Customer Reviews

Don't Say a Word [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(33)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

When his career stagnated in the late 80's after his Oscar win for WALL STREET, Michael Douglas reinvented himself as an actor as the poet of middle aged paranoia. From BASIC INSTINCT to FALLING DOWN to WAR OF THE ROSES to DISCLOSURE to THE GAME, no one other than Alfred Hitchcock (though Hitchcock did it from behind the camera) has made more of a career by cataloging on celluloid the litany of fears (both rational and irrational) that plague the psyche of the middle-aged American male--sex, drugs, violence, and career as destructive forces forever chipping away at the family and at the self.

Viewed in this light, it is understandable why Douglas took this role. It carries forward many of the actor's favorite themes--alienation, the threatened family, justified paranoia. That being said though, this is not among Douglas's best work. His performance is once again admirable, but the direction is ho-hum, and while it starts off with originality and promise, it falls near the end back into the same old action and suspense movie cliches, and at times it is detectable that a script doctor was brought in to rewrite certain scenes. The result is a modestly entertaining thriller that makes for an OK Saturday night, but isn't likely to get Michael Douglas an invite to Oscar night.

Don't Say A World is like spending the night with an ex-High School girlfriend. You'll get what you were looking for and you probably won't hate yourself in the morning. This isn't a great film. Its debatable whether its really even a good film but its does what it does effectively. Michael Douglas is a psychyatrist whose daughter is kidnapped by criminal Sean Bean. Seems that Douglas' patient, Brittany Murphy, has a number in her head that Bean desperately wants and if Douglas doesn't get Murphy to reveal that number, then Bean will kill Douglas' daughter. Plot-wise, this pretty much by the numbers and there aren't a whole lot of surprises. Its predictable entertainment but, and I don't mean this to be insulting at all, people who enjoy thrillers where the good guys are unquestionably good and the bad guys are, without a doubt, evil will probably enjoy this. Those who demand shades of gray in their plots will want to go see Memento again. Again, I don't mean that to be a condemnation of this film or any of the many people who enjoyed it. Sometimes you're in the mood for a Memento and sometimes you're in the mood for a Don't Say A Word and when I saw this film, I was more in the mood for a Memento. However, all that said, Don't Say A Word pushes its buttons with an unmistakable skill. Douglas and Bean are pretty much playing the characters they always seem to play but they're both good enough actors with enough screen presence that its not as annoying as watching Sylvester Stallone sleepwalk through some of his lesser, non-Rambo action films. As well, Brittany Murphy is a wonderful actress even if her character annoyed me. To an extent, she's going through the same paces as in Girl, Interrupted but, like Douglas and Bean, she does it well. Gary Felder's a good director and keeps the predictable story from dragging. If you're looking for a chance to just chill out for two hours and watch some bad guys get what's coming to them (and, let's be honest, after everything that's happened over the past month -- who isn't?), this film might be for you. If its not, well, at least you didn't pay money for Pearl Harbor again.

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!!!

I must confess that I went to see this movie only because my favorite actor,Sean Bean,had a starring role. That being the main attraction, I was not disappointed in what he brought to the role of a bad guy who always seemed to be two or three moves ahead of "nice" guy, Michael Douglas.It was worth the price of admission just to hear Bean's ruthless,mocking voice with just enough velvet in it to make you wonder if he really was all that evil.The atmosphere of the setting,New York City,was gray and murky--almost as if the movie,made long before 9/11,had sensed the mood most of us moviegoers were feeling about that city. But despite this gloom,the tangled web of mystery involving the missing information sought by jewel thief and kidnapper Bean from psychiatrist Douglas' patient kept it interesting.There were times,however,when I felt that the development of the storyline depended too much on electronic eavesdropping equipment and cell phones.(In this information age, were we really supposed to be surprised at the technology Bean had planted in Douglas' apartment in order to see and hear what went on after he had kidnapped Douglas' daughter?) When Sean Bean and Michael Douglas finally do meet face-to face,there are enough "fireworks" to light up even the dead-of-night in that potter's field.That made me wish that there had been more such "sparklers" thoughout "Don't Say A Word".

This thriller is full of very strong performances. Of very special note is Brittany Murphy. On the DVD is Brittany Murphy's audition, which is nothing less than searing; some of the most powerful acting I have ever seen. Even if you don't watch the movie, watch the audition. The audition performance is considerably more intense than the same scene in the movie because it has no cuts, no breaks. It is just one 5 minute long take. It is like going 5 minutes without blinking. Powerful stuff. One can envision the producers getting the funding to complete the movie on the basis of this audition alone.

Actually all the actors are very good, Michael Douglas, Famke Janssen, who plays Michael Douglas's wife and Skye McCole Bartusiak who is their daughter are all attractive and winning. Skye McCole Bartusiak as the daughter deserves special note as she imbues that role with a sweet intelligence. The good guys are attractive and we care about them. Sean Bean, the bad guy, has a scary intensity sort similar to Robert Shaw of Jaws fame.

