Gothika

This film is about a female psychiatrist getting locked up in a mental institution for suspected murder. After that, she has a series on vision that lead to grave consequences.

I think "Gothika" is a great thriller. The first half is scary by using great sound effects, beautiful shots and suspenseful plot. This is quite unlike many horror movies that relies on blood or shock to scare. The second half turns into a crime mystery, and I think the suspense is still well sustained. I did not see the plot twists coming, and hence I was surprised by the ending. Halle Barry's acting is great, she is convincing as a psychiatrist and even more convincing as a "crazy" person. Her facial expressions in the scene where she got possessed is great.

I enjoyed watching "Gothika" very much.

In Mathieu Kassovitz's Gothika, Penélope Cruz and Halle Berry share a shower, but DON'T soap up each other's jubblies; that glaring goof aside, the film is a worthwhile supernatural thriller—smartly written, with slick direction, solid acting, and some effective shocks—one that should pass the time fairly painlessly for fans of mainstream horror.

Halle Berry plays penitentiary psychiatrist Miranda Grey who winds up as an inmate herself after she inexplicably chops up her hubby with an axe. With no memory of the murder, Miranda begins to suspect that there is a supernatural reason for her brutal act.

Although the story evolves in a predictable Hollywood manner, the well developed atmosphere, stylish visuals, and some great supporting performances (the aforementioned Cruz, Robert Downey Jr. and Bernard Hill) all go to make this an enjoyable, if not exceptional, creepy murder mystery.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Back then when i first watched it, i thought this was ok. I decided to watch it again yesterday for some reason and i found it much better than i thought. Maybe it's because there is a huge drop in movies quality the last 5 years, and mediocre movies of the past look more than fine now. In any case, this is definitely a good horror/mystery movie, much better than the majority of horror movies nowadays. Acting is above average, Hale Berry is attractive and charismatic, script was good and i was almost at the edge of my seat because i had forgotten what happened in this movie. I said "almost" because this is not a great horror movie but still, every fan of this genre is gonna enjoy it, i believe. Of course, this is not pure horror and don't expect to get really scared, this is more mystery and thriller than horror.

'Gothika' may be looked at as an exercise in style. The plot is about a psychologist in a women's prison who wakes up one day to find herself on the other side of the bars, accused of having murdered her husband. She needs to prove her innocence, but the film is not what you expect. There will be not too much logic in what follows, and the borders between reality and halucination seem to be crossed by the director and script writer, not only by the characters.

What saves the film is the excellent acting of Halle Berry, Penelope, Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., and all the rest of the cast, the haunting setting, and the way the atmosphere is being build. The institution looks like some gothic building from outside, with blue lighted corridors inside creating an appropriate setting for the mood of the characters. Rain seems to poor almost permanently, kind of reflecting the fluid state of mind of the characters.

This film will not be easy to forget for me. Despite its ridiculous script and the conventional way the plot is being solved, the quality of the cinema is above average. Halle Berry is fantastic, and may have bought back her acting in a James Bond movie. Uneven but still memorable. 7/10 on my personal scale.

Halle Berry plays brilliant criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey; an expert in what is rational, logical and sane. After she encounters a mysterious young girl, she finds herself confined to the institute in which she once worked; along side the patients she once treated. She has to rationalise what is real in her own mind, before she loses it forever.

The setting and atmosphere that is created in Gothika is excellent, and the movie is definitely creepy enough to jangle your nerves. Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz and Robert Downey Jnr all fit into their roles nicely; the problem is plain and simple. The storyline and script are too weak to achieve what this movie sets out to do, and because of some lame dialogue and a flawed plot the movie only manages to be decent; when it really should have been great.

6/10 It's still worth watching.