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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Adapted from Andrew Klavan's bestselling suspense novel, Don't Say a Word is a suitable companion to director Gary Fleder's earlier hit Kiss the Girls, with solid performances serving a plot that begins promisingly. The tension starts when the daughter of a top-notch New York psychiatrist (Michael Douglas) is kidnapped by a bitter ex-con (Sean Bean) with an old score to settle. Aided by an unwitting colleague (Oliver Platt), Douglas can save his daughter by extracting crucial information from a traumatised patient (Brittany Murphy), while his bedridden wife (Famke Janssen) and a tenacious detective (Jennifer Esposito) do their part to solve the mystery. Fleder pushes all the routine buttons with effectively sombre style and Don't Say a Word will satisfy anyone with a preference for high-anxiety thrillers. Even as it grows increasingly conventional, it's still entertaining without being particularly original. As a by-the-book programmer, it's just right for rainy-day viewing. --Jeff Shannon
ridiculous story but some good acting
Review date: 2008-09-03 Rating: 4 out of 10
There was some good acting in this film but the ridiculous story made it hard to enjoy.Also somebody withheld the suspense because I didn't feel on the edge of my seat.This film was I suspect, a bit like the book it was based on:it had a clever plot rather than a credible plot.For a much better kidnap film buy the movie "Ransom" with Mel Gibson and Rene Russo which is also set in New York.That has some great twists in the story and a much more believable story too and is way more exciting to watch.
Michael Douglas plays a psychiatrist who has to get Brittany Murphy's pyschologically tortured girl to reveal to Sean Bean's baddie a number that will help him discover the whereabouts of a diamond.
Despite a few plot contrivances (would Bean's character really spend ten years hunting down a girl just to get a tiny diamond?) it is edge of your seat thrilling entertainment, in the way that you wonder how the family will escape the clutches of the bad guys.
And you first have to get past a surprisingly slow start. It's a good quarter of the movie in before the main plot kicks in. Still, anything with Sean Bean in it is value for money, and he's brilliant at playing bad guys. Britaany Murphy too is exceptional as a slightly wacko girl in a psychiatrics ward. Only Michael Douglas seems slightly typecast - playing the same character that he does in all his films.
But as things build up and draw to their close, you can't help but feel sucked in. How can they stop Bean from getting the diamond? Will the cop close on their tails ever catch up? And will Famke Jansenn's bed ridden wife survive her unpredictable situation?
Taut, thrilling and well thought out - this is a standard thriller that hits above the average thanks to its enthusiasm and performances. Worth a watch.
Brittany Murphy is an AMAZING actress in it, but I think that Michael Douglas let the film down slightly.
Parts of the plot were hard to follow at times, but it is a good thriller.