Review of Side Effects (2013) by James W — 27 Dec 2013

There's something about Steven Soderbergh films that pull you in, I cannot describe what it is. Every single one of his films either thrill, intrigue or entertain, plus his signature camerawork and colour palette style set his films out from the rest on a visual level.

Anti-Depressants and tablets are the culprit in this tense and disturbingly realistic thriller, as a prescribed tablet called Ablixa causes depression suffering patient Emily Taylor to murder her recently free from prison husband Martin in her sleep, posing questions as to how it happened and putting Psychiatrist John Banks in a crossfire of suspicion and questioning.

I praise the cast highly, Rooney Mara gives her career best as a girl in a dangerously fragile state. I've never been so glued to the screen because of actors performances, Jude Law is the most convincing doctor in a movie.

The script as a whole and even down to the smallest piece of dialogue from writer Scott Z. Burns is near flawless, and the ending pieces together like the perfect puzzle but with added shock. You can't afford this miss this, Side Effects is excellent.