Tempted

Tempted

Year: 2001

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

Director: Bill Bennett

MysteryRomanceThriller

I want to believe I can trust her…So I want to pay you to seduce my wife A wealthy man married to a beautiful younger woman puts her fidelity to the test.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Tempted (2001)

Trace every key event in Tempted (2001) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Charlie hatches plan to test Lilly's fidelity

Struggling with his mortality, Charlie LeBlanc hires Jimmy Mulate to seduce his wife Lilly. He offers $10,000 upfront, $50,000 if he succeeds, and an extra $40,000 if he can describe Lilly’s tattoo in perfect detail. He brings in his henchman Dot Collins to help orchestrate the scheme and says the plan will unfold while he is away. The groundwork is laid at a New Orleans construction site that doubles as the setting for the arrangement.

Week before Charlie leaves for a week-long trip New Orleans
2

Surveillance setup and Charlie departs

Charlie informs Lilly that he is leaving New Orleans for a week-long business trip and that Mulate should expect to arrive to repair a broken door. Private investigator Byron Blades reluctantly agrees to surveil Lilly and Jimmy during the absence and installs cameras and microphones around the LeBlanc mansion. Lilly accompanies Charlie to the airport as he departs, setting the stage for the planned seduction.

Day of Charlie's departure LeBlanc mansion, New Orleans
3

Mulate seduces Lilly and the first night out

Mulate fixes the door and attempts to seduce Lilly. She eventually draws a gun and orders him to leave, but he returns to ask to take her out for the evening. They go drinking and dancing, and Lilly's conflicted feelings surface as she notices Charlie's associates at a club. The uneasy dynamic hints at the affair to come.

The day after Charlie leaves Lilly's home and downtown New Orleans club
4

Ted's brutal act and disposal

Mulate returns home to a bloodied Ted, who has just killed the governor’s son. Mulate helps Ted load the body and dispose of it in the Mississippi River, deepening the pair's sinister alliance. The crime strands them closer to the spiraling consequences of Charlie's scheme.

That night Mississippi River (disposal site)
5

Plot revealed to Lilly; window repair; sex

Charlie's secretary Heather reveals the plot to Lilly, forcing her to confront the plan. She calls Mulate to repair a broken window, and the two end up having sex. The breach of trust deepens Lilly's fear and mistrust of Charlie and sets up the next conflicts.

The following day Lilly's home
6

Charlie returns from Dallas; Blades shows footage

Charlie returns from Dallas and visits Blades, who hands over footage of Lilly and Mulate having sex. Confronted with the recording, Mulate initially lies to Charlie and Collins about Lilly's fidelity. The tension escalates as Charlie begins to suspect Lilly's betrayal.

Upon Charlie's return from Dallas Blades' office and LeBlanc mansion
7

Confrontation and orders to kill Lilly

Charlie physically assaults Mulate and orders him to help kill Lilly, threatening to harm Mulate's father if he refuses. Mulate keeps up the ruse, downplaying Lilly's supposed infidelity. The escalating coercion marks a turning point toward lethal actions.

The same day as the confrontation LeBlanc mansion
8

Second tryst and tattoo surprise

Mulate warns Lilly of the danger and she and Mulate have a second sexual encounter. While undressing, Mulate spots Lilly's tattoo reading 'Dakota #7' on her inner thigh, revealing a symbol of their intertwined fate. The tattoo cements the danger of Charlie's game.

That night Lilly's home
9

Ambush and Charlie's death

That evening, Charlie and Lilly are accosted. Charlie is shot twice and killed; Lilly draws a gun and shoots the masked assailant, who is revealed to be Ted. The couple's peril accelerates the plot toward a judicially perilous end.

That evening Outside the LeBlanc mansion
10

Blades exposes the sex recording; immunity talks

Blades meets Mulate at a bar and presents a recording of Lilly and Mulate in an intimate moment, forcing Mulate to consider immunity in exchange for incriminating Lilly. Mulate asks what Crabbe, their attorney, can do for him in securing his own protection. The revelation compounds the risk that Mulate faces.

After Charlie's death Bar
11

Crabbe counsels on the recording

Mulate and his attorney Crabbe review the recording and discuss possible immunity strategies. Crabbe advises leaving the recording with him to see what can be done, prompting Mulate to weigh his options against Lilly's power. The legal maneuvering begins in earnest.

Shortly after Blades' bar meeting Crabbe's law office
12

Mulate seizes the recording

As Mulate is about to leave the recording with Crabbe, a speakerphone announcement reveals Lilly is on hold for Crabbe. In a swift move, Mulate strikes Crabbe and flees with the recording, while Crabbe's staff scrambles to recover it. The balance of power shifts as Mulate takes decisive action.

Moment of decision Crabbe's office
13

The swamp swap and police sting

Lilly offers Mulate $500,000 for the recording, and they arrange to exchange at a swamp shack. Unbeknownst to Lilly, Mulate is cooperating with police and Blades to monitor the conversation. When a gunshot echoes from Lilly, law enforcement closes in, and Collins arrives determined to kill both Lilly and Mulate.

The planned exchange Swamp shack near New Orleans
14

Collapse and arrest

A chaotic shootout ensues as Collins dies in the encounter and Lilly is arrested after confessing she cannot trust Mulate. Blades and the police recover the critical evidence, closing the case with Lilly's arrest and the unraveling of the scheme. The film ends with the fallout of Charlie's scheme and its deadly consequences for everyone involved.

Following the raid Swamp shack; nearby police scene

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:30

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