Don't Say A
Word film poster
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There are
few surprises in Gary Fleder's latest movie, but a smart script
and great casting elevate a pedestrian premise to the status of
satisfying thriller.
Jane Crowther
New York psychiatrist
Dr Nathan Conrad (Douglas) finds himself involved in a race against
time when his cutesy daughter (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is kidnapped.
The ransom is a secret six-digit number trapped in the fragile mind
of one of his patients.
The good doctor
must retrieve the number from catatonic teenager Elizabeth (Murphy)
before end of play on Thanksgiving Day, or the moppet gets it.
We know the
kidnapper is a nasty piece of work because he's played by English
rent-a-baddie Sean Bean.
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| Not now
Catherine I'm making a movie |
We also know
that mild-mannered Dr Conrad isn't likely to comply without a bit
of a wig-out and a hugely enjoyable, nail-biting chase across Manhattan
- because he's portrayed by the always excellent Douglas. And despite
his recent prevalence in glossy photo magazines as Mr Zeta-Jones,
no one does these ordinary-joe-turned-action-hero movies better.
Douglas' raspy-voiced
authority convinces where the screenplay might not (Conrad diagnoses
Elizabeth and manages to trigger her suppressed memory in, oooh,
seconds), and he plays well against Murphy's affecting performance
and Bean's panto audition.
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| Typecast?
Don't ever say I'm typecast |
By the time
he's involved in a cemetery showdown, you'll be shamelessly cheering
him on.
A breakneck
pace and stylish gloss from "Kiss the Girls" director Fleder adds
tension and class, rushing through flashbacks and psychiatric mumbo-jumbo
to cover up any plotholes or implausibility.
Although it
won't stand up to post-cinema pub deconstruction, this is a Saturday
night treat which shouldn't test your brain power or patience.
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