Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, this dark and deceptive tale provides the viewer with a dose of ample cinematic satisfaction. It moves quickly, the characters are intriguing (as well as being exceptionally attractive), and the pieces of the puzzle slide tantalisingly together in convincing fashion.
By Keeva Stratton.
Having tried to hurt herself by driving her car into a wall, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is assigned to psychiatrist Dr Banks (Jude Law) to be treated for depression. The cause of her depression is apparently the recent return home of her husband (Channing Tatum), who has served most of their five year marriage in prison for insider trading.
Struggling to see results from her current medication, Emily is prescribed a new drug. Shortly thereafter, she suffers from sleepwalking episodes. During one of these episodes, her husband is murdered, and the question becomes: was it a side effect, or something more sinister that’s responsible for his death?
Having overseen the treatment of a patient who allegedly murdered her husband, Dr Banks soon finds himself without his practice, and the resulting controversy also leaves him bereft of his wife and son. Wondering what he missed, he begins to take a closer look at Emily Taylor: her past, her former therapist and her own recollections of the night of the murder. As he begins to unravel his patient’s secrets, what comes to light is shocking.
Acclaimed director Soderbergh continues to excavate his deep-rooted interest in the dark and calculative side of human behaviour in Side Effects. In this sleek offering, providing a nice mix of surprise and intrigue, we are offered a tightly woven narrative. While the story itself succeeds, the performances however are not quite all up to par, leaving you wanting a little more to be truly impressed.
Soderbergh enlists the talents of Channing Tatum, but here Tatum is not given a lot to work with, and I think the film suffers for it. We should, after all, have some investment in the victim. And as Rooney Mara’s first big role after her lead in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I was hoping we would finally get a chance to see what else she can do. Unfortunately, she continues with her melancholic tendencies, making her again a beautiful subject with sadly little depth to offer behind her lost eyes.
Nevertheless, it feels as though it has been a while since as viewers we’ve been offered some genuine suspense to engage with, and for this reason alone Side Effects makes for welcome viewing.
Not a must-see, but certainly solid and entertaining, hopefully one of the ongoing side effects of this film will be a revival of the murder mystery genre that’s been sadly missing of late.
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Channing Tatum
Rating: MA15+
Runtime: 106min
Release Date: February 28 Reviewer
Rating: 3/5
