Steven Soderbergh, Academy-Award winning director of classics such as Erin Brokovich and Ocean’s Eleven, has presented audiences with, what he claims is, his final film.
On the surface, Side Effects is an investigation in to American society’s obsession with prescription drugs, specifically anti-depressants. Even the trailer makes it seem this way. However, as the film runs we see that there are several storylines at play here, including issues such as mental health, Wall Street greed and corporate crime.
The thriller kicks off with a chilling scene of an empty New York apartment with blood on the floor. The screen reads ‘3 months before’ and we realise we are going to be transported through the events that led to the horrifying opener.
Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is waiting for her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) to be released from prison. He has been away for the last four years for insider trading and as a result, the couple have lost all the fortune they had enjoyed so freely before. Emily is happy to be reunited with Martin but tensions run high when they realise they can’t go back to how they used to be. Things get so bad that the young woman drives her car in to a wall, in an apparent suicide attempt.
Emily then starts to see Dr Jonathon Banks (Jude Law). He prescribes her anti-depressants but when they are no help, he contacts her old doctor, Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Victoria advises him to prescribe her Ablixa, a new, experimental drug. Emily seems to be doing better on Ablixa, apart from her sleepwalking, until one night the drug makes her commit a chilling crime.
Jonathan must now fight to clear his name as his work and judgement are blamed for Emily’s fate. His world starts to collapse around him as he realises that there is a whole lot more to this case than meets the eye.
If this is really Soderbergh’s last film then he has truly ended his career on a high with Side Effects. The thriller is engaging, exciting and keeps the audience guessing at every revelation. The impressive camera work and dramatic score give the film a Hitchcock-feel that makes it all the more eerie.
Rooney Mara gives an amazing performance in this film, and it’s nice to see her finally break out of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’s shadow. She proves in this film that she has the ability to evoke sympathy and fear from the audience, which is not an easy thing to achieve. Jude Law is incredible at carrying the film’s storyline and his role as the man determined to prove his innocence is one of his best in recent years. Catherine Zeta-Jones also plays a crucial role and is fabulously evil as Dr Victoria.
Side Effects has all the makings of a classic and proves how sometimes simplicity is the most terrifying attribute a film can have.
[rating=4]
