"I'll never tell!" That tagline littered my television set last fall and intrigued me. The young lady quoting those words had cast a spell on me that had me wanting to know as much as Michael Douglas just exactly what these numbers were.
Numbers are the plot that center on Dr. Nathan R. Conrad's predicament. Dr. Conrad, played well by the always charming Michael Douglas, is a New York Psychiatrist who wants nothing more than to celebrate a relaxing Thanksgiving with his daughter Jessie and wife Aggie, played by Skye McCole Bartusiak and Famke Janssen respectively. Unfortunate for him, Dr. Conrad is one of the best when it comes to helping very disturbed and often violent teens.
So upon trying to get home the night before Thanksgiving the good Doctor receives a call from one of his closest friends and colleagues who needs his help. Thus always trying to do the right thing for others before himself, he stops off and meets the "I'll never tell" girl played wonderfully by Brittany Murphy. Her character Elisabeth Burrows is very disturbed but Dr. Conrad is able to get further in little less than an hour than his colleague, Dr. Louis Sachs played by Oliver Platt, did all week. Elisabeth lashes out and asks Dr. Conrad to leave ending the sequence and returning the good Doctor back home to his family. One thing bothers the Doctor, though, and that is what did she mean by "I'll never tell".
The plot then takes a twist the next day when Dr. Conrad wakes up to take his daughter Jessie to the annual Macy's Thanksgiving parade. His daughter Jessie is missing and the chain on the door has been broken. His wife, whom is stuck in bed due to a skiing accident, doesn't know where Jessie is either. Then a phone call occurs accelerating the plot into a mystery with Elisabeth being the key.
Once the story takes this twist I found the suspense levels to be used very well. Director Gary Fleder definitely took notes from the great Hitchcock in that timing is key to any successful plot. A good suspense needs most of all to keep the twists coming and the tension high.
What really makes this movie work, though, is the key acting by Brittany Murphy. Her schizophrenic take on Elisabeth looks eerily too natural at times. She shines throughout with Michael Douglas feeding off her energy in the way he does best. Faced with the dilemma of trying to reach a disturbed teen, while racing a clock to save his daughter, Douglas' candor and cool is shown in a role that easily avoids the cockiness of past roles.
This is a thinking man's story and director Gary Fleder should be commended for avoiding overly violent effects to get the message through. The sleeper star to watch here is the young Skye McCole Bartusiak whose character is superb in the supporting role of a smart beyond her year's child in danger.
While the effects of being kept on your toes are lost in repeat viewing, Don't say a Word is a movie I will be viewing again in the future. It's a wonderful piece of film in the order of Hitchcock's best work.
The Disc:
Staying with the "I'll never tell" theme it was refreshing to hear Brittany Murphy's commentary about how that tagline has affected her life. The commentary features several of the actors each broken up into sections featuring their roles. Michael Douglas' commentary is a bit dry as if he was distracted for most of the time. The rest of the commentary, including the feature length commentary of Director Gary Fled is interesting enough, giving the film a better sense of completion.
Other extras on the disc run the gambit from the standard trailers to features. One of the most interesting is Brittany Murphy's Screen Test. Seeing her try at Elisabeth pre-production shows just why Fleder chose her for the role. I've always loved seeing these early takes as it shows just what an actor goes through trying to land a part. There's several features including a "Making Of" Featurette and a rather interesting Set Tour with Production Designer Nelson Coates. Fox has really given this disc quite a bit of extras, all of which are more interesting than normal extras.
The audio on the disc is presented in either Dolby Digital or DTS. As usual the DTS running out of the receiver sounds a bit crisper than Dolby Digital. This is a film that wisely uses sound to create tension and suspense. Both 5.1 choices offer the kind of quality to really lift this film. Those less fortunate to experience the home theater sounds will still find quality audio on this disc.
bottom line:
I must admit that I doubted a solid thriller could back the catch phrase "I'll never Tell." Don't Say A Word proved my suspicions wrong, however, with a well crafted ensemble, plenty of plot twists and lots of smart ideas. The disc is backed by enough panache to make it worthy of your dollar especially if you're a follower of Hitchcockian drama.
By - Brian "Shroom" Gray
