A Dangerous Method is an engaging, fascinating, and – despite its affluent, turn of the century setting – oddly sexy film.
The movie, an adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s play The Talking Cure, tells the story of psychiatric pioneer Carl Jung’s (Michael Fassbender) extra-marital affair with patient Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) and the strain it places upon his relationship with his colleague and mentor, the great Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen).
Director David Cronenberg, who’s made his mark on the film world with visceral displays of violence, dismemberment, and virtually every unpleasant thing that could possibly happen to a human being, presents a provocatively human story that delves deeply into the realm of human sexuality.
The story is comprised of subject matter that is nothing more complex than what you’d find on the average daytime soap opera, but the performances from the actors and the visual tone struck by Cronenberg is such that it elevates the material to another level.
The film sets a remarkably engaging tone from its very first scene and never lets up. Granted, the rest of the scene doesn’t reach the level of frantic intensity of the opening – which sees Knightley’s character in the midst of a borderline-violent psychotic breakdown – but the tension it evokes and the attention from the audience that it demands remains constant throughout the rest of the movie.
Hampton’s screenplay, adapted from his own aforementioned play, is well-written and tightly constructed. The turns may be predictable, but this does nothing to diminish their impact.
As for the performances, Knightley proves to be a highly capable performer, matching the intensity and promise she displayed in Atonement a few years back. She begins the film in desperate need of help and manages to convey significant progress as the story moves along – and, yet, Knightley retains some of the nervous ticks and verbal hiccups that helped establish her character’s instability.
Mortensen (making his third collaboration with Cronenberg) seems to be channeling Liam Neeson in his performance as Freud. He is dry and stiff, and yet he makes a significant contribution to the story as the voice of reason.
Then there’s Fassbender who, it seems, can do no wrong these days. His is perhaps the least interesting role in the movie – Jung is the man in the middle, a role that’s been played again and again and again. And yet Fassbender brings such a humility and vulnerability to the part that it becomes immensely immersive and engaging.
Not everything is wine and roses with the film, however. At a little over 90 minutes long, many of the story elements seem rushed; this doesn’t necessarily cause a negative impact on the film – the story stands just fine on its own merits as depicted in the movie, but a little more elaboration would have been nice.
Paradoxically, the pacing does slow to a crawl in certain points. Again, this is a mere drop in the bucket when it comes to adversely affecting the movie, but it is – I think – a legitimate criticism.
All-in-all, however, A Dangerous Method is as fascinating a historical drama as I’ve seen in recent years (including a few disappointments I’ve seen this past year – I’m looking at YOU J. Edgar!).
High-Def Presentation
Sony brings A Dangerous Method to Blu-ray with a gorgeous MPEG-4 1080p AVC-encoded transfer that presents wonderfully detailed images and some of the sharpest black level’s I’ve seen yet on the format. Of particular beauty are a series of scenes that take place on an ocean liner at sea as Fassbender and Freud make their way to the United States.
While the ship is on the open sea during the night hours, the illumination upon the darkened waters is brilliantly-detailed and suitably dark considering the foreboding tone of the characters’ conversation. The next morning, when the ship passes Ellis Island, the image detail is equally great – the hopeful tone of the scene literally shining through the sunlight that washes out the edges of the frame.
The audio is equally magnificent. A rarity with most (not all) Cronenberg movies, this one relies almost exclusively on dialogue to move the plot forward. Never is a line lost – every word spoken is as crisp and clear as if the actors were in the room with you.
The ambient sounds are also terrific. The opening scene is replete with background noises, from the squeaky wheels of a horse-drawn carriage to the clopping hooves of the horses themselves.
Beyond the Feature
A Dangerous Method comes with a handful of supplemental features, all of which are actually pretty good.
The highlight among them is the AFI’s Harold Lloyd Master Seminar – a 31-minute Q&A session with Cronenberg.
Almost as good is Cronenberg’s audio commentary on the film. Much of the information he disseminates is basic and – to some extent – self-evident, but the director’s enthusiasm for the project is enough to carry it forward. It should be noted that the word “enthusiasm” requires a bit of bending in order to fit Mr. Cronenberg.
The disc is rounded out with ‘The Making of A Dangerous Method,’ which runs a little under eight minutes, and the theatrical trailer. Sony has also equipped the Blu-ray with BD Live capability.
When the book is closed on Cronenberg’s career, A Dangerous Method won’t have a very long chapter devoted to it. In the long term, it’s likely to be a forgettable entry on his filmography.
It’s definitely not an instant classic.
What it is, however, is a remarkably entertaining film experience – one that elicits a genuine magnetism and keeps the audience involved from start to finish.
Shop for A Dangerous Method on Blu-ray for a discounted price at Amazon.com (March 27, 2012 Release Date).
