The Good Nurse (2022)

True crime dramas have been all the rage on various streaming services and here's a new one on Netflix which is affecting and disturbing, but also a bit different in its approach.  Directed by Tobias Lindholm, we are told the true story of a Pennsylvania nurse who was suspected about twenty years of murdering dozens of his own patients in subtle ways at various local hospitals - his name is Charles and he's played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne.  However the story is mostly told through the point of view of the nurse who befriended him and eventually helped bring him to justice - her name is Amy and she's played by recent Oscar winner Jessica Chastain.    What results is a compelling docudrama which leaves its mark on you.....

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

THE GOOD NURSE – 2022

Directed by Tobias Lindholm

Starring Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Emmerich, Nnamdi Asomugha, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Malik Yoba, Devyn McDowell, and Kim Dickens 

Genre: True Crime Drama (Audio clip)

This is that rare thriller which truly achieves a balance between sustained tension and character-based emotion for its entire runtime - I watched this late at night completely absorbed even though I kind of knew of how it would end. This is after all based upon the true story from less than twenty years ago of an ICU nurse Charles (Redmayne) who was suspected of actually murdering more than a hundred patients at a variety of hospitals....in a manner not easy to detect.....and the nurse Amy (Chastain) whom he befriends at one of those hospitals who ends up becoming involved in the effort to potentially bring him to justice. 

I've always been aware that Eddie Redmayne was a strong actor but I never quite got the full force of how he could completely take over a scene and just GRAB you....until now. He generally plays this guy as relatable for the most part - which may or may not be a ruse - but when you see the darker side of him, it's never played up in that typical movie serial killer manner but still SO chilling. With buzzed hair and a generally quiet demeanor, he has this uncanny ability to appear so meek and passive while just occasionally showing the wheels turning behind those eyes in a way that has YOUR wheels turning.....it's easy to imagine anyone who encounters him to start thinking, "How is this guy SO nice and accommodating? When is the other show gonna drop?" Redmayne conveys this with just a few limited eerie glances and mannerisms....especially one relatively early scene when we watch Charlie washing the hands of a recently deceased patient, then taking a minute to stare down at her naked corpse. And yeah it's one LONG minute for sure! 😮

But none of this would work nearly as well without an even more impressive performance by Jessica Chastain at this story's center. We witness the wrenching evolution that her ill, overworked nurse goes through regarding how she's going to handle Charles....they have become close friends and he has been invaluable at helping her keep her job during a tough time, he has also becoming close to her two daughters.  Amy’s story essentially carries this movie forward as there are two levels of tension sustaining it throughout: the potential ongoing danger posed by Charles to those around him which mostly relates to his patients AND Amy’s ongoing health issues which Charles has helped her navigate to stick around long enough to get health insurance which she badly needs.  

And the supporting cast is also rounded out with strong performances including Noah Emmerich and Nnamdi Asomugha as two increasingly exasperated police detectives on the trail of this suspected killer who has been slyly bouncing around local hospitals. Eventually this film settles into being a tight procedural with JUST the right amount of emotional beats - Dutch director Tobias Lindholm (who also co-wrote the excellent Oscar-winning Another Round) really does an excellent job of keeping things tense while never melodramatic.  

Now if you know the true story, you know how this story gets resolved though I won’t dare spoil it regardless.  The film essentially has two climaxes and both genuinely work as we see a key change in one character from one climax to the next, a logical progression if you will.  The ending broke me of course and what I love about it is how it focuses so much on the humanity of these characters while never diminishing the tragedy of what happened – it’s a satisfying way to end the movie though not in any manner typical of most true crime stories, including those focusing on serial killers.  Just a very special film.

