SIDE EFFECTS
If Side Effects is Steven Soderbergh's final film, he has indeed gone out with a bang. For a man who has turned out four films since 2011, Soderbergh's announcing of his retirement came as a shock to many of his fans, but thankfully Side Effects is as visually exciting, tense and stylish as anything Soderbergh has done before. It shares the most with Contagion, mostly its paranoid vibe. Scott Z. Burns is responsible for the script for both, and the script is one of the movie's strong points. The twists and turns it takes would be laughable if not for such a strong script, and strong performances around it.
Rooney Mara continues her meteoric rise to the top, giving a multi-layered performance. But Jude Law is the main focus of the film, and excels; halfway through I forgot I was watching the actor, he is incredibly believable as a psychiatrist. Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones offer solid performances around Law and Mara. As I said before, the cinematography is immaculate; and if Soderbergh does truly retire, his visual style with be sorely missed.
Thomas Newman's score is also great, echoing American Beauty and The Adjustment Bureau. It never intrudes on the movie, it adds to the atmosphere, the paranoia. Atmosphere is an important but minor part of Side Effects, often scenes indoors are lighted a certain way, and there is a lot of whites, contrasted by the fog and grimness outside, as if a parallel of the events of the film. The editing is flawless, pulling you from one scene to another sometimes with a bang, other times a lot less viscerally.
Thomas Newman's score is also great, echoing American Beauty and The Adjustment Bureau. It never intrudes on the movie, it adds to the atmosphere, the paranoia. Atmosphere is an important but minor part of Side Effects, often scenes indoors are lighted a certain way, and there is a lot of whites, contrasted by the fog and grimness outside, as if a parallel of the events of the film. The editing is flawless, pulling you from one scene to another sometimes with a bang, other times a lot less viscerally.
Elements of Side Effects could be perceived as being a little ludicrous, or silly. The second half for many is where the film falls down, but while I found the events of the second half a little baffling or startling at first, I felt that this is where the film really enters the genre it is. A strong point of this film is that it is almost an amalgam of genres; it is easy to initially place it as a criticism of the pharmaceutical companies; with the same anchoring themes as Soderbergh and Burns' earlier collaboration; Contagion; namely the abuse of trust and a growing sense of paranoia. Jude Law is playing a character exactly the opposite as the one he did in in Contagion, a much better written and portrayed character; but really he is the lead role, despite initially appearing to be Mara.
While Side Effects is not Soderbergh's best, and maybe not the curtain call many were hoping for, it has more in common with his earliest films, and his most recent. There is the obvious similarities with Contagion, the manipulation of The Informant!, but also the sexuality of Soderbergh's debut, and the inter-personal conflicts of Traffic and the tenseness of Kafka. It may not be evident at first, but Side Effects is almost Soderbergh's highlight reel, there are elements of all his previous works, not overly blatant; but it certainly can be viewed as such. It might become slightly absurd, but the script is near perfect and the direction is just as good that it makes any minor flaws Side Effects has forgiveable.
The Verdict: Whether or not Side Effects is Steven Soderbergh's final project, the movie is taut, thrilling and anchored by strong performances from Rooney Mara and Jude Law
While Side Effects is not Soderbergh's best, and maybe not the curtain call many were hoping for, it has more in common with his earliest films, and his most recent. There is the obvious similarities with Contagion, the manipulation of The Informant!, but also the sexuality of Soderbergh's debut, and the inter-personal conflicts of Traffic and the tenseness of Kafka. It may not be evident at first, but Side Effects is almost Soderbergh's highlight reel, there are elements of all his previous works, not overly blatant; but it certainly can be viewed as such. It might become slightly absurd, but the script is near perfect and the direction is just as good that it makes any minor flaws Side Effects has forgiveable.
The Verdict: Whether or not Side Effects is Steven Soderbergh's final project, the movie is taut, thrilling and anchored by strong performances from Rooney Mara and Jude Law
★★★★
4/5
4/5