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{{short description|2001 American thriller film by Gary Fleder}}
{{For|the Sonata Arctica EP|Don't Say a Word (EP)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Don't Say a Word
| image          = Dont Say a Word movie.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Gary Fleder]]
| producer       = [[Arnon Milchan]]<br>[[Arnold Kopelson]]<br>Anne Kopelson
| screenplay     = [[Anthony Peckham]]<br>Patrick Smith Kelly
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Don't Say a Word (novel)|Don't Say a Word]]''|[[Andrew Klavan]]}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Michael Douglas]]
* [[Sean Bean]]
* [[Brittany Murphy]]
* [[Guy Torry]]
* [[Jennifer Esposito]]
* [[Famke Janssen]]
* [[Oliver Platt]]
}}
| music          = [[Mark Isham]]
| cinematography = [[Amir Mokri]]
| editing        = Armen Minasian<br>[[William Steinkamp]]
| studio         = [[Regency Enterprises]]<br>[[Village Roadshow Pictures]]<br>Epsilon Motion Pictures<br>NPV Entertainment<br>Kopelson Entertainment<br>[[New Regency Productions|New Regency]]<br>[[Further Films|Furthur Films]]
| distributor    = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released       = {{Film date|2001|09|28}}
| runtime        = 113 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English<br />Italian
| budget         = $50 million
| gross          = $100 million
}}
'''''Don't Say a Word''''' is a 2001 American [[Psychological thriller|psychological]] [[thriller film]] starring [[Michael Douglas]], [[Sean Bean]], [[Brittany Murphy]], [[Guy Torry]], [[Jennifer Esposito]], [[Famke Janssen]], [[Skye McCole Bartusiak]] and [[Oliver Platt]] based on the novel ''Don't Say a Word'' by [[Andrew Klavan]]. It was directed by [[Gary Fleder]] and written by [[Anthony Peckham]] and Patrick Smith Kelly. 

The daughter of psychiatrist Nathan Conrad is kidnapped to force him to break through to Elisabeth Burrows, a PTSD-afflicted young woman, as the abductor demands she reveal a secret number to recover something very valuable.

It was released on September 28, 2001, receiving negative reviews from critics and grossing $100 million against its $50 million budget.

==Plot==
In 1991, a gang of thieves steal a rare $10-million gem, but, in the process, two of the gang double-cross their leader, Patrick Koster, and take off with the precious stone.

Ten years later, on the day before [[Thanksgiving]], prominent Manhattan private practice child [[Psychiatry|psychiatrist]], Dr. Nathan R. Conrad, is invited by his friend and former colleague, Dr. Louis Sachs, to examine a "disturbed" young lady named Elisabeth Burrows at the state [[sanatorium]].

Having been released from prison two weeks earlier, Patrick and the remaining gang members break into an apartment which overlooks Nathan's apartment, where he lives with his wife Aggie and their 8-year-old daughter Jessie. Nathan is informed by Patrick that Elisabeth is only pretending to be insane to hide in the institution from this gang that is searching for the gem. That evening, Patrick kidnaps Jessie as a means of forcing Nathan to acquire a six-digit number from Elisabeth's memory. As Nathan visits Elisabeth, she is reluctant at first, but he gains her trust later{{snd}}especially when he reveals the situation with Jessie. Sachs admits to Nathan that the gang who kidnapped Jessie also kidnapped his girlfriend to force him to acquire the number from Elisabeth. Sachs is then visited by Detective Sandra Cassidy, who reveals to him that his girlfriend has been found dead. Meanwhile, Aggie hears Jessie's voice and realizes the kidnappers resides in the nearby apartment. The kidnappers send one of them to kill Aggie while the others escape with Jessie, but Aggie sets an ambush and kills him.

After Nathan takes Elisabeth out of the sanatorium, she remembers certain events regarding the gang. It is revealed that Elisabeth's father was the gang member who double crossed the others and kept the gem. However, other members of the gang later found him and ordered him to reveal where he had hidden the gem, subsequently pushing him in front of a subway train right in front of his daughter (Elisabeth) when she was a little girl. The gang members were arrested immediately, and Elisabeth escaped with her doll in which the gem was hidden. She also remembers that the required number, 815508, is the number of her father's grave at [[Hart Island (New York)|Hart Island]] and that her doll is placed beside him in the coffin. She explains that she had stowed away on a boat that was taking her father's coffin for burial in Potter's field on Hart Island, where the gravediggers put the doll, named Mischka, inside.

Nathan and Elisabeth steal a boat to reach Hart Island. The gang members track them down and demand that Nathan give them the number they want. Elisabeth reveals the number and Patrick orders his companion to exhume her father's coffin after releasing Jessie. He finds the doll and the gem hidden inside it. He then decides to kill Nathan and Elisabeth, but Cassidy arrives before he can shoot them. Patrick's companion is shot by Cassidy, but Patrick manages to wound her. Taking advantage of the confusion, Nathan takes the gem from Patrick and throws it into an open mass grave. Nathan kicks Patrick into the grave, and then triggers a collapse of its sides, filling the grave with dirt and burying Patrick alive. Nathan reunites with Aggie and Jessie, thanks Cassidy, and invites Elisabeth to live with them.

