Side Effects (2013)

Forget about 'Contagion' (which was entirely mediocre anyway) and even put aside 'Flatliners', trust in Steven Soderbergh to get the job done right (on his second attempt...). An entirely gripping, captivating and twisted plot that might just be his career best. A young woman, who's husband has just been released from prison, is prescribed a drug to cure her depression, but with unexpected side effects. Since its release, this has always been in the top echelon of thrillers in my opinion. Sure, the narrative slowly becomes convoluted and frequently drifts away from the prescription drug problem that it illustrates. However, it never fails to hypnotise me. A provocatively shot underrated gem that deftly balances its jeopardising characters that strangely feel both likeable and despised simultaneously. The screenplay is confidently written to make you doubt yourself, you think you've got one character sussed only for the story to then take a sharp turn in the opposite direction. It's almost Hitchcock-like, which to me is an admirable inspiration and one most thrillers should take notes from. Jude Law and Rooney Mara must be praised for their natural ability to entrance me. Much like medicine, I became dependant on them at delivering the story and they did so with ease. Newman's composition suited the clinical environment and surprisingly had me on edge even more. Soderbergh's direction and cinematography was sumptuous, loved how the background and foreground were always blurred and only the character speaking was in focus. A fantastic method to engage the viewer and ensure they are paying attention. Safe to say his experience paid off dearly. As I said, the plot does become slightly convoluted during the third act and plot holes do crop up occasionally. Yet, it's very rare for a thriller to consistently keep me engaged and for that I have to applaud Side Effects. A film that I will frequently revisit on an annual basis.

An all too real possibility of what can happen when you're under the influence of drugs, even prescription drugs; "Side Effects" hit home hard with me purely because I am on the same kind of medication poor Emily was subjected to in this film. Well thought out and well made, "Side Effects" doesn't show off or dazzle as films generally try to do, instead it's a wake up call for people in reality..., there's a fantastic twist to the tale in the end, that Emily was faking depression and mental illness in order to knowingly murder her husband.The acting was great especially from Jude Law, although Rooney Mara seemed to be disinterested at times and appeared to be just going through the motions; Channing Tatum is a fine young actor with bagfuls of talent, it was a shame to see him killed off before the film really started to pick up, although this of course was a necessity.The film promised to be a bit a dull so thank goodness for the amazing plot twist during the final third, it helped notch the overall film up a few points. Indeed the beginning was something of a screw you to pharmaceutical companies, until the plot swerved away from that device with its clever twist.It was sad to see Hollywood using mental illness as a subject for a plot, especially when they pretty much butchered it like they did, other films have used the subject of mental health in a far more respectful way, it was way borderline for sure.

I really didn't know what to expect when I watched this. I didn't hear about it when it came out - though I'm told it was well-received and much-talked about. I found it while hunting around for something to watch on OnDemand. What a fun story! It's clever to start the film from one perspective and slowly shift to another. Rooney Mara was superb. At first I thought she was lifeless and wooden, but I really thought about her character and her performance was spot-on. I don't usually like Jude Law, but he was great in this. Ultimately, though, there's no greater talent in the film than the direction of Steven Soderberg. This movie tastes like one of his, and you can see his fingerprints all over it. It's a totally satisfying psychological thriller that I thought about for a few days after it was over.

"Side Effects." A depressed woman sees a psychiatrist, is given a new drug, murders her husband while in an apparent trance, and finds herself alone in a heap of trouble.I don't know if that sounds promising to you but it sounded like an onrushing express train of clichés to me. The poor woman, helpless and screaming, booted around and dragged through an indifferent court and a vicious mental hospital. Nobody to turn to. Screams, tears, condemnations, vilification by the press and former friends until -- at last -- a friendly face turns up, an understanding man of some repute and authority, preferably handsome and rich, and then -- Sob.It's not like that at all. I was only able to catch about twenty minutes of it but anyone thinking of watching it should not expect a Lifetime Movie or a typical woman-in-jep story. I won't get into the plot further because it gets tricky.Rooney Mara doesn't inspire confidence at first glance. In the excerpts I saw, she seems stuck in a single groove -- the sullen victim. Yet, when the occasion permitted, she lightened like an incandescent bulb and got the point of the scene across with minimal effort -- a keen comment or a knowing smile.The movie depends on her but she gets good support from Catherine Zeta-Jones as a voluptuous psychiatrist on whom one would like to practice transference to its fullest extent, and from Channing Tatum as the perplexed husband.I avoided it for months on television. Now I'll look forward to viewing it intact.