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Rachel Weisz is a perfect fit for the title role in "My Cousin Rachel," writer-director Roger Michell's stately costume drama — and not just because of the shared first name.

Weisz has always been a chameleonic actor, able to portray the prim patrician, sly temptress or wide-eyed innocent as needed — and here, as the mysterious and mercurial figure at the center of Daphne du Maurier's novel, she's called upon to be a little of all of them.

The cousin Rachel is such a mystery that it's a good 20 minutes before the movie introduces her. First, we meet Philip Ashley (Sam Claflin), an orphan raised by his adult cousin Ambrose on a prosperous farm in Cornwall in the early 1800s. The only women living in the estate, Philip notes, were the dogs.

So when Ambrose relocates to sunny Italy for his health, Philip is surprised to learn he has fallen in love and married a half-Italian widow, Rachel. In letters sent to Philip through his legal guardian, Nick Kendall (Iain Glen, from "Game of Thrones"), Ambrose waxes enthusiastic about Rachel and her kindness in treating his illness.

Then Philip receives another letter from Ambrose, written when Rachel wasn't looking, in which he accuses his new wife of trying to kill him. Are the accusations true? Or are they the rantings of a disease-addled mind? Philip rushes to Italy to find out, but learns from Rachel's family friend Rinaldi (Pierfrancesco Favino) that Ambrose has died.

Philip returns to the Cornwall estate, which he will inherit in full in a few months, on his 25th birthday. He welcomes the now-twice-widowed Rachel for an extended visit, with an eye toward learning whether she's a killer or just incredibly unlucky. Shortly, though, her charms start to break down his suspicions — and Philip, even though he's somewhat sweet on his childhood friend and Kendall's daughter Louise (Holliday Grainger), finds himself falling in love with Rachel.

Michell ("Notting Hill," "Morning Glory") captures 19th-century British country life as vividly as a Constable painting, but with more robust feeling. One can almost smell the manure in the stables and the wet dogs roaming the house.

This makes all the more strange that he puts such a soft focus on the passions brewing between the headstrong Philip and the alluring Rachel. Michell's reserve is understandable, considering the ambiguity of du Maurier's story — an "Is she or isn't she?" tone that sustains to the dark finale.

Claflin ("Their Finest") is solid, exuding a brooding air as the naive Philip. (Someday I'll have to watch the 1952 screen version to see how Richard Burton, in his first Hollywood starring role, tackled it opposite Olivia de Havilland.)

But "My Cousin Rachel" is a showcase for Weisz, who gives a performance within a performance — as Rachel adjusts her demeanor, playing the seductress with Philip or the demure widow with Kendall, as the situation demands. Watching the quicksilver changes in Weisz's face, from moment to moment and mood to mood, provides all the tension this melancholy drama needs.

Twitter: @moviecricket —

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'My Cousin Rachel'

Rachel Weisz gives a dynamic performance as a mysterious widow in this costume drama.

Where • Area theaters.

When • Opens Friday, June 9.

Rating • PG-13 for some sexuality and brief strong language.

Running time • 106 minutes.