Nobel Son

In the broad continuum of cinema, there are good films and there are bad films. And then there are films that are not only bad—they’re also ethically troubling. “Nobel Son,” a tale of kidnapping, betrayal, and general human brutality, falls squarely into the latter category. The film opens with an exceptionally gory sequence in which a masked man attacks a stranger, knocks him unconscious, and amputates his thumb. Meanwhile, a voiceover declares, “Good and bad are not so absolute.”

What follows for the next two hours is little more than an exercise in human depravity. The film centers on the various members of the Michaelson family. Eli (Alan Rickman) is the cantankerous patriarch, and a Nobel-prize winning chemist; his wife Sarah (Mary Steenburgen) is a long-suffering forensic psychiatrist who has accepted her husband’s wandering eye. Their struggling son, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), is an immature graduate student still recovering from a recent divorce. When Barkley is kidnapped by Eli’s illegitimate son, Thaddeus James (Shawn Hatosy), his parents begin the difficult process of locating him and paying his ransom.

Yet, unbeknownst to the Michaelsons, Barkley joins forces with his half-brother and together they conspire to extort two million dollars from Eli and Sarah. Why the sociopathic Thaddeus would suddenly decide to ally with his former hostage—or why the seemingly rational Barkley would go along with the plan—is left completely unexplained. Nonetheless, it seems the viewer is meant to root for the brothers as they carry out their plan.

A rather exciting chase scene follows the payment of the ransom, and this clever sequence marks a highlight of the film. Unfortunately, it also divides “Nobel Son” between its mildly entertaining opening act and its manic, absurd conclusion. Indeed, the film veers wildly off track in its second hour. Writers Jody Savin and Randall Miller abandon any sense of character motivation or narrative structure, opting instead to turn the film into a frenetic, confusing revenge play.

While “Nobel Son” may be intended as a dark comedy, its casual depictions of sadism and brutality quickly become tiresome. The man attacked in the opening sequence reappears later on, and his traumatic experience is essentially played for laughs. A minor character is also viciously murdered midway through the film, and his death is characterized as little more than collateral damage. The ethos of “Nobel Son” seems to imply that the suffering of innocent strangers can be rather humorous. Only the attractive, wealthy characters at the center of the film truly matter as human beings, it seems.

Ethics aside, what is perhaps most disappointing about “Nobel Son” is the enormous amount of talent wasted on the project. Rickman was born to play the despicable Eli, and he imbues his character’s every action with a hysterical mix of egomania and snobbery. In one uproarious scene, he tells his mistress—who is also one of his students—“I am disappointed that you would expect preferential treatment!” Yet Rickman is woefully underutilized, and his few scenes only make his absence more palpable through the rest of the film.

Steenburgen deftly tackles the more nuanced role of Sarah. She is simultaneously a gun-toting paragon of empowerment, an embarrassed and resentful wife, and a deeply loving and protective mother. The Oscar-winning Steenburgen portrays each of these facets with tenderness and commitment. A host of other talented actors pop up in the film, including Ted Danson, Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku, and Danny DeVito. With limited screen time, however, none are given the opportunity to develop into full-fledged characters.

“Nobel Son” was filmed in 2005 and languished in postproduction hell for several years. The editing process was clearly fraught with difficulty, as many elements of an excellent film are present, but they never produce a cohesive whole. While director Randall Miller aspires to Tarantino-esque flights of humor and violence, his film fails to strike the proper absurdist tone. In more capable hands “Nobel Son” may have become a quirky classic. Instead, hindered by a troubling vision of morality and an underdeveloped plot, it emerges as little more than a jumbled mess.