The Good Nurse is a cold, calculated, and believable true story of a killer nurse as played by Eddie Redmayne. Jessica Chastain plays the titular good nurse who at first befriends him and then turns on him when she begins to suspect him of these crimes.

This film is not big on emotional hysterics, it doesn’t trade on high drama, and stays as far from melodrama as is possible. It’s a quiet, thoughtful film about investigations, both medical and criminal. What I admire most about it is that the film sets up possible drama between the hospital and its employees, but then basically shrugs that aside once Jessica Chastain’s character decides its time to talk to the cops. The movie knows where to place its drama and its not the war with the hospital administration.

Redmayne is particularly good, at first seeming like a good natured, friendly guy. As the film progresses though, what seemed like outward friendliness slowly seeps into non-demonstrable snakiness. He doesn’t go over the top, he doesn’t outwardly demonstrate his evil intent… he just slips into creepy like it was human skin.

Chastain gets the less showy role playing her character with care, compassion, and a focused need for justice. Her tightrope is finding a way to play someone who has been betrayed by a friend without blowing the top off her character. She remains cool and thoughtful but obviously intent on ending this evil.

I enjoyed this movie for how methodical and non-excitable it was. In a normal Hollywood film, they would have gone for the melodrama and the suspense. And while there are some Hollywood moments in the film and it has suspenseful scenes, it mainly keeps things restrained and believable.

Score: 86