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Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Guy Torry ... see more see more... , Jennifer Esposito , Shawn Doyle , Victor Argo , Conrad Goode , Paul Schulze , Lance Reddick , Famke Janssen , Oliver Platt

This psychological thriller from screenwriter Patrick Smith Kelly reunites him with his A Perfect Murder (1998) star Michael Douglas. Dr. Nathan Conrad (Douglas) is a respected adolescent therapist fa... read more read more...ced with a nightmarish scenario when his young daughter (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is snatched by Koster (Sean Bean), a criminal with a talent for high-tech surveillance. Conrad learns that the kidnapper is desperate for a critical piece of information known only to Elisabeth Burrows (Brittany Murphy), one of his catatonic pro bono patients. While his wife Aggie (Famke Janssen) remains at home, bedridden due to a broken leg, Conrad races to unlock the secret stored in Elisabeth's fractured mind, while a New York City detective (Jennifer Esposito) inches closer to discovering the Conrads' dilemma. Don't Say a Word co-stars Oliver Platt and Guy Torry and is directed by Gary Fleder, who follows up his suspense smash Kiss the Girls (1997). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

54% liked it

51,690 ratings

Critics

24% liked it

113 critics

R, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Gary Fleder

Release Date: September 28, 2001

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DVD Release Date: February 19, 2002

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Stats: 1,622 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,622)

  • matertenebraum
    December 27, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Renowned psychiatrist Nathan Conrad visits an 18 year old woman who is mentally disturbed with his colleague Dr Sachs. The next morning he awakes to find his daughter kidnapped and him and his wife under surveillance by a shadowy group of men. He is given until 5pm that day to ge... read moret the patient to reveal a 6 digit number to him that is locked up in her head. Meanwhile his wife is trapped in their flat and police woman Cassidy is piecing together a puzzle that begins with the discovery of two related murders.

    It doesn't matter how daft a story is if it manages to convince you for as long as it's on screen. For example Face/Off has the most absurd plot in the world, but for 2 hours it doesn't matter and it carries you along. This doesn't quite manage the same trick. The plot is daft - every single part of it is silly from the idea of a girl being unreachable is daft, the idea of the gang doing this is daft and the way that with very little notice the gang manage to set up cameras everywhere.

    That said it has it's moments - the opening robbery is good and some of the drama works well. However for too much of the film you feel like the director is really trying to make it feel more tense than it is - witness the scene where Conrad first finds talks to Patrick Koster on the phone, the camera spins wildly all round him. Similarly he uses a lot of handheld stuff to give the impression of more action than is really happening, he also uses other lazy tricks like having everyone shouting their lines at times and making everyone squeal their tyres etc when they drive! These combined with the silly plot make it hard to get into.

    Douglas is OK but he doesn't convince as the strong father figure that saves the day - he looks too old to take on Bean in a fight. He also looks far to old to have a beauty like Famke Janssen. She does well despite being stuck indoors all the time - the only problem with her is that she is far to warm and perfect a character. Murphy is good although she has moments where she's too hammy. Bean and his gang are good but they are distant from the action and never feel like a real threat - in fact you could almost sympathise with Bean, having been double-crossed at the start and wasting 10 years of his life. Esposito is OK but she doesn't really have a character - she tries to be tough and slightly sassy (a role she did so well everyday in Spin City) but she comes across as nondescript as her black leather coat. Victor Argo is a pleasure to see, but he's wasted here with nothing to do in a really small role. Fans of Abel Ferrera will know him while he's been in other things (notably the two Smoke films) and know how good a character actor he can be.

    Overall this never manages to rise above it's silly plot. It has it's moments but with lesser stars this would have been just another silly straight-to-video thriller.
  • SirPant
    September 22, 2009
    SirPant
    Don't say a word and don't bother watching this film!
  • thmtsang
    December 20, 2008
    thmtsang
    Excellent thriller about a kidnapped girl and how Michael Douglas a psychiatrist gets information from Brittany Murphy a tramatized patient to solve the case.
  • 76Majikat
    September 12, 2007
    76Majikat
    A fantastic performance by Brittany Murphy makes this story so great. My favourite performance of hers to date. Original story, covering a heist, a mental institution and a kidnap

    VERDICT: Definitely recommend.
  • JennifairyW
    August 20, 2007
    JennifairyW
    "i'll never telll"
  • Deano78
    July 23, 2007
    Deano78
    A pretty good thriller with a good story.
  • mjgildea
    April 12, 2007
    mjgildea
    I'm going to punish my kids with this movie when they get older.
  • deano
    November 29, 2006
    deano
    One of the best thriller films of the year with Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy. FANTASTIC!
  • dreamfaeries
    November 14, 2006
    dreamfaeries
    Suspenseful...
  • stuartb1234
    October 30, 2006
    stuartb1234
    Good thriller if not great.

View All Don't Say a Word Reviews

Critic Reviews

James Berardinelli
October 4, 2001
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

In the place of consistent psychological tension, we are saddled with shoot-outs, chases, and fight scenes. Full Review

Michael Atkinson
October 2, 2001
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

As an odyssey of paternal qualm, Fleder's forgettable thriller has a convincing edge, and Douglas remains unchallenged as Hollywood's most tremulous and disquieting dad-under-pressure. Full Review

(CNN.com) Paul Clinton
October 1, 2001
(CNN.com) Paul Clinton, CNN.com

A well-crafted thriller that breaks no new ground but is an exciting diversion with plausible twists of logic and an exciting climax. Full Review

David Edelstein
September 28, 2001
David Edelstein, Slate

A big, noisy mess, with a howler at its center. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
September 28, 2001
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

It's a Hollywood movie, not a good movie.

Desson Thomson
September 28, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Every bit as predictable, shopworn and unappetizing as its premise suggests.

Peter Howell
September 28, 2001
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It all gets back to that suspension of disbelief. Are you willing to make the leap? Full Review

Bob Graham
September 28, 2001
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

Maybe the less said about Don't Say a Word the better. Full Review

Charles Taylor
September 28, 2001
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

A stupid, brutal and nonsensical picture. Full Review

Roger Moore
September 28, 2001
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

An efficient, workmanlike thriller that hits many of the right buttons and finds surprises in the psychopath- psychotherapist dynamic.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • Brittany murphy plays a mentally unstable patient, and Michael Douglas is her psychiatrist  Answer »
  • Was in coma, got complicated with a fatal attraction and was request to don't say a word..  Answer »
  • Who was the actress in Dont say a word, just married and unptown girls   Answer »
  • Which actor has been in the following movies? -National Treasure -North Country -Silent Hill -Don't Say a Word -Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring  Answer »
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