"A Dangerous Method" marks the third collaboration between director David Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen and even though the final result is not as good as their previous two efforts, I found the film to be satisfying enough in the end.
In terms of production values the film does not disappoint, but perhaps its main flaw is the storytelling. I really failed to get fully engaged in the story and even though the characters are developed well enough I was expecting more in terms of plot. This is an art-house film and it should be treated as such, but that does not mean that it should lack the entertainment factor. The fact that some of the viewers might fail to get emotionally involved might also have something to do with the film's pacing. Despite the fact that it has a running length of a little over an hour and a half the film moves perhaps a little too slow at times and some may find it to be overlong.
The film probably lacks some of the shock elements that were present in Cronenberg's previous movies and made them unique. It does not have an element that stands out and this is where Cronenberg could have probably done a better job.
There are also a lot of good things about the movie. For an instance, I really liked the great attention to detail when it comes to costumes and settings. On top of that it is beautifully shot and it has a good atmosphere.
As far as acting goes Keira Knightley is definitely the weak link here, but the two male leads give noteworthy performances. Michael Fassbender is an actor with an incredible range and here he has the opportunity to show his acting abilities once more. As for Viggo Mortensen, I found his performance as Sigmund Freud to be more than satisfying.
In spite of the problems it has, "A Dangerous Method" manages to be a decent addition to David Cronenberg's filmography. It only left me with the impression that it could have been so much better.
My rating: 6,5/10
In terms of production values the film does not disappoint, but perhaps its main flaw is the storytelling. I really failed to get fully engaged in the story and even though the characters are developed well enough I was expecting more in terms of plot. This is an art-house film and it should be treated as such, but that does not mean that it should lack the entertainment factor. The fact that some of the viewers might fail to get emotionally involved might also have something to do with the film's pacing. Despite the fact that it has a running length of a little over an hour and a half the film moves perhaps a little too slow at times and some may find it to be overlong.
The film probably lacks some of the shock elements that were present in Cronenberg's previous movies and made them unique. It does not have an element that stands out and this is where Cronenberg could have probably done a better job.
There are also a lot of good things about the movie. For an instance, I really liked the great attention to detail when it comes to costumes and settings. On top of that it is beautifully shot and it has a good atmosphere.
As far as acting goes Keira Knightley is definitely the weak link here, but the two male leads give noteworthy performances. Michael Fassbender is an actor with an incredible range and here he has the opportunity to show his acting abilities once more. As for Viggo Mortensen, I found his performance as Sigmund Freud to be more than satisfying.
In spite of the problems it has, "A Dangerous Method" manages to be a decent addition to David Cronenberg's filmography. It only left me with the impression that it could have been so much better.
My rating: 6,5/10