Don't Say a Word

Brittany Murphy Does It 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...

Check out the Brittany Murphy Audition on the DVD
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...

Sleek, suspenseful entertainment....
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...

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