Don't Say a Word

Rating:
Summary: Don't Say A Word about this sorry excuse for a film
Review: If there was a way to give ZERO stars, I wish I could utilize it. I usually hate giving bad reviews b/c they come across as incoherent rambling, but this movie was an exception. Where's the CREATIVITY? Obviously not here. A typical "high anxiety" film that just throws one twist after another in a vain effort to keep the viewer in "suspense." There's nothing wrong with a good Suspense/Thriller movie, but people usually prefer one with a little creativity, i.e. something NEW and not just a rehash of the typical suspense film formula. Sean Bean is so much better in LOTR as well. His character is the stereotypical cold, callous fathead who goes around murdering old ladies (Hollywood needs a serious lesson in respect for the elderly) and robbing banks for a living. What a loser. There's one area where the producers got it right - by the time this awful movie is over, you'll hate the bad guy. Michael Douglas can do so much better than this worthless production. If this rates among your favorite movies of all time, then I apologize for any offense. I'm not a Disney fan, but I think some of even Disney's productions outshine this terrible "movie" (if it can be called that.)

Rating:
Summary: A strange little film
Review: An elaborate blackmail plot involving the usual band of hoods conveniently fitted out with around three million bucks worth of hi-tech surveillance gear. This time, they're in pursuit of a six-digit number locked inside the mind of a seemingly deranged girl. Michael Douglas and Sean Bean are both convincing as anguished father and ruthless thug respectively, and Famke Janssen does wonders with a small role. It's well directed by Gary Felder, and nicely shot, too. All of which had me wondering what such obviously talented people were doing making such a banal, by-the-numbers film. The problem here is a very slight screenplay which soon kills the tension by splitting the story into too many strands - one involving a female detective who only seems to have been included so she can come to the rescue further down the line. In any case, a story which hinges on the repressed memories of a girl who won't talk, and a trauma which happened ten years ago, is much better material for a book than a film - and I'm sure Andrew Klavan's novel handled it more deftly. Scribe, Andrew Peckham, tries to make the most of this quandary with flashbacks, but in the end it doesn't play: what happened in the past is far more dramatic than what's happening in the present - and that doesn't really make for an entertaining film.

Rating:
Summary: Just OK Thriller with Fast But Uninspired Storytelling
Review: You are a thriving psychiatrist living in NYC played by Michael Douglas (who can play this kind of role while deeply sleeping). You got a gorgeous wife Famke Janssen, and a lovely daughter too. And in our average Hollywood thriller world, you will soon realize that someone like bad guy Sean Bean is watching out the chance to use you and your ability, to make a so-so thriller like this based on Andrew Klavan's bestselling novel.

Michale Douglas is renowned doctor Conrad, whose daughter is kidnapped by Sean Bean's character. But in this case, what Conrad has to do is not to get ready the ransom, but induce one of his patients in the mental institution where he works, to tell certain 6 digits, within given time limit, without telling anything the police. Otherwise, you are never to see your daughter, blah, blah.

In the meanwhile, very convienient for the bad guys perhaps, Mrs. Conrad is in bed because of her broken leg, and she cannot help her husband. Moreover, someone seems to have installed a device that reports every minute of her life, in order to stall any rash movement on the side of the Conrads. Bad day, isn't it?

As I have pointed out, the crucial thing is about the relations between the doctor and his patient with troubled mind. Michael Douglas with his rather hammy (but in this case apt acting) is not bad at all, and Brittany Murphy plays the role of that patient with convincing (or, too convincing) acting. However, we have seen them before in the familiar type of roles: Douglas in "Basic Instinct and many others, and Murphy in "Girl, Interrupted" (remember roasted-chicken) and about Sean Bean, you got countless examples in which he played the same kind of villains, like one of the 007 series. In short, they are typecast, probably with the exception of Jennifer Esposito (of "Spin City") as tenacious Detective Cassidy.

Those complaints aside, director Gary Fleder keeps the ball rolling, though not exactly better than in his previous thriller "Kiss the Girls," but still he holds our attention somehow to the end. And the photography of Amir Mokri with subdued lighting is another asset of the film. In conclusion, this is nothing new, nothing inspiring, but still a satisfactry thiller. We do not necessarily need another one like this, though.

Rating:
Summary: don't buy this movie!
Review: What a painful and boring movie! No one should buy it, renting it once will keep you out of it forever. This is not a thriller, just a platform for Michael Douglas to look good and play the good and courageous father of a kidnapped little girl.
That movie, if you like real thrillers like Hannibal, won't fascinate you at all, the plot is extremely thin and you can see all the "twists" coming in ages before they actually do, a complete failure to me and certainly NOT a classic thriller!

Rating:
Summary: Allright, here's the deal
Review: The movie purports to be a thriller wherein Michael Douglas' daughter's life depends on Douglas getting a mentally ill young lady to tell him a piece of information that is "locked deep in her mind." Well, so the impression one gets is that the young nut case is unABLE to cough up this info, due to her condition. The reality is that this sort of thing was apparently a bit too much of a strain for the hamster on the wheel inside the screenwriter's head, and so what we find out AFTER paying our hard-earned money is that the young Ms. Allegedly-Screw-loose is actually just stubborn. She has no difficulty recalling the info, she's just a big pain in the neck. Actually, I suppose I should have figured that out from the movie's tag line, "I'll never tell." I mean after all, the tag line wasn't, "I'm incapable of telling." So maybe I was the only one who thought there was going to be a bit more to this picture than a very annoying teenage girl. And I can walk down to the local strip mall and get that for free.

