Side Effects (2013) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | Thriller

From Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) comes this suspenseful and provocative tale of intrigue starring Channing Tatum, Academy Award nominees Rooney Mara and Jude Law, and Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones. After her husband (Tatum) is released from prison, Emily (Mara) begins suffering from terrifying anxiety and turns to psychiatrist Dr. Banks (Law) for help. But when Banks prescribes an experimental drug for her, the side effects have chilling and deadly consequences. Full of unexpected twists, Side Effects is the sexy psychological thriller that critics are calling "wildly unpredictable!" (Marlow Stern, Newsweek)

Storyline: Emily Taylor, despite being reunited with her husband from prison, becomes severely depressed with emotional episodes and suicide attempts. Her psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks, after conferring with her previous doctor, eventually prescribes an experimental new medication called Ablixa. The plot thickens when the side effects of the drug lead to Emily killing her husband in a "sleepwalking" state. With Emily plea-bargained into mental hospital confinement and Dr. Banks' practice crumbling around him, the case seems closed. However, Dr. Banks cannot accept full responsibility and investigates to clear his name. What follows is a dark quest that threatens to tear what's left of his life apart even as he discovers the diabolical truth of this tragedy. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on May 16, 2013 -- Every review of Side Effects should begin with the words: "Stop! Do not read this review!" So, with that in mind, stop! Do not read this review! Unfortunately, even that simple disclaimer gives far too much away, as it hints at the twists and turns director Steven Soderbergh's theatrical trailers so elegantly and successfully kept hidden. In fact, to watch the trailers is to watch an entirely different movie; a topical drama that shines a harsh light on the ills of the pharmaceutical industry and the dangers of anti-depressant medications, which are being prescribed with questionable, arguably alarming frequency. Side Effects is not that film. Oh, it pretends to be for quite some time, and the intricacies of its long-con are both masterfully structured and genuinely shocking. Therein, though, lies the carefully wound psychological thriller's greatest asset and greatest flaw.

A young woman named Emily (Rooney Mara) becomes severely depressed and suicidal after her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), is released from prison, where he was serving a four-year sentence for insider trading. Although her psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), attempts to eliminate the more extreme symptoms of her depression and increasingly unstable condition with various medications, nothing seems to be working... until he prescribes a relatively new drug called Ablixa on the advice of a former colleague (Catherine Zeta Jones). Much to Emily's relief, Ablixa proves to be something of a miracle pill; it's only serious side effect being sleepwalking. But when a nearly unconscious Emily snaps without warning and commits a heinous crime, the good doctor's judgment is soon called into question. Was Emily even responsible for her actions? Or was her behavior the result of faulty decision-making on the part of her trusted psychiatrist? The lines quickly blur and thought-provoking questions are raised; questions that lead Jonathan so deep into his own depression that he risks his marriage, his dignity and what little remains of his reputation.

Don't worry, I have no intention of spoiling the sharp left turn taken by Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns midway through the film. It's only essential to note that Side Effects suddenly and aggressively divides into separate films; the first of which is chilling and calculated, confidently emerging as the most intriguing and satisfying of the two. The first half is an expertly crafted, wonderfully performed cautionary tale through and through. The second half, on the other hand, is pure, unadulterated Hitchcock homage, minus the unbreakable threads needed to more effectively bind the disparate halves together. Granted, the suspense and unease Soderbergh mounts on either side of the film's grand gotcha moment is most commendable. Inspired, even. Alas, the resulting disconnect that rears its head is terribly disheartening and a bit frustrating; impressions that only intensify with repeat viewings, when it's more clear just how detached one is from the other. Film 1 makes Film 2 seem trivial; just another day in the genre office. Film 2 renders Film 1 a cheap magician's trick, and begins undermining the impassioned message that initially gives Side Effects its fierce trajectory and palpable momentum.

Those repeat viewings do have a benefit, though. Side Effects is a richer, more enjoyable plot-driven experience the second time around, with expectations adjusted and Soderbergh's true intent uncovered. It's also more apparent just how layered the performances are, from Mara's threadbare downward spiral to Law's bewildered breakdown, Tatum's lovestruck devotion and Jones' icy demeanor. Nothing is as it seems, which would be a cliché if anything was what it appeared to be at the outset. But it's Mara and Law who steal the show, circling, toying and eventually squaring off against one another in a struggle against culpability. Mara delivers at least three dramatic shifts and doesn't tremble in the face of any of it, bonding intimately with the best and worst of Emily's fractured psyche. Law moves from well-intentioned to desperate to vindictive, all in the span of an hour, and does so with a sweaty, anxious effortlessness that allows the third act to hit as hard as it does. It only helps that Burns' sharp script and Soderbergh's hypnotic tone set a gripping stage for Emily and Jonathan's ultimate fates, despite some glaring missteps in the film's plotting and pacing. All told, Side Effects is a deliberate, dare I say brilliantly orchestrated thriller, albeit one that so misleads and deceives its audience that it damages its own logic, credibility and cohesiveness in the process.

I suspect Side Effects will continue to grow on me (as it already did my second time through), although I doubt I'll ever stop wondering what sort of thriller it might have been had Soderbergh stuck with the more relevant Big Pharmaceutical, corporate-culture commentary that dominates his first act. Its performances are outstanding, its script sharply penned, its direction confident and its story absorbing. Soderbergh isn't the 21st century's answer to Hitchcock, but, here, he at least shows the aptitude for it. Universal's AV presentation is more rewarding, with an excellent video transfer and an enveloping DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. It's just a shame the Blu-ray's supplemental package is such a bust.

[CSW] -3.5- This film gives new meaning to the term "Psychological Thriller!" This was an intelligent thriller that will leave you speechless. This is the type of film that Hitchcock would make if he was still alive. I won't give anything away because it is the unexpected that give this film the "freaked me out" status. The script is excellent and the all the performances are top notch! Great location photography of New York City too! If you do see this, don't tell your friend the ending! Side Effects will stay with you long after you watch it. And maybe leave a smile on your face as you reminisce, it did mine.
[V4.0-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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