Why so much hype?

A lot of fun.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Weak psychological thriller would have been better as a 30-minute "Tales from the Crypt" or "Twilight Zone" episode. Halle Berry plays a psychiatrist who wakes up to find herself a patient in the asylum she works. She has no idea how she how she got there or why and then spends the rest of the movie trying to figure that out why she's there, trying to convince others she's not crazy, and trying to get out. It's not a terribly clever set-up, but the Berry is a a solid lead for the film and is supported by an able cast that includes Penélope Cruz, and Robert Downey Jr. before his career blew up with "Iron Man." The weak script is also bolstered by slick directions, photography, and production design. Overall, this is a dull mystery without a lot of thrills, suspense, or interesting of characters, but it's well crafted from a technical standpoint and does feature a handsome cast, which is enough to make it watchable.

Halle Berry and Robert Downey, Jr. helm this terrifying supernatural thriller about a formerly respected prison psychiatrist who is accused of the horrific murder of her husband (Charles S. Dutton) and must try to convince her former colleague (Downey, Jr.) she is innocent.The acting from both Berry and Downey, Jr. are one of their most underrated performances. Berry plays Dr. Miranda with a slightly fragile, but strong-willed femininity that does not lower her to a stereotypical horror movie female. The actress equally exudes a confidence and determination that keeps Miranda as a character to root for. Berry's chemistry with co-star Downey, Jr. is palpable as his smug, but compassionate fellow psychiatrist contrasts with the straight- woman that Miranda is. However Downey, Jr. plays the character of Wayne as an intelligent man who at first is skeptical of his former colleague's claims of innocence, but as occurrences grow stranger throughout the narrative Wayne begins to believe that Miranda might not be as insane as he and others had thought. The film's story does start out exciting enough, but does delve into some horror clichés throughout the narrative such as Miranda seeing something that no one else does, eerie noises, the fellow mental patient (a well-cast Penelope Cruz in a minor role) who convinces the heroine that she is not so crazy and the "Am I insane or not?" cliché. However the film does keep the suspense coming at crucial points such as Miranda's escape from her former employment facility, her vision of what happened the night her husband was slain (the fact of whether she really did or not still bothers me after the ending) and a bit of a cliché-driven ending where the protagonists (Miranda with some help from Wayne) confront the bad guy. Still worth a watch for a good fright

Gothika (2003): Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz / Cast: Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Penelope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch: Deals with what is real and what isn't real through the mind. It stars Halle Berry as a psychiatrist at an institution until she awakens as a sudden patient behind thick glass. Panic stricken, she tries to figure out what happened. Driving home in the rain she encounters a female on the bridge but upon approach everything changed. She is informed that she murdered her husband yet she hasn't any memory of it. Very detailed and clever until it hits a dead end with a conclusion that reveals idiotic supernatural elements that had no business being part of this. Director Mathieu Kassovitz keeps everything uncertain and is backed with a decent production but the screenplay is subdued by corny elements that hinder any suspense. Sympathetic performance by Berry who holds her own despite the nonsense climax. Robert Downey Jr. is standard issue as a doctor who is basically there for viewers to suspect of doing wrong. Penelope Cruz is unnecessary as a patient who is nuttier than a fruitcake. Charles S. Dutton is basically a prop. The film is well made but quite stupid and sometimes very irritable. If you wanted to have your head manipulated throughout a film, then this slug junk will due. Well made mind screw. Score: 5 ½ / 10

Saw this on cable. Might be the worst script I've ever read in contrast to the level of talent in this movie. When you can make Robert Downey Jr., Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz look this bad and take name actresses and create an awkward dialogue throughout the movie, you know it has to be putrid.The problem - the story is a random bunch of nonsense that is supposed to come together. Well, it does when it's convenient to the story, which is nothing but "how many red herrings can we create until we get into the big reveal?" The bigger problem: there is no payoff. I won't give away the ending but it's enough for me to say that whatever redeeming aspects about the movie that exist, perhaps some of the atmosphere, is undermined by the colossally stupid payoff.Every time Downey Jr is on the screen, he seems to want to run off and wash the dialogue away. He's clearly trying to get into his character and make the dumb, illogical dialog work, but it doesn't. Cruz doesn't really have much to do and Halle Berry is in just one muddled scene after another with stilted dialogue that is nonsensical. Nobody acts this way, even in dumb horror films. The only thing that kept me watching was that I was working and had it on in the background. The payoff was so bad that I had to roll my eyes and ask whether the writer could have been any lazier. And the answer was "no, he could not be lazier." This is a serious waste of time and you'll regret listening to any of the reviews here that even try to rationalize why you should watch this tripe. Read a synopsis of the film to understand what you're getting into. This is a loser that never should have been made.