NEW Don't Say A Word (DVD)

I think the rule for a Michael Douglas film has to be if he plays a bad guy (as in, for example, A Perfect Murder 1998) or when the film's director has enough prestige to actually direct Douglas (e.g., Traffic 2000 directed by Steven Soderbergh) the movie might be worth watching, otherwise forget it. Here Douglas is Dr. Nathan Conrad, god's gift to psychiatry and the good life, with a beautiful wife, a darling eight-year-old daughter, an opulently-decorated apartment, and a thriving practice--so much so he does some "pro bono" shrinking. In short he is an all-around good guy, fabulously successful, admired by all.

Of course in a movie these fantasy-world advantages might be a little hard to overcome. Usually heroes like this are the sort of pablum fed to artistically unsophisticated middle-aged execs so that they will have something to fall asleep to in front of their hotel room TV. I think this would have worked better if Douglas's character were a little compromised, maybe make him a womanizer or somebody who abuses his practice or at least cheats on his income taxes.

The subject of his pro bono work is the catatonic Elisabeth Burrows played fetchingly by Brittany Murphy. In addition to being catatonic she is also quick with the multiple personalities and can job the shrinks to distraction. Enter the complication: the girl holds some numbers in her head that some crooks want. They give Conrad until five p.m. to shrink it out of her or they will kill his daughter whom they have kidnaped. Right, this could happen. Meanwhile they have magically installed cameras in Conrad's apartment and at the asylum lock-up, god only knows how. Furthermore, Conrad's wife (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is temporarily bed-ridden because of a skiing accident. Every time either she or Conrad makes a move a phone rings and it is the bad guys (led by Sean Bean) on the other end saying Big Brother is watching and if you don't behave we will kill your daughter.

Aside from the absurdities of the premise, there is the direction by Gary Fleder to consider. He might have made a passable made-for-TV kind of production if he had just played it straight, but no, he wanted to be creative (like Christopher Nolan of Memento fame, perhaps) and so chopped up the time sequence. Perhaps this was an attempt to camouflage the fatuous plot. No doubt Fleder and the clueless producers liked this because it allowed them to begin the movie with an inane action/adventure scene including a fire-balled vehicle and some "authentic" football-betting talk. After about twenty minutes of "Huh?" action, Fleder then allows the players to talk the plot and we realize that there are two time lines ten years apart. No doubt he also reveals how Bartusiak broke her leg, but I didn't stick around for that.

Bottom line: there are at least a thousand movies better. Pick one.

If there was a way to give ZERO stars, I wish I could utilize it. I usually hate giving bad reviews b/c they come across as incoherent rambling, but this movie was an exception. Where's the CREATIVITY? Obviously not here. A typical "high anxiety" film that just throws one twist after another in a vain effort to keep the viewer in "suspense." There's nothing wrong with a good Suspense/Thriller movie, but people usually prefer one with a little creativity, i.e. something NEW and not just a rehash of the typical suspense film formula. Sean Bean is so much better in LOTR as well. His character is the stereotypical cold, callous fathead who goes around murdering old ladies (Hollywood needs a serious lesson in respect for the elderly) and robbing banks for a living. What a loser. There's one area where the producers got it right - by the time this awful movie is over, you'll hate the bad guy. Michael Douglas can do so much better than this worthless production. If this rates among your favorite movies of all time, then I apologize for any offense. I'm not a Disney fan, but I think some of even Disney's productions outshine this terrible "movie" (if it can be called that.)

As in most cases, Andrew Klavan's book, which is the basis for this movie, is a little more cohesive, and richer in its depiction of the plight of Dr. Nathan Conrad. However, "Don't Say a Word" still manages to hold you in suspense, and most of the changes in the movie do not compromise the general plot and feel.
Michael Douglas as the forementioned psychiatrist once again provides a sturdy fulcrum for the plot and actors to work from. Douglas has played this role before, but he still brings an earnest and sincere portrait of a man facing the possible death of his little girl. Famke Janssen as his injured wife (from a ski accident) isn't given a lot to do, and when she does, she's not the world's best actress, but I liked her in this more than anything else I've seen her in.
Sean Bean who was so heroic in the first installment of "Lord of the Rings" plays a nicely sinister villain, truly coldhearted and greedy.
Of course, the movie's real star turns out to be Brittany Murphy who plays the institutionalized Elizabeth, a young woman who has something the bad guys desperately want; thus the kidnapping of Douglas' daughter. At first, Murphy seems to be following the typical acting for such a role; however, as her role increases and she becomes more involved, she really does a quite convincing job, and this movie should boost her rising star.
Although Jennifer Esposito's role as Detective Cassady is fairly by the book, there's something about her delivery that made me appreciate her performance even more. Only the predictable Oliver Platt failed to capture the evil that the Doctor had in the book, but he doesn't hurt the movie seriously.
All in all, this is a good adaptation of a good book and I enjoyed it.
RECOMMENDED.