The Good Nurse (2022)

Directed by Tobias Lindholm. Starring Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Nnamdi Asomugha, Noah Emmerich, Kim Dickens, Malik Yoba, David Lavine. [R]

Chilly, tastefully reserved, but curiously flat dramatization of serial killer Charles Cullen (Redmayne), a nurse who murdered dozens (if not hundreds) of his patients with contaminated IV bags. Told primarily through the point of view of fellow nurse, Amy Loughren (Chastain), who befriended the psychopath and, per the movie’s narrative, was the only hospital staff member willing and able to tell police about her suspicions. Kristy Wilson-Cairns’ script lacerates the culpability of hospital bureaucrats in covering up suspected crimes using similar tactics as the Catholic church when it comes to hiding pedophiles—threats of oversight, hush-hush policies, relocating “problematic” individuals, etc.—but comes up short on seeing this attack through to the bitter end, ultimately becoming an afterthought late in the film and during the closing text. Chastain is unflashy and reliable in the central role, while Redmayne mostly hides along the edges of the frame or shrinks inside the muted colors when pushed into the middle. By all appearances, he’s attempting to capture the banality of evil—which may very well be reflective of Cullen’s real-life persona—but it’s all surface texture, no sense of true evil or the motivations/psychology that may explain said evil, and his anti-charisma makes his friendship with Loughren a hard sell. Adapted from the true-crime book by Charles Graeber.

53/100