Don't Say a Word (2001)

Director:

Gary Fleder

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Klavan (novel)
Anthony Peckham (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

...I'll never tell.

Plot:

When the daughter of a psychiatrist is kidnapped, he's horrified to discover that the abductors' demand is that he break through to a post traumatic stress disorder suffering young woman who knows a secret...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Phone | Shoot | Post Traumatic Stress | Criminal

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. May 18

12:00 PM

FX

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Dr. Nathan R. Conrad
Sean Bean	...	Patrick Koster
Brittany Murphy	...	Elisabeth Burrows
Skye McCole Bartusiak	...	Jessie Conrad
Guy Torry	...	Dolen
Jennifer Esposito	...	Detective Sandra Cassidy
Shawn Doyle	...	Russel Maddox
Victor Argo	...	Sydney Simon
Conrad Goode	...	Max Dunlevy
Paul Schulze	...	Jake
Lance Reddick	...	Arnie
Famke Janssen	...	Aggie Conrad
Oliver Platt	...	Dr. Louis Sachs
Aidan Devine	...	Leon Edward Croft
Alex Campbell	...	Jonathan

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, including some gruesome images, and language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R (certificate #38497) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Disused lower platform, Bay subway station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

Sean Bean actually spoke to Michael Douglas and Famke Janssen on the cell phones during filming.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the needle held to the guards arm. First it was behind the badge, and then it jumps around inside of it.

Quotes:

Aggie Conrad: You brush your teeth?
Jessie Conrad: Yep!
Aggie Conrad: Let me smell?
Jessie Conrad: [opens mouth]
Aggie Conrad: Mmmmm delicious.

Movie Connections:

Features Home Alone (1990)

Soundtrack:

Pride and Joy

Formalaic standard thriller. Good but not surprising enough.

This thriller certainly is a good enough one to watch and it also is a very professionally made one but it however offers very little new or refreshing enough material. It makes "Don't Say a Word" nothing more than a standard thriller, with some good actors in it.

The cast is really the saving grace of the movie. It still provides the movie with some good moments and characters and also give the movie an extra sense of professionalism involved. Sean Bean is a great as the main villain and delivers an absolute fine performance. Michael Douglas is also great as the leading man, mainly because he doesn't play him as an 'hero' but an ordinary everyday person instead. Douglas is always fine in these sort of roles. Some other excellent actors play some smaller parts in the movie. Actors such as; Brittany Murphy, Oliver Platt, Victor Argo and last but not least Famke Janssen. They all help to make the movie look better and more interesting than it in fact really is. Most of the characters are however pretty flat. Why does Famke Janssen even play the wife? It's a role basically every actress could had played. This movie just didn't seem like a very challenging or original project to get involved with. And I also have the feeling that the movie would had been better of without the Jennifer Esposito. Just think about it, was she really necessary for the movie and its story? Her character is not engaging enough, since it's not she we need to care about or cheer for but the Michael Douglas character instead, who is the main lead of the movie. Her character is distracting from the movie its main story.

The movie is certainly style-full and it does have its moments. But in the end it just really falls flat as a really good or original thriller. All of the moments in the movie are just too predictable and the movie doesn't offer any real surprises. Therefor this movie just isn't anymore than a well made but standard formulaic thriller.

It's a movie that does serve its purpose and the movie certainly is watchable as a simple standard thriller. Fans of the genre will probably still be the most entertained by it but even they have to conclude that this movie is far from being one of the best thrillers released in recent years. It's the sort of movie that is only quite good enough to watch it just maybe once. Don't expect too much of this and you might end up liking it good enough.

Nothing too remarkable, just a well made, simple thriller, with some great actors in it.

6/10