Oct. 4, 2001 – Michael Douglas is once again cast in a Serious Role, this time around as a frenzied psychiatrist in "Don't Say a Word."
Gone is the wonderboy of "Wonderboys," the carefree, pot-smoking college professor who has knocked up the college chancellor. Alack and alas.
The reason for the frenzy of Dr. Nathan Conrad (Douglas) is that his young daughter has been kidnapped and he must retrieve a crucial piece of information from Elisabeth (Brittany Murphy), a disturbed and violent young woman, in order to find the girl. Conrad is known for his expertise in dealing with troubled teens.
The upscale, uptown doctor has a 10-hour deadline by which to extract the information from the recalcitrant and hostile Elisabeth. As if this weren't enough to glue you to the edge of your seat, the generous writers have thrown in a jewel heist, an attractive wife immobilized in bed with one leg in a cast, and a troublesome young female detective.
If one plots, fails … well, you get it. The critics seem less than overwhelmed by the burgeoning plot lines, but they do say, "Don't blame the actors."
"Don't Say a Word" was directed by Gary Fleder. It's almost two hours long rated R with reason — violence, gruesome images and language. It's at Market Square East.