The Good Son (1993)

	Director: Joseph Ruben	COUNTRY USA Genre Thriller/Horror NORWEGIAN TITLE The Good Son RUNNING TIME 87 minutes
	Producer: Mary Ann Page Joseph Ruben
	Screenwriter: Ian McEwan

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Henry	Macaulay Culkin
Mark	Elijah Wood
Susan	Wendy Crewson	½
Jack	David Morse	½
Wallace	Daniel Hugh Kelly	½
Connie	Quinn Culkin

Review

Messy, unsubtle and psychologically uneven thriller about bad seed Culkin who terrorizes his family with more or less evil antics, and then tries to recruit cousin Wood to his team. There are many problems associated with this film, but director Ruben's sense of suspense is not one of them. Viewed in isolation, there are a handful good, playful and harrowing bits and pieces in The Good Son, and one of them is the chilling finale. That scene has many aspects to it, and it has both emotional and thematic depth. But at the same time, it cannot hide from the context in which it is presented. Because the script (by Ian McEwan, but allegedly mutilated by the Culkin family) is far too showy and self-conscious while at the same time lacking the insight it desperately needs in order to be able to present Henry as anything resembling a real child. Elijah Wood's authenticity and natural appearance in front of the camera easily exceeds Culkin's desperate and immature attempt at playing a psychopath, and it is Wood who gives the film most of its dramatic value. The film is enjoyable from time to time, but this requires that the viewer doesn't ask too many questions.