Side Effects

Soderbergh rocks. The brilliant genre change in the middle of the picture is just the type of hacking I approve of. The untraditional development of the plot and the characters that really work - awesome Law and Rooney Mara confirms his status as one of the best young actors in the branch. And then there’s Newman’s chillingly captivating music. A delicacy that shouldn’t be overlooked and that is better not to know too much about in advance. (22/04/2013)

An outstanding and rather (very) subversive genre piece which stands and falls with its conclusion. And it‘s with that final explanatory and point making last ten minutes that there is a problem, and not just one. Not that it’s borderline stupid or that it doesn’t make any sense, but.. There simply are few absolutely crucial buts. Which makes you doubly sorry, especially with a movie that’s coherent as this one. (26/04/2013)

Side Effects is a very well made film that stands out especially for its sophisticated script and acting performances. As for the story, I didn't really know how it was all going to turn out until the end, and I kept asking myself questions - mainly, "Who's the biggest jerk on the set?". We're thrown an unspecified scene at the beginning, which reappears about a third of the way through the film, and from then on a very deep case study of a sick woman who is taken on by a renowned doctor, and it changes both of their lives (and more). Who is actually guilty! Jude Law impressed me the most with his role, but Rooney Mara and Catherine Zeta-Jones were also great and convincing. A film whose title is not necessarily related to antidepressants. (27/06/2013)

It's almost as if this Soderbergh guy has something against the pharmaceutical industry. He follows Contagion with the more intimate Side Effects, whose tone once again casts the very principle of pharmacy in a less than favorable light. The problem isn't just with the pharmaceutical industry, of course (which makes it all the worse); indeed, where there's opportunity, there's a human being. I loved the initially slow, almost unnerving pace, which builds up brutally, and perhaps a little forcefully, in the last act, only to have the great Steven eventually convince you that some things really may not be as they first appear. Brilliant camerawork that perfectly underscores the main character's feelings *SPOILER ALERT* (it does gets a bit ridiculous with those feelings, and anyone who's seen it knows what I mean:)) *END SPOILER*, Soderbergh's focused and once again very evocative direction combined with the unsettling soundtrack for me made this one of Soderbergh's best films in recent years. (20/12/2013)

Steven Soderbergh's surgically precise direction dominates this cold, seemingly pharmaceutical fraud. A standard set-up, a brilliantly tangled in the middle and a worthy finale. A film with a plethora of perfectly cast roles, tight reins and an unpredictable plot. I wouldn't be afraid to call it one of the best thrillers of the year. It's not as atmospheric and emotionally charged like Prisoners, but here everyone is evil, which is a very interesting cinematic twist. Usually when Soderbergh makes movies, it's not about good and evil characters, it's about who knows how to walk the walk. (02/06/2016)