Movie Review: "A Dangerous Method"

Certain movies are good enough that they stranglehold my attention, and, barring some natural disaster, keep my eyes glued to the celluloid. Other movies are terrible and make me wish that I was playing "Big Game Hunter" in the movie arcade. David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method is a decent joint that falls in the middle of this spectrum. It's a movie that does a good job of making psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung palatable to an (educated) public. Ultimately, A Dangerous Method is a middling cinematic victory for Cronenberg--a director whose made a career of middling cinematic victories including The Fly, Crash, A History of Violence and Eastern Promises.

But unlike many merely decent movies which are decent in nearly every way, certain things about Cronenberg's movie are exceptional and certain things are unexceptional. For example, supporting actors Viggo Mortensen (Sigmund Freud) and Vincent Cassel (Otto Gross) are brilliant, entertaining and surprisingly funny. On the other hand, Keira Knightley, who plays Sabina Spielrein, the object of Jung's (Michael Fassbender's) id desire, shells out a (predictably) terrible performance.

Mortensen and Cassel are rocket fuel!

It's rare that supporting actors take center stage, but given that the supporting actors in this film are Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassel, it should probably come as no surprise.

Mortensen breaks from his normal fare and shows surprising depth as Freud. Anybody who has been following Mortensen's trajectory in film is used to seeing him kick butt in ultra-virile roles. But as Freud, Mortensen battles with a rapier wit (instead of the rapier itself). Furthermore, Mortensen's scenes with Fassbender do an excellent job of tracing the disintegration of Freud and Jung's once simpatico dynamic. (Of note, Fassbender delivers a solid performance as Jung.) Finally, as Freud, Mortensen uses an insouciant manner to deliver arguably some the funniest dialogue ever featured in a period piece. (Mind you, this humor isn't "grab-your-Depends" funny but funny in a high-brow "English" sense.)

Equally impressive is Cassel's turn as Otto Gross, an early disciple of Freud who subsequently jumps off the deep end and drowns himself in perversity. Unfortunately, Cassel has limited screen time but he makes the most of it. Begrudgingly, I (and much of the audience) chuckled at how Gross stealthily undermines Jung's attempts at psychoanalysis and almost convinces Jung that having sex with his patients is an important part of their therapy. The fact that Cassel can make such a morally reprehensible character endearing is a credit to his skill as an actor.

Don't forget the screenplay (and the man who wrote it)

Christopher Hampton is a veteran screenwriter and playwright with a slew of awards and high-flying credits to his name. As with many of his previous works, including the screenplay for Dangerous Liaisons and Atonement, Hampton doesn't disappoint with the screenplay for A Dangerous Method.

As I previously mentioned, much of the dialogue in A Dangerous Method is witty and nearly all of it is dead-on. Anybody who believes that there's too much "talk" in this talkie probably fails to appreciate how complex psychoanalysis is. Much of the reason why the subject matter of this film is digestible is because Hampton makes it so.

Freud (Mortensen) engages Jung (Fassbender) in psychoanalysis.

I especially like how Hampton and Cronenberg flavor the movie with Freudian allegory. Whether Jung is filling his pie hole (oral stage), Spielrein is playing with her food (anal stage) or Freud is perpetually chomping on his cigar (phallic stage), many of Freud's theories are a constant presence in this film. Furthermore, the Oedipal leitmotif is well embodied. Towards the end of the film, when Freud's paternalistic grasp on Jung has already withered and been replaced by a chain of animosity, Jung browbeats Freud so ferociously that Freud falls to the floor and appears to have a heart attack. To extend the Oedipal metaphor even further, a strong case can be made that Freud's fondness for Speilrein--the object of Jung's libido--is conjugal.

Astounding aesthetics

The work of Cronenberg's creative team must be applauded. A Dangerous Method is visually striking, and I was impressed with the cinematography, sets, costumes, props and more. These elements synergize to create a detail-oriented period piece that's Merchant-Ivoryesque.

The film was shot on location in Vienna, and this city and its environs are a constant presence throughout the film. The setting permeates the film and beautiful shots of Vienna can even be seen from the windows in both Jung's office and Spielrein's apartment.

Not enough sadomasochism

Spielrein (Knightley) seduces Jung (Fassbender) on a park bench.

As with many of Cronenberg's previous works, the premise of A Dangerous Method pivoted on a wild and almost gimmicky hook: a violent and humiliating sexual relationship between Jung and Spielrein. At first, Jung does his best to resist Spielrein's advances--after all, even back then clinicians knew it was bad to bed a patient. But soon Jung's defenses (no pun intended) give way, and he sates himself.

Freudian Psychology Essential Reads

The Birth of Psychoanalysis, and the Erasure of a Life

Failed Resolutions and Broken Promises

Given this premise, I was expecting the sex scenes to be wild and was hoping that the movie would flirt with an NC-17 rating. Instead, the sex scenes between Knightley's Spielrein and Fassbender's Jung lacked sexual charge and were anticlimactic. For example, there was only one significant scene that dealt with sadomasochism: a spanking Spielrein receives from Jung towards the end of the movie. Furthermore, there was little nudity and most of it involved Knightley's breasts. In my opinion, Fassbender should have gone full frontal and got this party started!

Keira Knightley nearly ruins this movie

I'm no fan of Keira Knightley. Several years ago, she managed to kick a soccer ball straight in Bend It Like Beckham and ever since then she's been a fixture in Tinseltown. She's even managed to score an Academy Award nomination for her role in Pride & Prejudice. (But in all honesty, the Academy, in its infinite wisdom, has made mistakes. Remember when Jack Palance won a little gold man for City Slickers?)

In all fairness, the role of Spielrein is complex. She's a Russian Jew who spends her life battling discrimination, anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder. The role is a tall order for any actress to fill, and it shouldn't have been offered to Knightley, an actress short on talent.

Knightley's portrayal of Spielrein is insincere. There's no subtlety or finesse to her performance. She overacts and spends more energy faking a Russian accent (and psychomotor agitation) than infusing her performance with depth. Probably the only thing sincere about Knightley's performance is her teeth. (Talk about snaggletooth!)

Ironically, my review of A Dangerous Method is about as borderline as Spielrein's character; I'm completely split on my likes and dislikes. Nevertheless, it's important that mental health professionals and psychology buffs purchase a ticket and see this movie. Although this movie is okay, a positive audience reaction may cause Hollywood to take notice and open the doors for more interesting psychiatric and psychological fare to hit the theaters in the future. For example, imagine a movie on Egas Moniz (a physician-physician who won a Nobel prize for the lobotomy) or Daryl Bem (acclaimed psychologist and colorful personality who proposed self-perception theory as an alternative to cognitive dissonance).

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Copyright 2011 by Naveed Saleh. All rights reserved.