Rating:
Summary: Brittany Murphy Does It Again!
Review: The TV ads for this movie had made me want to rush to the theaters to see this film, but alas, I had to wait for it to come out on video before actually viewing this great flick. The movie is full of action and nail-biting suspense. Michael Douglas plays a successful psychiatrist in private practice who is asked by a colleague to interview a perplexing patient. The patient, played exquisitely by Brittany Murphy, is perceived as a paranoid schizophrenic by some, delusional by others, a real puzzle to the psychiatric community. As Dr. Conrad (Douglas) delves into the case, he discovers that Patient Barrows' (Murphy) case isn't as complicated as it seems. However, his successful attempts to reach the patient have drawn some undesireable attention. It seems that Conrad's patient has a very important number locked deep inside her disturbed mind and someone is willing to do anything to get that number. That someone, played by Sean Bean, kidnaps Conrad's daughter and threatens to kill her if Conrad doesn't get the number from Barrows. Attempts to retrieve the number give us the movie's catch phrase: I'll never tell.
Brittany Murphy's performance in this film is nothing short of spectacular. I work with psychiatric patients and I can honestly say that she gives off a very convincing performance. Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, and Famke Janssen are also great, but Murphy steals the show in this one. A very talented actress!
While I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I feel it is only fair to warn you that there are a couple of inconsistancies. First, there is a scene involving an attack made by Patient Barrows against an orderly in Rockland State. Well, working at Rockland Psych. Center (which is the only state hospital in Rockland), I can assure you that we have no such thing as an orderly. Also, some of the scenes in Manhattan are a little off, but you would only notice if you lived out here. And a warning for those of you who want to see this because you read the book. Although the basic premise is the same, the story takes a completely different turn. If you were expecting the same outcome in the movie as the book, you'll be a tad disappointed, but definitely see it anyway - it's well worth it!!!

Rating:
Summary: DVD Better Then The Theatre
Review: This movie works so much better on the DVD. I thought it was "Okay" on the theatre but mych mor einteresting at home.
The DVD extra's ont his one are fantastic. The Directors commentary and even commentaried from Michael Douglas, Oliver Platt and the two female leads.

The cast commentaries were seperated and selcted scenes only, but none the less interesting. The behind the scenes of the profuction, filing and sets were really good.
ALthough the film lasck certain elements of intrique, Michael Dougla's performance, as always, is great and believable. I even giive credit to the little girl (Sky) who played this very naturally! The cinematography is also very interesting done by Amir Moriki.

This is a good thriller for the home collection. In the Alfred Hitchcockian Style, but not as good of course. I think you'll like this one.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining and well-crafted thriller
Review: This movie turned out to be much better than I was expecting. For a film that runs nearly two hours, it flies by rather quickly, with a lot of suspense and good performances from everyone involved, all leading up to a tense climax on an East River island that looks like it came from an old Hammer horror film.

I like how the story of this film was brought to the screen. Again it was another movie that was taken from a novel. These days we are getting many movies that are like this, but when they work, I can not see any problem with that. The novel this film was based on was "Don't Say A Word" by Andrew Klavan.

This film has an interesting side to it, by fact that it has many different stories rolled into one. Firstly you have the bad guys, who are in a spot of bother after years of trying to change the past. You have the family of the Conrad's, which is important for viewers to try and be close too. Then the relationship between Nathan Conrad (Douglas) and Elisabeth (Murphy), which is of most importance to the whole story. I like films that use this style of story because it keeps people interested in a movie and makes you watch even closer.

A well-written script and the ability to keep everyone in suspense are reasons everyone must see "Don't Say A Word." Two thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: Yawn-o-Rific
Review: It never fails I fall for the hype that some movie is good and different and it ends up being the same old same old. In the orginal trailer it kept showing the girl saying "I'll never tell", which became the unofficial tag line of this movie. It was annoying then and even more so now. Michael Douglas plays a well worn piece of leather as usual, Famke Jansen is one redeeming factor though, but I would watch her making coffee that is just me. Anyway Sean Bean is playing the villian again which he is good at but he is somewhat wasted here. I guess this movie is a passable waste of time if you have nothing better to do. I give 1 and 1/2 leatherfaces out of 5.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome, loaded DVD!
Review: I was impressed by the fact that this DVD contains *real* extra features, as opposed to the fluff that is included with many titles. Not only does it contain a full feature length commentary from the director (and a strong one at that... he feels confident enough to fly solo instead of engaging in the goofy dialogue so common in DVD commentary), but it also contains shorter, scene-specific commentary from the movie's major stars themselves, including Douglas. It also contains some deleted scenes as well as Brittany Murphy's audition scene with Douglas.

I appreciate the fact that the producers of this DVD cared enough to actually include quality extra features. Too many times I have been attracted to DVDs promising "extras" which turn out to be total throw-aways, including some that lasted literally under 30 seconds! This DVD, fortunately, takes the high road and does not mislead the consumer.