Carter's Dodge Charger at a gas station. Thinking that he was flirting with her, Carter viciously attacks the man before the mortified Leah, and he takes off when the station's owner orders them to leave at gunpoint. Leah decides to break up with Carter that night, distraught over his actions and his desperate attempts to apologize.
Over the next several weeks, Carter stalks Leah at her job and leaves numerous phone-calls, even after she changes them. Unbeknownst to her, he also intrudes into her house with her spare house key, feeling around her belongings, hacking into her computer, and abducting her cat. She finally decides to go to the police, meeting with Detective Hansen (Holt McCallany). He advises her to keep note of any further attempts he makes to contact her, and one night, she finds a threatening note and a single red rose attached to her car. The next morning, a restraining order is filed against Carter at his job, and he is subsequently fired. Some time later, David contacts Leah about rekindling their relationship, and Leah eagerly agrees. One night, Leah and David find Carter watching them at a restaurant, and David grimly warns him to stay away. They still notify the police, and after Hansen interrogates Carter over the violation, Carter feigns innocence, stating that he had no idea she was there and that David was aggressive towards him. Hansen lets him go.
One night, as Carter is inside Leah's house, her neighbor, Mrs. McCarthy (Tess Harper) catches him, leading him to chase her back to her house where he kills her by pushing her down the stairs, causing her to break her neck. He also watches over Leah and David as they sleep and have sex. One morning, it's discovered that an email of a video showing Leah having sex with David was sent by her work account to her co-workers and her business's clients, and are forced to suspend her. Another night, Carter sabotages David's car, causing it to flip down a hill and seriously injure him. Carter goes down to the wreckage and kills the weakened David by suffocating him with his rubber gloves.
Both Leah and Hansen are certain that Carter is involved, though they lack the evidence necessary to incriminate him. After investigating further, Hansen learns that Carter is not his real name, and that he changed his identity after a similar series of harassment. He subtly tells Leah to take care of him on her own if necessary, leading her to buy a shotgun and shells. Carter seems to assume a new identity, as Leah spots him with another woman. She frightens her off and files another restraining order against him in front his new employers, once again getting him fired. She then manages to find a hideout of his where he monitors her, as well as finding her cat. She destroys his numerous computers and leaves, daring him to come after her again.
That night, Carter breaks into Leah's home, and after luring him to an empty room, she aims her gun at him. After managing to knock the gun out of her hand, a struggle ensues, which ends with her slashing his arm and shooting him twice with bean-bag ammo in an attempt to immobilize him. After he continues to advance, she shoots him with an actual shell, killing him. A now relieved Leah reports Carter to Hansen as an intruder, and police cart his corpse out of her house.
The perfect guy is a perfect thriller movie with a sexy black woman I wish I could hug and kiss.
29 out of 56 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Tell Your Friends