Nobel Son

Entertaining, twisted and dark thriller/comedy...
When I first watched this, the difficulty rested in how to categorize this legitimately. We have action, a little gore, lots of plot twists, suspense, thriller, dark comedy and a little bit of sex. So I say it gets it all, and with a nice cast to boot.

Alan Rickman is great once again and plays one of the more despicable characters I have seen him fulfill. He is cast as the adulterous professor/Nobel Prize winner that finds his son kidnapped/ransomed for the money he will be receiving. His adulterous wife (sublime yet believable in Steenburgen) tags along all whilst the detective (Pullman) tracks the strange truths and twists of the case. Eliza Dushku plays an R role, and the rest of the cast gives some fun performances, especially from Hatosy and even a little part for Devito.

The quality of the DVD and the 5.1 are adequate, with plenty of featurettes/deleted scenes that help show the production's back story and missing parts. A worthwhile film that has gotten...

Loved the movie
This movie is a very fast moving plot with lots of twists and turns that sometimes leaves you unsure of what just happened. In the end though it all comes together and is really quite entertaining. Alan Rickman is convincing as a self centered, egotistical and boorish nobel prize winner who is soon embroiled in a kidnapping plot. Family loyalties are tested and priorities examined. Mary Steenburgen is perfect as Rickman's wife who has to endure his personality flaws while dealing with the brutal kidnapping of their son. Things aren't as they seem though and the ending is a surprise. Definitely worth a watch.

Smart and twisted
First, the summary on the back of the case is inaccurate. Second, there are a couple of squeamish bits. One is quite graphic - involving the uh, taking of a thumb; the other, also involving body parts, is quite shocking, but is later ... er ... mitigated.

Rickman is wonderful as a self-important, philandering professor. The plot is wonderfully puzzling, and, for all its twistedness, not lacking in humanity or heart.

And that's all I can say about that.

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