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Don't
Say a Word is definitely one movie that I find hard to
review. It's the type of movie that leaves your brain right as
you are walking out of the theatre. It was like fast food. I
finished the movie and now I had to decide whether I was hungry
or full. I'll tell you what i remember. It stars Michael Douglas
as a psychologist and he has another young women with him (Famke
Janssen). I really had to stop and think about it for a minute.
This was a cookie cutter movie all the way. It was a definite
win for style over substance.
The
plot for the movie makes you laugh just describing it. Like I
said it stars Michael Douglas as a psychologist. He has a young
wife with a broken leg at home, a smart daughter and one crazy
new patient (Brittany Murphy). Thieves kidnap his daughter. They
won’t release her until he gets a 10-digit code from his new,
crazy patient. You have to at least shake your head when you
hear it. Wait, there’s more. The crazy girl has been fooling
the doctors all along. She is hiding out in the hospitals just
to avoid the criminals who are chasing her and the jewel her dad
stole from them.
The
first half of this movie is actually very well directed and
paced nicely. The director, Gary Fleder, handled the
introduction of the characters nicely and set up the plot
smartly. This movie is on par with the director’s last movie, Kiss
The Girls. The problem in the second half is the script just
goes to pieces. I haven't even mentioned the cop played by
Jennifer Esposito. She is in the movie for no logical reason.
She exists only to show up at the conclusion and even then she
is taken out of the equation right away.
The
performances are all pretty good with Brittany Murphy being the
standout. She adds just enough vulnerability to her character
and that makes what could have been a one-note portrayal, a
nuanced one. Famke gets to kick ass and since she is in a cast
for the movie, which was a surprise. Michael Douglas gives his
normal solid performance, but to me it felt like the same old
character in a new setting.
Overall,
the movie was not that bad. It just wasn't very good. If you got
an afternoon to kill and you've seen everything else then, why
not see this movie. Just make sure you don’t purchase a ticket
at full price.
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