Viper Club

I liked this film well enough. It told a sad story about some of the horrible realities that some of us face due to the gravitational pull created by the "war on terror". Sarandon carried the film but the part was written that way. This would have been better as a miniseries. I liked a lot of the characters despite their small parts. More about the son's current and previous trips to the Middle East and a less abrupt ending could have rounded out another episode or two. This was an American film which doesn't do mini-series nearly as much as the UK but it would have been better as a two parter. Anyone that rated this a 1 probably didn't watch it but scored it low because of Sarandon's political views. I don't care about that. If she sucked in a movie then I will say so but she did just fine in this one.

Susan Sarandon stars as a hard-working nurse, single woman, and grieving mother missing her son. Julian Morris was a journalist who traveled to the Middle East and taken hostage by terrorists. As she waits for the return she knows will never happen, she tries to continue her life: Richard Simmons exercise videos, constant struggles with her supervisor, give extra attention to emergency patients, etc.

Then one day, Susan gets some information that her son is being held for ransom. She contacts the FBI, who tells her to keep quiet, but then a friend, Edie Falco, contradicts that information. Keeping quiet is the last thing she should do. She should be as loud as possible, fundraise, and pay the money. However intriguing this movie sounds, I found it rather pointless. It felt like a slice of life of an uninteresting woman. Besides the initial premise, there really isn't much struggle, suspense, or reason for continuing. When the movie was over, I felt I had wasted my time.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie will not be your friend. Almost the entire movie is filmed with a handheld camera and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

I thought the film was good. It's no 10 but on-the-other-hand it's no 1. I gave it 6 stars because of Susan's compelling performance, good choice for this role. Also, besides the main story line being lost sometimes and its sluggishness, I just found this as an opportunity to pay attention of how it portrays a group of people who spend a deal of time together their compassion and empathy for one another - regardless what the wins and losses were. I enjoyed it and thought it was cool. imo :)

This is a 100% drama movie, there are absolutely no comedy and no action. its a story of heartbroken life driven by the magnificent acting by susan sarandon and the rest of the cast making viper club worth to see.

its a dramatic film about a mothers loss, having a son that has been captured by the ISIS in syria somewhere, and about her actions made to try to set him free, through official channels,that are not so helpful, then through unauthorized organisations,to try to make contact with the captors and to try to pay him out , which officially comes in conflict with u.s antiterror laws,that ssay that if you trry to bail out someone held by a terrorist organisation,you can face legal actions and be found guilty for supporting the organisation financially , aka supporting terrorism. god forbid that happening to my children, its a terrible nightmare for sure.

mrs sarandon do really stretch her talents to the limits in this drama, the longing, the dispair, the desillusions, the fatigue,and most of all the helplessness are so exclusively done.. if you wanna have a taste of true hardships of life do watch this movie. highly recommended.

Maryam Keshavarz is a true visionary director. She makes art about subjects that matter. Viper Club is moving and intelligent. The cast, the writing, the visual poetry. So skillfully done!!