A psychologist named Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is dealing with an inmate named Chloe Sava (Penelope Cruz) at the Woodward Penintiary for Women as Chloe tries to tell her that she is not insane with what happened to her and acts very menacing about it.
Then one day while she is driving home after work she swerves to get out of the way almost hitting someone who happens to be a ghost and then she wakes up in the penintiary becoming an inmate herself as she is told by one of the workers named Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.) that she killed her husband who works there as well named Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton) as Miranda loses her sanity trying to prove her innocence.
She keeps encountering the ghost as she must try to find out what's behind all of this madness even if it means trying to escape the penintiary as she keeps being haunted by this figure.
The story offers alot of twists and turns with this shocker. Terrific camera shots between Miranda Grey and Chloe Sava during the beginning of this movie in a room.
There's a nice conversation between Miranda and Dr. Douglas Grey in an office room as it seemed like a real nice discussion as a married couple.
There's a good dark shot on Miranda swimming laps in a swimming pool with lightning flashing.
We have nice camera shots on her driving in her car as it seems too silent along with a perfect shot on a ghost standing in the middle of the road and Miranda suddenly freaking out driving and swerving as it looked incredibly suspenseful.
A good approach by her going toward this ghost and then this spirit going wild and crazy.
Good scene between Chloe approaching Miranda and telling her that she should be frightened of what's going on as the makers made that moment cold like.
Nice quick shots on Miranda almost tripping out during a shower scene with images of the ghost appearing.
There are good camera shots circling around Miranda being pitted against mainly Sheriff Ryan.
A perfect tense moment with the ghost throwing Miranda around with lots of body slamming and intensity.
Nice moments on Miranda running away especially hiding in a pool as it looks good when she tries to hold her breath as much as she can.
A good hallucination on Miranda by raising an axe with a scream and wide eyes along with Dr. Douglas Grey screaming and crying for mercy.
There is a good conversation between Miranda and Phil Parsons in his office when she explains who she saw and he does well with his serious emotions when he reacts to all of this.
A nice silent discussion between Miranda and Douglas in a quiet room as she tries to explain what is going on.
Good dark shots on Douglas trying to look around and shooting his gun.
Bottom line: A very nicely twisted supernatural horror flick picturing a total sane character like Miranda Grey helping patients losing her sanity after discovering that she is a patient after waking up in her workplace. You really wonder why this is all happening and the pieces all come together in the end as there's all sorts of twists and turns to this story. It's dark, ghostly and a touch of psychological moments too as you think to yourself are the people working at the asylum possessed as well to how they treat poor Grey as it really boggles your mind.
The acting is very good with a storng cast mainly performed by Halle Berry (Miranda Grey) as a doctor turned mental patient as she has a great attitude acting normal and clam to someone paranoid and insane wondering why she was put away. She's great by snapping when she discovers that she's a patient in the asylum she worked in with her fellow actor holding her down. There's a nice aggressive scream from her asking the onscreen spirit what she wants from her.
Robert Downey Jr. (Pete Graham) does a fine job as well as a serious one working at the asylum showing good stern reactions to his part in the film and trying to keep it together.
Charles S. Dutton (Dr. Douglas Grey) was really likeable with his role as the nice sympathetic doctor in the film. He does well in another scene by suddenly going mad and trying to attack someone else.
John Carroll Lynch (Sheriff Ryan) was marvellous with his role as an abusive sheriff making his aggressions really intimidating to the point you'd feel like hitting him. He does well acting nasty, aggressive and demanding towards his fellow actress.
Bernard Hill (Phil Parsons) had a good serious attitude to his role in the flick with his words coming across quite nicely.
Penelope Cruz (Chloe Sava) played a great mental patient with her nice icy words and raging intensity. Great reactions on her when she goes berserk
Brief butt shots on woman taking a shower.
Blood letters is scrawled on a woman's wrist saying Not Alone
John Ottman composes the stillness with the great classical soundings along with the sharp and screechy violin playing for when the terror occurs.
Chloe: You have no idea how it feels not to be trusted.
Miranda: You've got to trust me too, Chloe
Chloe: You can't trust someone who thinks you're crazy.
Miranda: I need you to tell me who did this to you? Tell me his name, Chloe. Chloe, tell me. Tell me anything. Tell me.
Chloe: I'll tell you one thing: He can have my body, but he will never have my soul. Never. The devil.
Dr. Douglas Grey: [handing a Miranda a glass of water] Throw it on the mirror. This is what she sees now.
Miranda: A distorted image of herself.
Dr. Douglas Grey: Who are you in all this?
Miranda: I'm the mirror.
Dr. Douglas Grey: You are the mirror.
Miranda: If I'm the mirror and she's the image... then who are you?
Dr. Douglas Grey: I can see both of you... so I'm God. Or just an overworked hospital beaurocrat.
Miranda: "God" is good.
Dr. Douglas Grey: Always remember, the ability to repress... is actually a vital survival tool. Without it... Chloe might not have survived.
Miranda: [to the girl on the bridge] Are you okay? Are you okay? Hey! Oh, my God. Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm a Doctor. I'm a Doctor. I'm gonna take you to the hospital. I'm a Doctor, honey. I'm gonna help you, okay? You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna help you, okay?
Pete: Miranda... Doug is dead. You killed him.
Miranda: [screaming] No! No! No!
Pete: You said no shock treatment.
Sheriff Ryan: Shock treatment? You want to see some shock treatment? Here's some shock treatment.
[gets some photos of Doug's mutilated body]
Pete: Stop it!
Teddy Howard: What are you doing?
Pete: Why would you take these out? Miranda, don't look at them! Don't look at them!
Sheriff Ryan: I had to pick him up off the floor, Miranda. In pieces!
Chloe: Are you scared?
Miranda: ...No.
Chloe: You should be.
Chloe: You are not a Doctor in here. And even if you the tell the truth... no one will listen. You know why? Because you're crazy. And the more you try to prove them wrong, the crazier you'll appear. You are invisible now. Can you feel it?
Irene: Come on, honey, time to wash away your sins.
Miranda: I'm not deluded, Pete, I'm possessed.
Pete: I don't believe in ghosts.
Miranda: Neither do I, but they believe in me.
Miranda: [picking up a picture of Rachel Parsons] Who is this? Who is this girl?
Phil Parsons: That's my daughter, Rachel.
Miranda: No, no, no. This is the girl that I saw at the bridge. This is the girl.
Phil Parsons: No, Miranda, no.
Miranda: How is she? Where is she?
Phil Parsons: It's impossible.
Miranda: This is the girl I've been seeing. This girl, right here.
Phil Parsons: She's dead. Rachel died four years ago.
Sheriff Ryan: Well you're right. I do fit the profile. Long-time friend of Doug's, access to the prison. I never did get a kick out of torturing animals, though.
[last lines]
Miranda: No!
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