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Side Effects (Quick Review) (1 Viewer)

mattCR

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It's not often that a film does what Side Effects manages to pull off. This is a traditional suspense film, something you rarely see anymore. The violence occurs just once, in a flash and is presented so medically that it never dips into gore. But the cat and mouse game over what really happened heats up. The more the threads unravel, and you start to realize what's going on, the better this film gets. Once the crime committed the characters are locked in and you really start rooting for them. The game of one-upsmanship is subtle but absolutely works. The camera angles and presentation are great and the way the characters interact with each other really sells it. Dialog is crisp and the execution is top notch. Great film to start out 2013 with. A-
 

Elizabeth S

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I agree, excellent movie. Try to go into it as "cold" as possible. Nice to see Jude Law in a good role.
 

Michael Elliott

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I'm not a big fan of the director but I thought this was very good. I liked the more laid back approach meaning that we're not constantly beaten over the head with violence, loud speeches or losers turning into Supermen and saving the day. The people here really did feel real as did their actions and the situations. I'm not certain their "plan" really worked but for the most part the film was very entertaining. As Elizabeth said, it's best to go into the film not knowing anything other than the title.
 

Paul D G

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Dec 25, 2001
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Saw this today. I went in blind. I wasn't planning on seeing it but it started getting some buzz so I decided to go. The violent scene mattCR refers to took me completely by surprise and my expectations went out the window. Really enjoyed this.
 

mattCR

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Yeah, a friend went last night and shot me a message to tell me they were completely fooled by the trailers. That doesn't happen much anymore, but this film really does it. The trailers reveal very little about how this film actually works and this is a great film to go into "blind". There aren't many films out there that you can say really throw you - because so much of their plots are given away in trailers. But this really sucks you in. Everything after that point is a great rollercoaster ride.
 

Colin Jacobson

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Apr 19, 2000
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Saw this today and liked it but didn't love it. Figured out a little too much in advance, and I think the whole souffle collapses too much in the third act. Still, it had a lot of enjoyable elements and moved fairly well - not a great flick, but a generally good one...
 

Patrick Sun

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Overall, I enjoyed this slow-boil, suspenseful film dealing with the side-effects of prescription meds and a patient dealing with depression and other issues as her husband is released from prison (sent away for insider trading) and re-integrated into her life. Director Steven Soderbergh seemed to have some fun with the filming, and I enjoyed how the actors would find their way to their mark" for many of their close-up scenes as they went from out-of-focus and into focus on their mark, it kept the camerawork quiet, while finding its own look. Obviously, it's best to go in cold for movies like these, so that's all I'll say. I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.
 

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