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

The Good Nurse features an atmospheric score from Norweigian electronic music artist and composer Geir Jenssen, otherwise known officially as “Biosphere.”  It’s a good score mainly utilizing synthesizers which doesn’t often call attention to itself….and it helps maintain a suitably tense vibe for much of the film’s runtime.  Unfortunately as of the recording of this episode, no soundtrack has been released nor any actual information on the individual tracks heard over the movie and…..I have been unable to locate any samples or clips of the music.  If nothing else, I would encourage to check out their music which is available on YouTube – it’s good mood music in the vein of other electronic composers including Cliff Martinez and one of my all-time favorites, Tangerine Dream.

(Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Also of note from the supporting cast is Kim Dickens who has a small but critical role as Linda who is a chief administrator of the hospital both Amy and Charles are working at.  Linda is a key character in that she is the main point of contact from the hospital to the police who are investigating the recent suspicious death of one patient…..and she coldly stonewalls them at every turn.  This includes delaying the release of key information for several weeks and when it is provided to the police, it’s incomplete at best…just a few pages out of literally dozens for a key medication report.  This becomes an increasing source of frustration on the part of both officers AND for us the audience….and apparently it’s ALL true as stonewalling came from virtually every hospital Charles would work out during this investigation.  

In the wrong hands, this could be a very typical EVIL hospital administrator villain role and on paper it IS almost that but…..Dickens brings a convincing intelligence to this character as she has with several notable performances going back almost three decades.  I first noticed Dickens back in ’98 when she played a mysterious EMT in the detective thriller Zero Effect…..which I plan on reviewing in the near future and is one of those forgotten gems from the ’90’s.  Dickens has just always been adept at playing individuals who are sharper and more self-aware than they initially let on….their knowledge often kind of sneaks up on you as the story progresses as it did with memorable supporting parts in movies like Gone Girl and TV shows like Deadwood.  

Dickens is often playing the smartest person in the room who you never quite notice until a critical point…..and that even occurs in The Good Nurse during a later scene when she ends up firing Charlie, though just for something minor having nothing to do with his apparent manipulations of medication to murder patients.  We have already learned by this point that her Linda is a former nurse and we FINALLY see her compassion/concern seep out as she sends off Charles after his termination – she likely realizes that he will just as easily find a new job at another local hospital where he can endanger other patients.  For a brief moment, we can see that it pains her to know this and it effectively humanizes her character if just for a bit.  Honestly though, I would have just liked a bit more time with her character…..her interactions with the two detectives are effectively tense but I think having at least ONE proper exchange with Chastain’s Amy could have elevated this film even more.   

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Among several others, the best standout sequence occurs towards the end when Amy encounters Charles one-on-one after they both find out the truth about each other - what we see happen between them seems to defy logic but apparently it DID really happen this way!  As stated earlier, I will not dare spoil it as this movie just came out but let’s just say that it’s a true masterclass in acting between Chastain and Redmond.

 (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

As I stated previously, Jessica Chastain essentially carries this movie as it’s heart and soul.  She is subtly great at portraying just how inquisitive and compassionate Amy is towards those around her…..and how those traits are always linked. I especially loved how Chastain was able to switch on different parts of her personality to handle things - as an overall performance, this is definitely better than her Oscar-winning role last year as Tammy Faye Bakker. She was good in that movie but she's transcendent in this. 🤗

And by transcendent, I mean through a lot of a subtle gestures and mannerisms, Chastain is adept at having us feel concern for both her character’s personal challenges AND the danger/tragedy which occurs to some patients whom she gets to know very well.  So many difficult emotions are channeled through her character that it reminded me somewhat of another transcendent performance which Chastain gave ten years ago as Maya in Zero Dark Thirty, which she also received an Oscar nomination for…and in my opinion deserved to win.  That performance and that film is one of my personal favorites of recent years and rest assured that I will also be reviewing it JUST in time for its upcoming tenth anniversary.

For once again excelling at giving a complex portrayal of a real-life hero under very difficult circumstances, Jessica Chastain is the MVP.  (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

I'm honestly at a loss as to find any real faults with this film - it affected me deeply and it might be the best film of 2022 so far. 

Streaming on Netflix

And that ends another HIPPOCRATIC review!