If there is one thing that Alan Rickman does very well, it's portraying the kind of characters that you love to hate.  He's gaining a lot of experience lately playing professors of chemistry.  Severus Snape may be a professor of potions, but he's no Nobel Laureate, as Rickman plays in his new movie Nobel Son.
 
Eli Michaelson is a self-absorbed, indiscrete, philandering professor of chemistry who has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.  His son Barkley is a struggling doctorate student trying to finish his thesis when he is kidnapped on the eve of his father's ceremony.  When Eli refuses to pay the ransom, he unknowingly unleashes a maelstrom of familial dysfunction, betrayal, and revenge.
 
Nobel Son is a sadistic thrill ride that digs in its hooks in the first minutes and doesn't let go until the credits roll.  The all-star ensemble cast put their weight in equal measure to make the whole movie shine in twisted brilliance.  It may be about Alan Rickman's character, but he doesn't overshadow by any means.  Everyone from Danny DeVito and Shawn Hatosy to Eliza Dushku and Mary Steenburgen put in fantastic performances.
 
MPAA gives Nobel Son a well-deserved R rating for violent gruesome images, language and sexuality.  I'd also throw in a caution for a little nudity.  This film is not for the kids and it may not be for some adults either.  If you've got a weak constitution, I'd hold off on eating your popcorn until after the first ten minutes.  I was a bit shocked by the beginning, but once you got past the unsettling images, I really enjoyed the movie.  It's a cinematic roller coaster that has you laughing and cringing but enjoying every moment.  I give Nobel Son 4 out of 5 remote controlled Mini Coopers.