Side Effects 2013
I don’t remember hearing about this movie back in 2013 and nothing since either. However it showed up in a list of movies I could borrow with a Screen Pass. It got good reviews and is directed by Steven Soderbergh who I usually like, so I wound up watching. It is better to know as little as possible about the movie and even assigning a genre could give away key elements, but “psychological thriller” seems apt and open enough not to give away too much. The movie stars Jude Law as a psychiatrist and Rooney Mara as his patient. It opens with what looks like blood stains on an apartment floor, but then flashes back to prior events before finding Channing Tatum in jail for insider trading. The movie touches on a lot of newsy things like doctors getting kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, corporate espionage, the legal system, and accountability of doctors who treat psych patients. It starts a little slowly, but keeps building right up to the end. I really enjoyed it, though maybe I‘m overrating it a little just because it exceeded my expectations. Soderbergh does a great job despite a couple of scenes with some clunky dialogue, the actors are very good, but the story is what really shines.
Written: 11 Aug 2021
Owned on: Digital