Don't Say a Word (2001)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Absolutely the worst movie.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

As a young girl Brittany Murphy witnessed a gang of men hunting her father down which resulted in his death. She was severely traumatized and institutionalized after that. The gang leader, Patrick, has tracked her down and has also taken the daughter of psychiatrist Nathan Conrad hostage in order to force Dr. Conrad into finding out a 6 digit number that Brittany has in her memory. It's a fast-paced, worth watching thriller that leaves no room for long boring scenes - full of thrills from start to finish - I was captured from the very start. Quite a bit of screen time for Sean Bean fans!8/10

Gary Fleder's movie based on an Andrew Klavan novel from 10 years before it begins with a basic kidnapping story, but throws in the fascinating twist that the leverage is being exerted on psychiatrist Dr Nathan Conrad (Michael Douglas), who needs to work swiftly with patient Elisabeth Burrows (Brittany Murphy) to get out of her key information needed by the kidnappers. There's much more to it than that, but that's an intriguing story, and it requires Conrad (done by Douglas with his usual aplomb) to work on the limits of professional ethics ... as well as at a speed not normally associated with therapy! In this he is a little bit accompanied by a hospital manager played well as usual by Oliver Platt.What adds much to this film is the ruthlessness of the chief bad guy played by Sean Bean, whose team also applies hi-tech methods that maybe stretch credibility a bit but are fascinating. There are also a number of interesting settings, and most of all Hart Island, which does indeed boast the largest taxpayer-funded cemetery in the world at Potter's Field (with more than a million interred there!)However, what seals it for me here are four strong female performances. Murphy plays Elisabeth very well indeed - attractive yet so sad and vulnerable and traumatised. Conrad ends up hugging her on several occasions (doubtless an absolute contravention of standards) - but the character is extremely huggable. But Conrad's care for his patient is paralleled by his concern for his own daughter, and that comes close to conflicting, yet ends up in the form of parallel concern that gains good presentation in a warm and thought-provoking way. Then there is (a very attractive) Famke Janssen (an actress we of course know much better now) who gets its just right as Conrad's wife - bedridden by a broken leg of all things, her every move monitored by the tormenter-bad guys, and so motivated by her desperate love for her daughter that she'll really stop at nothing! It's an understated yet meaningful, enjoyable playing of a very determined and gutsy heroine. Rather the same could be said about Jennifer Esposito as the detective. The Conrads are determined (wrongly of course) to leave the cops out of things, so we don't see quite enough of the lovely detective (in what indeed looks like a slightly tacked-on plot strand), but what we do see is fine work. And then of course there is Nathan's daughter (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who has maybe few lines but acquits herself very well and plausibly in a dificult role.This movie then goes way beyond "Michael Douglas vehicle", being very willing to share out the acting plaudits quite widely in the cast male and especially here female. More than that, "Don't Say a Word" is economical - it comes in at about 93 minutes and seems to do more with that time than many, many a film does with 2 hours plus. That's a tribute to the makers of a 17-year-old piece of work that is absolutely worth watching today.

Gary Fleder's Don't Say A Word is a slightly topical and generic thriller that slickly goes through the motions to give us a result that is entertaining, if nothing special. The late Brittany Murphy plays Elizabeth, a disturbed young girl who resides in a psychiatric facility, haunted by a violent past trauma, unable to cope or communicate. A decade earlier, she witnessed her father brutally murdered by a group of jewel thieves, bent on finding out the location of a priceless gem he hid somewhere. Michael Douglas plays Nathan Conrad, the psychiatrist tasked with unlocking the secrets of Elizabeth's mind. The trouble arises when Patrick Koster (Sean Bean), leader of the thieves, catches on and promptly kidnaps Conrad's daughter (Sky McCole, RIP) as leverage to find the whereabouts of the jewel. A tense game of cat, mouse and killer ensues as Bean's crew basically terrorizes Douglas's family. Murphy gives the best performance as the damaged teenager fighting tooth and nail to suppress the horror of times past. Douglas makes a solid protagonist and desperate father, struggling to protect his daughter and wife (Famke Janssen) whilst in the midst of crisis. Bean carries the villain role nicely, never moustache twirling yet maintaining the menace terrifically and holding his end up. There's supporting work from Oliver Platt, David Warshofsky, Victor Argo, Jennifer Esposito, Shawn Doyle and Aiden Devine as well. It's standard thriller territory, helped nicely by its cast and given an extra shot of quality by Brittany Murphy's superb work.

Despite what others say about the ridiculous plot, I liked this movie. Michael Douglas did a fantastic job as a passionate father willing to do anything to preserve the life of his daughter. His wife however (Famke Jansenn) really kicks some serious butt, for a lady on crutches. She's very intuitive and although being confined to a bed for most of the movie, she still manages to play an integral role. The main villain Patrick, didn't sound the part with his rather refined English accent, but he certainly played the part well through his manipulation of the Conrad family.Brittany Murphy did a stellar job in her role as a neurotic young lady who holds the key to the mystery of the movie, a numbered code. Finally, Jennifer Esposito, surprised me in that she's dropped dead gorgeous, but she proved to be as tough as nails and persistent in trying to find the connections between a number of unsolved deaths. At the end she takes a bullet for a worthy cause and is the x-factor hero, so to speak, of the entire film. Generally, the movie presents a nice mix of suspense and action to keep most thriller fans interested. It won't blow you out of your seat, but at least it will keep you thinking.