The first scene of "The Good Nurse" has a hospital patient coding as they suffer a fatal seizure. The death is shot discreetly from the doorway of the room; only the patient's legs and feet are seen as nurses rush in to attend to the situation. As the camera slowly enters the room, it focuses on Charles "Charlie" Cullen (Eddie Redmayne) in profile, silently implicating him as he watches the horrific events unfold.
Director Tobias Lindholm ("A Hijacking") takes a subdued approach to telling this story of Cullen, who is not the titular caregiver, but a serial killer who murdered dozens — possibly hundreds — of patients for years by poisoning their IVs. The deaths occurred almost without warning; the uncalculated nature of them makes the crimes particularly insidious. (Cullen's motive for his actions are briefly touched on, but largely ambiguous.)
