...Gothika” is scary as hell.
Gothika (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:159
Fresh:24
Rotten:135
Average Rating:4.1/10
Consensus: Berry's acting talents can't save Gothika from its preposterous plot and bad dialogue.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: A brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (HALLE BERRY) is an expert at knowing what is rational. What is logical. What is sane. Under the direction of her husband... A brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (HALLE BERRY) is an expert at knowing what is rational. What is logical. What is sane. Under the direction of her husband (CHARLES S. DUTTON), the chief administrator of the psychiatric ward at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women, Miranda treats dangerously disturbed patients like Chloe (PENÉLOPE CRUZ), an intensely charismatic murderess whose confessions of satanic torture are dismissed by the judicious doctor as the psychotic meanderings of a paranoid mind. But Miranda's comfortable marriage and stable life are thrust into terrifying jeopardy after a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl leads to a nightmare beyond her wildest imagination. When Miranda awakens from the horrific incident, she is shocked to discover that her husband has been murdered - and the bloody evidence points directly at her. Unable to fathom having committed an unmotivated act of such sheer brutality against a man she loved and admired, Miranda suddenly finds herself confined to Woodward alongside the highly unstable patients she used to treat with methodical detachment. With no memory of the night in question except for fractured visions of the hauntingly enigmatic girl, the doctor's behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Her claims of innocence are seen as the beginnings of a deep descent into madness by her former colleagues like Dr. Pete Graham (ROBERT DOWNEY JR.), Miranda's sympathetic but skeptical coworker who is wrestling with issues of his own. Forced to rely on her instincts rather than facts, Miranda begins to believe that she has been possessed by a supernatural force determined to exact revenge at the expense of her sanity. As Chloe draws her deeper into her own personal hell, Miranda must determine if she is being driven to madness…or closer to the truth. Warner Bros. Pictures and Columbia Pictures presents a Dark Castle Entertainment production, Gothika, starring HALLE BERRY. The film also stars ROBERT DOWNEY JR., CHARLES S. DUTTON, JOHN CARROLL LYNCH, BERNARD HILL and PENÉLOPE CRUZ. Gothika is directed by MATHIEU KASSOVITZ and produced by JOEL SILVER, ROBERT ZEMECKIS and SUSAN LEVIN. Written by SEBASTIAN GUTIERREZ, the film is executive produced by STEVE RICHARDS, GARY UNGAR and DON CARMODY. The co-producer is RICHARD MIRISCH. The music is by JOHN OTTMAN; the director of photography is MATTHEW LIBATIQUE, A.S.C.; the production designer is GRAHAM "GRACE" WALKER; and the editor is YANNICK KERGOAT. -- © Warner Bros. [More]
Starring: Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton
Starring: Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Kathleen Mackey
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Screenwriter: Sebastian Gutierrez
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for Gothika
...the whole thing just feels like a sleazy attempt to cash in on The Ring's success.
In the end, the more lurid the explanations are, the more ludicrous they are, too. It's silly stuff, but I suppose it's fine as far as it goes.
It took four years, but finally Dark Castle has made something that's genuinely scary.
The sincerity Halle Berry brings to the part aids the movie in gliding over some of the more hard-to-swallow moments.
I can't in all good conscience call it a good movie, but neither can I say I didn't enjoy the amalgamation of inaninity that comprises it.
A mystery wrapped in an enigma -- an enigma that isn't nearly as clever as the screenwriter seems to think it is.
Great acting, stylish cinematography, nifty scares; too bad the story makes absolutely no sense, leaving an unprecedented amount of "but wait, how did.." questions unanswered.
Miranda's patients may indeed be not guilty by reason of insanity, but Gothika is clearly guilty by reason of stupidity.
...ultimately reduced to a barrage of unintentionally hilarious one-liners.
The ending has a suitable pay off, but overall the movie is derivative of other horror movies.
Halle Berry, Queen of Overactors Who Aren’t In On The Joke, throws tantrums, yells a lot, and lets her lip quiver to signify intensity.
Genre fans ... will be more horrified by the sight of Halle Berry making out with the spherical Charles S. Dutton than anything else on the screen.
Something's gotta be wrong when Robert Downey Jr. is the voice of reason.
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