5. Side Effects
It's been quite a banner year for Steven Soderbergh if he really is leaving us, as he served up this fiendishly clever, twisty, demented, extremely entertaining thriller in the vein of Hitchcock. Delivering a shocking twist in its first act, the tone changes quite unexpectedly compared to what many may have expected, as a doctor (Jude Law) tries to come to terms with a drug he prescribed that caused a woman (Rooney Mara) to act out in an uncharacteristically violent way. Here's a film that takes us on a crazy rollercoaster ride, constantly playing with what we know and what we think we know. Performances across the board are uniformly excellent, and the film revels in its own outlandishness, all shot through with good humour and Soderbergh's typically lavish, pin-sharp direction.
Release Info: In cinemas now, and on home video everywhere soon.