Side Effects - review

Rooney Mara is Emily Taylor, a young woman excited for her husband’s release from prison but whose depression makes a return as they settle back into life together. As she begins to visit Dr John Banks (Jude Law), she is prescribed various medications which fail to help until a friend of hers advises on a new experimental drug.

With Dr Banks paid to take part in the clinical trial, he explains to Emily the possible side effects of the drugs and also that he’s being paid to take part, but keen to wave goodbye to her depression Emily signs up in the hope of improving her future with Martin and soon starts to feel better.

However when she experiences sleep walking no one could imagine what happens next as one person ends up dead with another on trial for murder, but is Emily really guilty or responsible for her own actions when she was reliant on an experimental drug?

As her trial takes place, Dr Banks advises Emily to enter a plea of insanity in order to escape a jail sentence, but with the press and his partners blaming John for the tragic events as he was the one who prescribed her medication, he fights a long battle to clear his name and also help Emily. But when he consults with her former psychiatrist (Catherine Zeta Jones), he learns more than he could ever have imagined providing a very clever twist to the movie.

Despite starting quite slow, this movie was a great thriller which had me gripped. I had no idea where it was going (in a good way) and was excited by the twists and turns. It makes you wonder if anyone, including medical professionals can really have their heads turned where big money is concerned.