Side Effects!!!!

Side Effects.

From what is to be Steven Soderbergh's last full length directoral film 'Side Effects' is a film which tackles the subject of what happens when people are put on various medications and what it can lead too in life.

The film starts out with the character of Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) who awaits the release of her husband Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum) from prison. Soon enough the day comes around and she couldn't be any more happier but underneath it all she's depressed and can't cope. After an incident in a parking lot where Emily is hospitalised she is sent to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan  Banks (Jude Law) where she is prescribed a course of drugs to settle her mind, help her sleep and handle her anxiety. 

As Emily takes more and more different drugs with different "side effects" she starts losing it, as Dr. Banks consults and speaks to Emily's old psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones) he decides to give her a new pharmaceutical drug called Ablixa. With Emily now more active and happier she looks in control, little does she know of how much an effect the new drug is having and Emily's life suddenly spirals out of control.

Without giving too much away Dr. Banks investigates Emily's deterioration and what went wrong in her life. Was it the drug he gave her?, was it all Emily's fault? or was it a culmination of the wrong drug at the wrong time?.

The hows and whys of what happens next in the film is for you to find out for yourself. It is a great twist and turn, suspense filled, thriller that certainly had me guessing what would happen next only to be the total opposite of what I had guessed. It is a smart film that is cleverly thought out and will have you scratching your head even to the very end when the credits role.

Of course this is Rooney Mara's first lead role since her appearance in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' she plays a depressed Emily with such fragility and vulnerability that you almost think to yourself your watching a real person breakdown on screen. It has to be said that the film is pretty much Jude Law's as he plays Dr. Banks with such intelligence and charm. He holds things together at the start and slowly loses everything but soon enough he comes back up to be the shining light at the end. Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a strong, powerful performance as a stern but at times naive psychiatrist, Channing Tatum stands as the hulking husband to the demure Mara and brings an air of strength and safety to Emily's crumbling world.

Overall 'Side Effects' is a great suspense filled thriller film, a film certainly for the older adults as the twist and turns of the films narrative could be seen as a bit much for a younger audience. With the surprises coming thick and fast during the film it has you on edge and has you guessing which I love as I like a film that challenges me mentally. 

As this is Soderbergh's last feature film that we know of as we lose him to theatre and the TV world of HBO this is a fine film to finish your movie career off with.

8/10.