Nobel Son

Nobel Son (2007) is a twisty crime comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Arrogant chemist Eli Michaelson has just landed the Nobel Prize, but days before the trip to Stockholm his graduate-student son Barkley is snatched off the street. The ransom demanded happens to match the prize money to the dollar.

The kidnapper, Thaddeus, claims to be the professor's secret illegitimate son, and he's driven less by cash than by a grudge against a father who never looked back. From there the plot keeps pulling the rug out: alliances flip, and the two half-brothers end up circling the same woman. Alan Rickman plays the insufferable genius with that trademark icy sarcasm, surrounded by a loaded ensemble — Bill Pullman, Mary Steenburgen, Danny DeVito and Ted Danson.

Director Randall Miller shoots it all jittery and loud, with slashing edits and a pushy soundtrack — an acquired taste, but the scheme keeps you guessing. It's a pick for anyone who likes double-crossing plots and venom-tipped dialogue. Stream Nobel Son (2007) online on iFILM.