Review: Side Effects

I have to hand it to Scott Burns and Steven Soderbergh.  They've crafted one of the most unique and creative thrillers in years.

I have a hard time labeling Side Effects as a thriller because for the first 40 minutes or so, it's a drama.  It doesn't turn into a thriller until the second half, but wow what a second half!

The film opens with Emily and Martin (Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum) as Martin is being released from prison for insider trading.  He's adjusting to a life of freedom once again, and concentrating on getting a new job through his old contacts.  Emily is fighting her depression from the time her husband was in prison, and eventually meets Dr. John Banks (Jude Law).

Banks prescribes her a new anti-depressant on the market to help her, only it has little help.  He eventually puts her on an experimental drug called Ablixa, one in which he is participating in a study program through a pharmaceutical rep.  Ablixa seems to be helping her, except now she's prone to sleepwalking.

Or is she?  Once the film reaches this point, the tone switches around completely into a mystery and a cat and mouse game.  There's Vanessa Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Emily's previous therapist and someone who Banks consults in trying to help her.  At first she feels like a fairly unnecessary character, but her relevance to the story becomes much more clear by the second half.

To reveal any details regarding the shift in tone and how the film changes course would mean spoiling any number of twists along the way.  There are at least five really good shockers in the film, all of which I leave to you to see for yourself.  On one hand, I feel like my praise for the film isn't satisfactory because I'm not getting into specifics over why the film is so good in its second half, but on the other hand talking about the second half in detail means spoiling all those great surprises.  It's a catch-22.

I can't say that I've been a huge fan of Soderbergh's work to date as a director.  He's made truly excellent films like Traffic and Out of Sight, and thoroughly entertaining films like Ocean's Eleven.  And then he's made real garbage like Ocean's Twelve and Solaris.  I'll say his good films definitely outnumber his bad ones, so if this truly is his final film as he claims it will be, he'll end his career on a very high note.

February isn't a time of year when there are many decent films in theaters, so Side Effects is definitely a bright spot.  I will be looking to add this to be Blu Ray collection when it's released later this year.