A high-stakes thriller where a psychiatrist must unlock a patient's hidden, traumatic memory
In short: In the 2001 psychological thriller Don't Say a Word, a psychiatrist's daughter is kidnapped by criminals desperate for a secret number. To save her, he must break through to a traumatized young woman who is feigning insanity to protect a long-buried secret involving a stolen, rare gem.
The film, directed by Gary Fleder and based on the novel by Andrew Klavan, centers on Dr. Nathan R. Conrad, a Manhattan psychiatrist. His life is upended when a gang, led by Patrick Koster, abducts his 8-year-old daughter, Jessie. The kidnappers demand that Conrad extract a six-digit code from Elisabeth Burrows, a patient at a state sanatorium who witnessed her father hide a $10-million gem years earlier. The plot reveals that Elisabeth’s father had double-crossed the gang before being murdered in front of her, leading her to hide the gem inside her doll, Mischka, which was buried with him at Hart Island.
Production of the film began in late 2000, with filming taking place in New York and Toronto. The release, scheduled for September 28, 2001, occurred shortly after the September 11 attacks, prompting the studio to remove shots of the World Trade Center from the final edit. Despite a $50 million budget, the film faced significant critical backlash, holding a 24% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics often cited the film's routine nature and lack of believability, though some, including Roger Ebert, praised the performances of Brittany Murphy and Skye McCole Bartusiak.
The film’s narrative structure underwent changes during development, notably the addition of a sub-plot involving Detective Sandra Cassidy, which was absent in earlier scripts. While the film struggled with critics, it performed reasonably well at the box office, earning $17 million during its opening weekend and eventually grossing over $100 million worldwide. The score, composed by Mark Isham, underscores the tension of the heist and the tragic backstory of the protagonist, culminating in a final confrontation at the mass gravesite on Hart Island.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Don't Say a Word
- Also: Wikidata — Don't Say a Word · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Don't Say a Word · CC0
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