vincentlynch-moonoi First off, there are a few problems with this movie. Let's tackle them first. Could the directors please decide how much snow was on the ground. One minute it was fairly deep snow even in the woods. The next scene you saw mostly grass. It became so inconsistent that it actually bothered and distracted me. Would parents really allow a boy to have a tree house quite as precarious as the one shown? The third issue I had was with the "physicality" of the conclusion. I do not believe a normal human could have not fallen all the way down off the cliff. I do not believe an average woman could have climbed back up the cliff.Okay, so those are the problem around which you must suspend belief. But then again, how many are out there where you don't have to suspend belief? So, that's okay.I suppose there are people who wonder if any 12 year old could be as intellectually "evil" as Henry. As a retired principal of a junior high/middle school, let me assure that in that regard this film is not that much of a stretch.I think this film is a great thriller. It shows how helpless children can be when adults don't listen. It shows how even at a young age a mind can be terribly messed up.Elijah Wood is top notch here in his child-actor years. Too bad he hasn't remained as cute as he was back then, but then again he's done okay with an estimated net worth of $30 million. Macaulay Culkin turns in a truly creepy performance, although not as creepy as the rest of his real life turned out being.Wendy Crewson is very believable as the mom; fine performance. David Morse is one of those dependable character actors that does nicely here in a rather small (though key) role. Same for Jacqueline Brookes -- quite dependable as a character actress; I always enjoyed seeing her on screen.I'm going to give this film an "8", which is unusual for me, but it is so far above the recent crap that has come out as "thrillers". This is a winner; forget that Culkin messed up his later life and enjoy him from his brief golden years as a child actor. But you'll probably enjoy Elijah Wood's performance even more.

Nitzan Havoc One of the best things about being a Horror freak is discovering these little Easter egg surprises in "old" films. This time, I had the pleasure of finding Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood as little kids, playing in one of the most disturbing, unnerving and well made Thrillers I've ever seen.Not using any cheats at all (I mean none - no sudden loud music that would force the audience to jump, no nude shots, no cellphone without a battery or signal and no cars that won't start), The Good Son derived its Horror aspect from pure reality. There's nothing supernatural or involving esoteric theories. Just a blunt and slightly exaggerated case of Psychopathy in children. Good ol' fashion uneasy horror!The acting is wonderful and almost flawless! David Morse (Mark's father Jack) and Daniel Hugh Kelly's characters weren't given enough screen time to really have depth, and I found Morse's acting to be slightly unconvincing (he didn't really make me feel like he was a recently widowed father). Besides that - nothing but praises. Wendy Crewson was excellent as Susan Evans, little Quinn Culkin (Macaulay's sister) was quite impressive as Connie Evans (especially the pond scene, that took some talent and probably lots of practice), and Jacqueline Brookes really managed to portray the elderly kind-hearted and empathetic psychiatrist Alice Devenport. As for the two "stars" - Elijah Wood seemed to have been made for the role of Mark, the kid who had recently lost his mother. His big round eyes, when wearing a sad expression, are a secret weapon for any director. His laughter immediately made me think of his role as Frodo Baggins, and reminded me of his great talent of depicting the full spectrum of emotions (although for that one must also bear in mind his role as the cannibal killer in Sin City). And for the grand finale - Macaulay Culkin. Dear God, I'll never be able to view Home Alone/Richi Rich/The Pagemaster the same way! Talk about a talented kid actor with many faces... Culkin's acting as "evil" Sociopath non-caring Henry Evans was creepy and disturbing to the point of being truly horrific! Try to count how many time he really smiled, and in which situations. Macaulay Culkin was the single most disturbing "evil child" I've seen so far, more that any of the Children of the Corn or The Children cast.The story was also profound, and the events that described Mark's relationship with Henry were realistic, reasonable, clear and horrifying. None of the scenes felt redundant or forced in any way, and some of them were as sad and touching as the others were creepy and bone chilling. My only slight small problem was the with the final scene. Without giving any spoilers, it simply felt unrealistic and I didn't think it could happen that way in real life. Though you might disagree.All in all - I don't think I have anything bad to say about this film. I'd have given it a 10 had I not felt biased due to Culkin and Wood's other roles which I've seen prior to this film. However, even if you haven't seen any of them in action before - if you're a Children Horror/Thriller fan you simply cannot let yourself pass on this one. Extremely highly recommended!

deatman9 This movie was good but it could have been executed so much better. The story line was solid but it seemed the movie rushed along way too quick and it should have progressed slower and with the subject matter being dealt with I feel the movie would have played through much better.This movie is about a young boy(Wood) who loses his mother and is sent to stay with his cousin(Culkin) while his dad is on a business trip. At first he gets along really well with his cousin but soon he notices strange phycotic tendencies coming from the young boy.This movie was pretty good the acting was really good from everyone except Culkin in my opinion he cant act some people say different. Overall I say its worth a watch

cwbellor Meet Mark! Mark's problem? He just doesn't know how to have fun. Also, his mom just died but that is no excuse to not keep an open mind when it comes to murder and mayhem. Meet Henry, an ice-skating, dog-loving, cherub-faced bad boy with the most clueless parents a 4 foot psychopath could want. When goody-2-shoes Mark meets Satan spawn Henry, things quickly escalate out of control as Mark is introduced to a world where hide-and-seek is not a game and treehouses are built at irresponsible heights. Mark soon learns that when it comes to juvenile mischief, Henry's intentions are much more ambitious than TPing houses. The last straw for Mark is when Henry decides he wants to show off his scarecrow- making skills and introduces Mark to his life-sized man doll, Mr. Highway. Mark doesn't seem to appreciate Henry's creativity and when he sees what Henry has planned, he is even more mopey. You see, for a precocious young whippersnapper like Henry, Mr. Highway is the key to having a fender-bender blast, the kind of whip-lashing party that only Henry knows how to get started. Unfortunately, Mark doesn't appreciate having a front-row seat to the auto carnage and the tension escalates from there. Enjoy!