The Good Nurse

I have not much to say about the movie. It's a proper movie based on a true story of yet another serial killer who took advantage of his work as a nurse to perform his nefarious deeds. Jessica Chastain never disappoints, and she manages to sound and look absolutely credible moving only one muscle of her face.

But the real reason why I'm writing this review is because Eddie Redmayne has shocked me once again. I cannot believe this man. Even with a straight face and not saying a word, playing the serial killer in the story, he throws those looks that freeze one's soul without exception, at the same time melting you with love and tenderness. Imagine meeting a serial killer who is so sweet but also so odd and dangerous as Eddie in this movie. Eddie's characterization of Charlie Cullen makes the viewer question themselves for the unavoidable sympathy he produces. If serial killers are manipulative, Redmayne as an actor impersonating a serial killer manipulates his whole audience.

In all honesty, I've never seen an actor achieve so much by just staring and not saying a word or looking so real while screaming nonsense.

I think Mr Redmayne is one true gem in the acting world.

Certainly looking forward for his next movie. He is tantalizing to say the least. I'm so glad I don't know him personally. With just one look of those he would own my accounts and everything I have.

In true-crime drama "The Good Nurse" Jessica Chastain & Eddie Redmayne (two superb talents at the top of their games) are nurses in a New Jersey hospital ICU where unbeknownst to them a mysterious death on their ward is under investigation (involving cops Nnamdi Asumgha & Noah Emmerich (and hospital 'Risk Manager' Kim Dickens)). As different facts slowly come to light the cops help Chastain begin to realise that her kindly close friend may actually be a killer... even a serial killer. Excellently directed with slow-burn tension by Tobias Lindholm, and written at good, engaging & growing pace by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, this is high-quality film-making.

To me the standout of this film were the performances. But first looking at the movie itself it was a slow build up in the first half hour till charles comes onto the scene. I'm not sure though this film works as a thriller or mystery its more of a dark drama and if labeled as such would be better understood. But as based on real life films go this does at atleast do the job and is still an interesting watch. Eddie redmayne playes charlie, the nurse the film is about. He comes off as creepy and off putting making it a great role that he filled well. The same goes for jessica chastaine as amy, the other nurse who suspects something is up after a pateints death. Her performances is just as good and both are really good. Overall an interesting film to watch. Little slow in places but overall ok.

Jessica and Eddie did extremely well with the dialogue they were given. With less talented actors, this movie would have been a complete bore. I think those who wrote the screenplay did a great job at portraying the harsh conditions of healthcare workers in the 90s/ early 2000s. However, the characters were underdeveloped, which was an absolute shame because I was left with so many questions.

They spent a lot of screen time building Amy and Charles's friendship, but not enough time giving us an idea of why Charle and Amy were the way they were. Why was Amy a single mother? Why did Charles keep getting hired with such a sketchy background? Why was the hospital covering for him? These questions are never answered and it made me wonder how much of this movie was real.

Don't worry, all of those answers are easily googlable, but I feel like if those questions were given answers in the movie, I would have been much more invested. I felt like it was wasting Jessica and Eddie's talent by not diving into their characters more because the acting is so good.

Like when Amy is starting to get suspicious of Charles, even though Charles's behavior doesn't change, I was scared of him. Amy's fear displays enough for the audience but hides enough to protect herself from Charles, making you terrified for her and creeped out by Charles. Which screws with your head because Charles's behavior doesn't change. He's still as sweet as he always was, but instead of finding it charming as you did at the beginning of the movie, you slowly start finding it creepy.

Perhaps if this movie was a miniseries, I would have liked it more since it wouldn't have left so much of the real story out. As a movie, it just glossed over too much. That being said, if you're interested in the case of Charles Cullen and enjoy a great performance, you'll enjoy this movie.

Eddie Redmayne is just effortlessly portraying a wide variety of characters but not nearly as many as I would like to see. His performances are always outstanding and this performance to date is my favourite for Best Actor. Eddie and Jessica carry what seems to be a not so thorough look on the serial killer that is Charles Cullen. Very basic and shocking story carried by a powerful lead performance. I recently just finished Dahmer and this was the perfect come down from what was one of the most thorough portrayals of a seriel killer I've seen on television. Highly recommend The Good Nurse and a solid 8/10 from me.