Steven Soderbergh's SIDE EFFECTS

A movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This tasty little thriller really packs a punch with frequent and unexpected twists and turns along the way. Jude Law and Rooney Mara star in an expertly crafted cat and mouse game that pits … well, explaining the story too much would spoil things.

Let’s just say that Soderberg does not cheat and gradually spins a tale that can easily snare the unwary viewer. One must pay very close attention to the dialogue as the plot frequently hinges on a word or phrase.

Performances and photography are universally excellent with skilled use of many different real locations.

I was most impressed by Jude Law’s performance. He goes through a lot of personality shifts in this movie but never loses control.

A mature thriller. Highly recommended.

Review copyright (c) 2015 by Dennis D. McDonald