Based on a true story.

Some times those words are horrifying.

Especially in a case where there are more questions than there are answers.

The Good Nurse is based on the story of Charlie Cullen, a male nurse who wound up convicted on 29 counts of murder (though the total could be around 400) of hospital patients over years of working at multiple hospitals. All of these hospitals suspected what Cullen was doing but none of them took steps to stop him.

What else is frustrating is that, according to the film, he had never revealed the reason behind his killings. That may not be as accurate to the real world as some of the other aspects of the movie. This might be the “based on” part.

Charlie Cullen was played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne and the nurse Amy Loughren, who was friends with Charlie and helped the police’s investigation, was played by Oscar winner Jessica Chastain. Both excellent actors brought some strong performances to these roles.

There is a good cast along with Chastain and Redmayne. The other actors include Noah Emmerich, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kim Dickens, Devyn McDowell, David Lavine and Myra Lucretia Taylor.

The film was told in Amy’s POV, although it does change at times. The heart issues that she had felt tacked on, but apparently this was a true situation for the real person the character was based upon.

The biggest draw is the performances in The Good Nurse. The story was terrible in reality but, on screen, turned out to be more like a medical procedural. The story was fine, but it was certainly elevated by the characters.

3.8 stars