Don't Say a Word
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Movie Reviews of Don't Say a Word
Movie Review: Enjoyable Character-Driven Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
Dr. Nathan Conrad (Michael Douglas) is a highly trained and highly paid psychiatrist. His patients usually consist of those wealthy enough to afford his fees, but he cannot turn down his friend's request for help. Dr. Louis Sachs (Oliver Platt) is desperate for someone to break through with a female patient who recently killed someone and could end up jailed in a mental institution for the rest of her life. What Nathan doesn't know when he agrees to help is that locked inside Elisabeth's mind is a series of numbers that Patrick Koster (Sean Bean) is more than willing to kill for...Don't Say a Word wasn't particularly original, but I thought that all of the actors in the film did a superb job, which pushed the movie up from a three star rating. Michael Douglas has long since perfected the role of innocent bystander who is sucked into a nefarious plot and manages to turn it all around, but I also truly believed that he created a bond with his patient and, while he cared for her, he cared for his daughter a great deal more. Brittany Murphy was riveting as the disturbed Elisabeth and I love her vocal inflection when she says "I'll never tell." Sean Bean was also wonderful in his role as the kidnapper/killer/thief and is constantly underrated, if I do say so myself. The weakness in this movie is the plot seems pretty contrived and easy to figure out. You know exactly how the movie will end before you even start watching it, but you want to see how they manage to get there. There were also some jarring inconsistencies that bothered me while I was watching the movie such as why Patrick killed Elisabeth's father before he told him where the diamond was (and in front of so many witnesses, too!) and why Detective Sandra Cassidy (Jennifer Esposito) was always at the right place, at the right time - every time the movie cut to her and her role it was jarringly out of place and felt like it wasn't a part of the story. Anyway, aside from small complaints like that, this is a fine movie to watch late at night from home. Enjoy it as a rental.
Movie Review: Did you notice all of the special features listed???
Summary: 4 Stars
Right. Well, there are a bunch of special features on this DVD, and I am loving every minute of them. I am still waiting to finish up with Fleeder's commentary, and let me tell you I am eagerly anticipating it. I've already watched Michael Douglas', Brittany Murphy's, Famke Jannsen, and Sean Bean, and I have to say all of these actors are extremely heartwarming as they talk about theur craft. I think (no, I know) the most endearing is Brittany Murphy; she gives the most fascinating desciption of what it's like for her to take the role of any character - she actually refers to herself as those characters' vessel, in that they take over her body, use her voice and emotions, and she goes along for the ride. How lovely. The movie itself is a basic thriller, but it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it's also not predictable. My only beef is that I REALLY wish they would've had Elizabeth say "I'll never tell..." more than once! I mean, from what you hear on the previews and ads, you'd expect that she says it so much in the movie that you want to scream, but she ends up only saying it ONCE. I can't believe it, but that disappointed me. Famke Jannsen is breath-takingly beautiful and plays her part well as the mother. Sean Bean is also very convincing as the bad guy, but with a hint of humanity. I especially loved his commentary about approaching the part of the villain. He chuckles as he realizes that he's played quite a few villains.
In case I haven't mentioned it yet, the movie is well-done and engaging but the special features definitely make it worth watching. They even have something called the "Cinema Master's Class" which is a bunch o' stuff about the production, storyboard, and BRITTANY MURPHY'S SCREEN TEST! Get it. Watch it. Love it.
Movie Review: Rainy Day Special!
Summary: 4 Stars
What makes this rather far-fetched story line work reasonably well is the terrific acting skills of Michael Douglas and a strong supporting cast, including a bravura performance by Brittany Murphy (Girl Interrupted) as the disturbed yet profoundly gifted young woman caught in the snares of a secret that is tearing at the threads of her very sanity. Douglas is also superb in his portrayal of a psychiatrist determined to unlock the secrets to this tortured young woman's soul, but who gets locked in the grip of things he neither appreciates nor understands in the process. As a result, both of the two characters walk emotional and rational tightropes in trying to see this through to the conclusion. The visual effects surrounding the ordeal of the two main characters are both provocative and intriguing, and one senses the attempt on the part of the director to focus us into the evolving and progressive nature of their interior feelings through the kinds of synthetic environments they crash through on their way to the conclusion. Parts of the movie don't make a great deal of sense, and the plot is so complex and convoluted one wonders why they keep running, yet the production values and the acting are good enough to continue suspending one's critical faculties long enough to see what happens.
As a surrealistic thriller this is only fair, but as an absorbing character study of the two main protagonists, it is entertaining enough and interesting enough to make you want to watch this movie. Like many of the current crop of thrillers, it is not terribly realistic, yet it rushes through so many exciting pathways with such sound and fury that one likes going along for the ride. This is a good action/suspense thriller! Enjoy!
Movie Review: Just one question: WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE EXPECT?
Summary: 4 Stars
Come on people! What did you expect from this movie? Did you think it was going to be like the slience of the lambs? Did you think it was going to win best picture? Did you think that Micheael Douglas or his hot wife or their daughter would die? I seriously hope not. Everyone knew what was going to happen in this movie. There would be action, suspense and a very predictable ending. No, duh. Did you really think that the ending would be shocking? Did you think that the bad guys would kill anyone? Come on.
I didn't expect anything of this movie. NOTHING. And if you were like me, then you would have like it. But, on the other hand, if you were expecting a thriller like Seven or the silence of the lambs, then yeah, you'd be disspointed. But, I decided to rent this, wanting to watch a fun and interesting movie. And it was. I enjoyed the plot, enjoyed the action, enjoyed the suspense, and enjoyed the acting by Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy. I always am up for watching excellent movies like Ghost World, Frailty, American History X, Seven, etc.. but movies like that are hard to come around. In comes movies like Don't Say A Word. They're predictable, even lame, but I still find them to be fun and amusing. Maybe if you people would lower your dam* expectations, maybe you'd enjoy movies like this. This is worth a rent if you don't expect seeing a best picture nominee. But, all the reviewers on Amazon obviously were thinking: "the next silence of the lambs! The next Seven! Yeah, like Michael Douglas would actually die or anything plot twist, crazy like Seven is going to happen in this movie. You'll like this if you lower your expectations.
Movie Review: BANG!
Summary: 4 Stars
I was far more impressed by this movie than I expected to be. At first glance, it seems like your typical plotless, characterless, crime-glorifying action film. In fact, it was quite the opposite.Everyone who's seen the ad knows the plot: A deranged girl has "a six digit number hidden away somewhere in her troubled mind," and in order to save his kidnapped daughter, a fancy psychiatrist has to get the girl to reveal that number. I was pleasantly surprised when they finally discovered what sort of number it was, as it turned out to be much more interesting than just a bank code... But what struck me most were the characters. Alright, they were a little stereotyped. Still, though, they were very likable. I found myself deeply concerned about what would happen to the little girl who was kidnapped and her parents. Even the psychotic girl, Elisabeth Burrows, becomes a real person rather than just a tool to get the kidnapped daughter back. And, even though I've seen many movies with ruthless criminals, the sheer cruelty of the one in this movie kept startling me.
Perhaps, in retrospect, the plot was a little... dumb. After all, they hardly go into important details such as how the criminals even know Elisabeth has a number, why she is faking illness, how sick she really is, how the heck the baddies got cameras everywhere, etc. But while watching, all those things seem unimportant. Don't Say A Word, while certainly not the acme of filming, is a very enjoyable and exciting movie.