The problem with Don't Say a Word is its plot. Sean Bean's character is both a mad dog killer and a cool, calculating criminal mastermind. On the one hand, Bean kills the one man who can tell him where to find what he is looking for ... on a subway platform in front of dozens of witnesses. (Talk about a dumb move!) On the other he plans a split-second bank heist of considerable complexity. On the one hand he kills a kidnap victim while the ransomer (Oliver Platt) has yet to do what Bean wants. (Bean was bored? Didn't care? Who knows?) On the other he plots another complex kidnapping and manipulation of the Michael Douglas character. Add this to other characters acting particularly stupid (Jennifer Esposito plays a cop who does not believe in calling for backup until it is too late for the backup to come in a timely manner/ do any good.) and the movie loses us as it piles improbability on improbability. Too bad that all those fine performances don't add up to much.

I read a couple of negative reviews of DON'T SAY A WORD when it first came out. I have to wonder if we saw the same movie. I think too many people over-analyze thrillers, instead of allowing themselves to be entertained. More than any other genre, thrillers rely on your visceral reaction to what's going on, not the logical. Don't get me wrong, logic is important to thrillers, otherwise they're not believable. But after a certain point, you should just let the film entertain you. DON'T SAY A WORD does just that.

Michael Douglas plays a celebrated child psychiatrist married to a gorgeous amazon (the talented and underrated Famke Janssen, easily the most beautiful woman in the world), with a six-year old daughter (Sky Cole Bartusiak) who, unlike most child characters in thrillers, is not irritating and cloying. Anyhow, the family's thanksgiving plan are disrupted when the munchkin is abducted in the middle of the night by a gang of jewel thieves (led by the equally talented and underrated Sean Bean). Turns out they need the good doctor to coax out some information from a "schizophrenic" patient (the terrific Brittany Murphy) by the end of the day, or daughter goes bye-bye.

The rest of the flick moves at lightning speed as Dr. Conrad races against time to get the information from the girl. Parallel storylines involving a tough cop (Jennifer Esposito, easily the second most beautiful woman in the world after Famke)who inadverdently finds herself on the trail of the thieves, and Famke Janssen trapped in her apartment because of ber broken leg lend fuel to this already brightly-burning fire of a movie. Best sequence involves intercutting of Jennifer chasing Michael and Brittany, and Famke fighting off a murderous assassin despite her cast. Speaking of Famke's sequence, never before have I cheered when a bad guy got what was coming to him. Moral of the story? A desperate mother will still kick your [butt], leg cast or not. All in all, there never is any doubt about how this movie will all end, but getting there is a thrill ride from hell. Which is what a thriller should aspire to be. This is not rocket science, just rock-solid entertainment.

By the previews, Don't Say A Word looked to be an intelligent movie, but instead it turned out to be a formulaic, poorly written movie. I felt that I already had seen the movie. Some scenes would suggest that the writer had some activity in his brain while he was writing this script, but the majority of it seemed like he just threw it together. The only thing saving this movie was the great performance by Brittany Murphy. She did an excellent job. Michael Douglas was also good once again as the average hero. Despite the horrible script, the movie was entertaining; so if you've seen everything else and want to see a good performance by Brittany Murphy see this moviep; otherwise wait till video.

I found this show was a good thriller. Brittany Murphy does a great job playing a "disturbed" girl and Michael Douglas does a good job playing her psychiatrist. Murphy's character pretends to be psychotic in order to remain in mental institutions because there is someone out there that wants something from her..... something that she has in her memory. She finds safety remaining in mental institutions. There is alot of good suspense in this movie like when Douglas' character's daughter is kidnapped being held hostage in return for the secret Murphy has in her memory..... a number. Douglas must then do what it takes to save his daughter and his patient. Good acting, good suspense and overall a movie that keeps you interested. Good movie to rent if you have not seen it before. Worth seeing.

He has a perfect life: Nathan Conrad is a successful NY psychiatrist with a beautiful wife, a sweet little girl and a comfortable life in the West Side.

But in the eve of thanksgiving everything changes when his daughter is kidnapped by a bunch of criminals that have only one demand: to get from one of his patients a number, which digits are the key to recover a 10 million diamond.

The problem is that the patient, Elisabeth, is almost catatonic and after experimenting a life full of traumas, refuses to reveal the coveted number.

The despair to get his daughter back takes Nathan and Elisabeth on a race against time.

Starring Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy, this is a thriller whose plot figures itself out like a complicated puzzle. Full of tension, trepid rhythms that keeps us in anguish and makes you feel the emotional state of Conrad.

Still, you can overanalyze the plot, as too much scrutiny will leave in the open a lot of holes.

Douglas plays easily the role; always charismatic and with enough presence, he carries the movie giving his character enough complexity to make us care about his situation.

Brittany Murphy (Girl Interrupted, Clueless) is outstanding as the tormented Elisabeth, and it is her very empathic relationship with Conrad the key to sustain the plot.

Dont Say A Word is a excellent movie. All the cast perform extremely well (especially Brittany Murphy and Michael Douglas) and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you gripped through out (even though the basic plot isnt anything new). Any fan who enjoys thriller's should be more than happy with this superb movie.