There is a great YouTube video of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone giving writing advice to NYU students. They say that to write a good story, each beat needs to be followed by “but” or “therefore,” but never “and then.”

“The Good Nurse,” written by Charles Graeber, could have benefited from being in that class. As the book went on, I felt like he was providing dry, factual statements of what happened, rather than telling an interesting story of what unfolded.

The movie had the advantage of taking liberties with the events while still staying faithful to the book. It was told through the lens of someone who didn’t know if Charles Cullen committed the murders, unlike the book, where it seemed like they gave a bullet point classroom presentation of what transpired.

It was a smart move to bring in Academy Award winners Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. They do a phenomenal job in setting the grim tone and suspense that would remain throughout the movie. Chastain plays Amy Loughren, the nurse who befriends the titular character Charles Cullen, played by Redmayne.

What I also liked was that their relationship was purely platonic. In the book, there is a hint of attraction and flirtatious behavior. With Chastain and Redmayne, they portray as best friends. Director Tobias Lindholm smartly leaves out the distraction of the will they/won’t they trope.

Instead, there is a pure focus on Cullen assisting Loughren with her sickness and insurance issues, while also caring for her two daughters. With Lindholm focusing on this behavior, you question if Cullen is capable of the atrocious acts that were committed.

Redmayne gave an Oscar worthy performance, especially with the interrogation scene where he repeats “I can’t” over and over without confessing to the crimes. He summons a sense of dread that a confession may never come. In the book, it was less dramatic, and I wasn’t as emotionally invested.

One highlight I did not expect were the detectives played by Noah Emmerich, who I loved in The Americans, and Nnamdi Asomugha, who I never heard of, but stole every scene he was in. It was a breakthrough performance for Asomugha, as he held his own with the likes of Chastain and Redmayne.

In the book, the detectives were not as memorable. There were other law enforcement characters in the book, and it was difficult to understand who was who.

What the movie also gets right is how they portray the hospital staff as the second villain. Cullen was, of course, evil, but the hospitals sweeping his actions under the rug were just as unthinkable. And the fact this went on for years so that they could maintain their high-ranking reputation. I was angry while watching the movie. With the book, because it was a slog to get through, I did not have the same level of outrage.

I may come across as harsh to Graeber, since this is not a work of fiction. However, if I just wanted the straight facts, I could just go on Cullen’s Wikipedia page.