Delayed Reaction: Dead Ringers

Premise: Esteemed twin brother gynecologists cross the boundaries of what's acceptable to do with their identical appearance.

 

I'm pretty new to David Cronenberg, and I'm pretty sure I'm introducing myself to his work the wrong way. I saw A History of Violence 15 years ago and barely remember it. I've seen parts of Existenz and The Fly. Then I recently watched The Dead Zone. That's it though. I suspect I should see things like Scanners or Videodrome before moving to something like Dead Ringers that a little more...well, subdued isn't the right word. It's a movie that's more content with an ominous mood than being visually insane, although it is both of those things.

 

I appreciate aspects of Dead Ringers. Jeremy Irons is great in the dual lead role. He plays each twin distinctly enough that the film never has to spell out which one is which. It's hard enough to give one performance this fleshed out in a film. Giving two is a real feat. I suspect the raves for this helped him get his Oscar just two years later. And, it's still magic to me when filmmakers shoot the same actor on the screen twice on screen before computers. I never see the visual trickery on screen. I forgot that it wasn't two actors on screen together. Praise to Irons, Cronenberg, and everyone else involved in pulling that off.

 

The movie did stall out after a little while though. I was interested early on, learning about Beverly and Elliot's twisted relationship. I was a little bored as it moved to Bev's mental state falling apart. Cronenberg injected it with plenty of his signature style, but it hit a lot of familiar beats.

 

Verdict: Weakly Recommend