History Film / SleepingWithTheEnemy

* InsaneTrollLogic: Rather than simply getting revenge, Martin expects Laura to come back with him until she uses deadly force. Yes, your wife, whom you have endlessly beaten for very trivial reasons, and emotionally abused and controlled for three years straight, and has tricked you into thinking that you were gone forever to get away will ''surely'' want to come back to you, Martin.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Rather than simply getting revenge, Martin expects Laura to come back with him until she uses deadly force. Yes, your wife, whom you have endlessly beaten for very trivial reasons, and emotionally abused and controlled for three years straight, and has tricked you into thinking that you were gone forever to get away will ''surely'' want to come to you, Martin.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Rather than simply getting revenge, Martin expects Laura to come back with him until she uses deadly force. Yes, your wife, whom you have endlessly beaten for very trivial reasons and emotionally abused and controlled for three years straight, and has tricked you into thinking that you were gone forever to get away, will ''surely'' want to come to you, Martin.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Rather than simply getting revenge, Martin expects Laura to come back with him until she uses deadly force. Yes, your wife, whom you have endlessly beaten for very trivial reasons and emotionally abused and controlled for three years straight, and has tricked you into thinking that you were gone forever to get away, will "surely" want to come back with you, Martin.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Rather than simply getting revenge, Martin expects Laura to come back with him until she uses deadly force. Yes, your wife, whom you have endlessly beaten for very trivial reasons and emotionally abused and controlled for three years straight, and has tricked you into thinking that you were gone forever to get away, will ""surely"" want to come back with you, Martin.

* PragmaticVilllainy: Whenever Martin is actually calm, patient, or somewhat considerate towards Laura, it's probably just because he knows better than to put himself in unnecessary situations or take unnecessary risks when he isn't freaking out over something. Even then, it's obvious that he expects his wife to always prioritize his way of doing things or cleaning up after his own bidding just to place her in a vulnerable position so he can scrutinize her loyalty to him.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: In the book, Laura has to live on oatmeal and beans for months while pinching every penny after fleeing. In the film, she's inexplicably able to rent a beautiful house and afford luxuries like brand name goods, a tape deck and African violets all before she even has a job.
* AdaptationNameChange: Minor example. In the book, Sara is the heroine's real name and Laura the alias she uses. It's the other way around in the film.
* AdaptationalDumbass: Compared to the book, Laura is much less cautious. She keeps her wedding ring on, rather than the IdiotBall move of flushing it down the toilet. She remains disguised all the time in the book, but, in the film, she takes her wig off as soon as she gets to Iowa. In contrast to how tight-lipped she is in the book about everything (to the degree where she avoids being seen in public with Ben), she freely discusses her abusive relationship with him and tells her mother where she's staying. She also didn't give her real name or phone number at the Y when taking swimming lessons - and the friend who gives the lessons away just coincidentally bumped into Martin at the supermarket.
* AdaptationalHeroism: There are some hints in the book that Ben is similar to Martin, and Laura has just fallen for another potential abuser. In the film he's a NiceGuy.

* ChekhovsGun: Laura inexplicably breaks one of the beach lights. When we see the flashback to how she escaped, it turns that the spot of darkness this caused marked the spot she needed to swim to for safety.

* ControlFreak: Martin is extremely fixated in having towels and food cans in his preferred specific way.

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange[=/=]ImportantHaircut: Laura cuts her hair and wears it frizzy rather than pressed straight, representing her transformation from battered, submissive wife to free woman.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Symphonie Fantastique--Martin's favorite piece both during the sex scene and [[spoiler:when he invades her house and tries to get her back/kill her.]]

* OhCrap: The look on Martin's face [[spoiler:just before Laura empties her gun into him.]]

* PoliceAreUseless: Laura comments with a woman on the bus she's tried calling the police on her abusive husband, and the best they could do was get a restraining order. Knowing her husband's antics, she knew it wouldn't be enough to stop him.
* PreMortemOneLiner: At the climax Laura's pointing a gun at Martin as he advances on her. Martin is in full YouWouldntShootMe mode, daring Laura to call the police. Laura, her gun hand shaking, dials 911. She tells the dispatcher to please hurry, and says "I've just killed an intruder." She hangs up the phone, and ''then'' she puts three bullets into Martin.

* RevealingHug: Laura acts aroused as her husband makes advances to her, but we soon see her upset face over his shoulder throughout the entire sex scene. Is this case, however, the viewer already knows that she's faking it.

* SuperDrowningSkills: Martin assumed Laura drowned during the storm because she has a fear of water ever since she was a little girl. However, she had secretly been taking swimming lessons and swam to shore during the storm.

* TranquilFury: Martin is a cold psychopath who rarely even raises his voice, though you can see how under the calm facade he's seething with rage whenever Laura contradicts him or displeases him slightly over some trivial matter.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Subverted, as Laura usually goes barefoot only at home.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Or else a case of PragmaticVillainy. Martin spared the life of a man he thought was Laura's new lover when he finds out that he has the wrong man (in fact, the man was another drama teacher who was also gay). Judging by the way Martin threatened him, he didn't seem to have anything against the man's sexual preference, but he still threatened him and his lover into silence so he wouldn't get found out.

* WickedCultured: Patrick is obsessed with Music/HectorBerlioz's ''Music/SymphonieFantastique''.

* WickedCultured: Patrick is obsessed with Music/HectorBerlioz's ''Symphonie Fantastique''.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Martin spared the life of a man he thought was Laura's new lover when he finds out that he has the wrong man (in fact, the man was another drama teacher who was also gay). Judging by the way Martin threatened him, he didn't seem to have anything against the man's sexual preference, but he still threatened him and his lover into silence so he wouldn't get found out.