==Cast==
<!--- [[WP:NOTDATABASE]] - cast and order per opening tombstone credits, roles per closing credits scroll --->
{{Cast listing|
* [[Michael Douglas]] as Nathan Conrad, child psychiatrist, Aggie's husband and Jessie's father
* [[Sean Bean]] as Patrick Koster, leader of a gang of jewel thieves
* [[Brittany Murphy]] as Elisabeth Burrows, a "disturbed" young lady with a number which Patrick wants
* [[Skye McCole Bartusiak]] as Jessie Conrad, Nathan and Aggie's daughter who is kidnapped by Patrick
* [[Guy Torry]] as Martin Dolen
* [[Jennifer Esposito]] as Sandra Cassidy, a police officer
* [[Shawn Doyle]] as Russel Maddox
* [[Victor Argo]] as Sydney Simon
* [[Conrad Goode]] as Max
* [[Paul Schulze]] as Jake
* [[Lance Reddick]] as Arnie
* [[Famke Janssen]] as Aggie Conrad, Nathan's wife and Jessie's mother
* [[Oliver Platt]] as Louis Sachs
* [[Larry Block]] as Doorman
}}

==Production==
In September 2000, it was announced [[Regency Enterprises]] and [[20th Century Fox]] would commence production on an adaptation of ''[[Don't Say a Word (novel)|Don't Say a Word]]'' by [[Andrew Klavan]] with [[Gary Fleder]] set to direct and [[Michael Douglas]] to star.<ref name="DSaWAnnounced">{{cite news|url= https://variety.com/2000/film/news/word-is-go-for-douglas-and-fleder-1117786512/|title=  'Word' is go for Douglas and Fleder  |publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=October 21, 2023|archive-date=|archive-url=}}</ref>

An earlier version of the script did not feature the investigation side-plot set around Detective Sandra Cassidy. Although the film is entirely set in New York, shooting took place in winter 2000 in both New York and [[Toronto]]. Due to the film's release nearly three weeks after the [[September 11 attacks]], the filmmakers contemplated delaying the movie, but ultimately decided against it. However, they cut out and replaced shots of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] from the edit, such as the opening shot, which now instead shows [[Brooklyn]].<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Don't Say a Word DVD commentary |last=Fleder |first=Gary |date=12 October 2001 |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The film's musical score was composed by [[Mark Isham]] and performed by the [[Hollywood Studio Symphony]]. The soundtrack was released on CD from Varèse Sarabande that contains eight score selections from various scenes, including Heist, Kidnapped and the horrific events at Subway.

{{Track listing
| total_length = 30:49
| title_width = 100
| title1 = Heist
| length1 = 6:02
| title2 = Elisabeth
| length2 = 4:40
| title3 = Kidnapped
| length3 = 4:28
| title4 = A Body
| length4 = 1:37
| title5 = Hart Island
| length5 = 3:38
| title6 = Subway
| length6 = 4:06
| title7 = Mishka
| length7 = 3:13
| title8 = A Family
| length8 = 3:24
}}

==Reception==
=== Critical response <span class="anchor" id="Critics"></span>===
''Don't Say a Word'' received negative reviews from critics. {{RT prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|''Don't Say a Word'' is slick and competently made, but the movie is routine and stretches believability with many eye rolling moments.|ref=yes|access-date=2023-01-15}} {{MC film|38|32|ref=yes|access-date=2023-01-15}} Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Don't Say a Word" in the search box|publisher=[[CinemaScore]]|access-date=November 14, 2025}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, deeming that "the movie as a whole looks and occasionally plays better than it is" and praising Gary Fleder's "poetic visual touch" as well as Brittany Murphy's and Sky McCole Bartusiak's performances.<ref>[[Ebert, Roger]] (28 September 2001). [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dont-say-a-word-2001 "Don't Say A Word"]. Roger Ebert/''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''.</ref> Conversely, in his review for ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'', [[Kim Newman]] found the film bland and thought it "rarely manages to make you forget its blatant silliness". He did however praise the female cast, in particular Famke Janssen.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/say-word/review/ |title=Don't Say A Word Review | date=1 January 2000 |last=Newman |first=Kim |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | access-date=8 June 2019}}</ref>

===Box office===
The film earned over $100 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million.<ref name=BOM>{{Cite Box Office Mojo |access-date=2023-01-15}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}

<!--Split film/book article intentional - Please do not remove this comment-->
{{Gary Fleder}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Say A Word}}
[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:2001 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:2001 psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:2000s heist films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American heist films]]
[[Category:American psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:Films about kidnapping]]
[[Category:Films about post-traumatic stress disorder]]
[[Category:Films based on American crime novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gary Fleder]]
[[Category:Films produced by Arnold Kopelson]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mark Isham]]
[[Category:Films set in 1991]]
[[Category:Films set in 2001]]
[[Category:Films set in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Films set in psychiatric hospitals]]
[[Category:Films shot in Toronto]]
[[Category:Impact of the September 11 attacks on cinema]]
[[Category:2000s Italian-language films]]
[[Category:Regency Enterprises films]]
[[Category:Thanksgiving in films]]
[[Category:Village Roadshow Pictures films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Arnon Milchan]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language crime thriller films]]