Review of A Dangerous Method (2011) by Jerem M — 19 Aug 2012

C+.

âA Dangerous Methodâ? is perhaps Cronenbergâ(TM)s least weird film to date, rarely challenging or outrageous, and for that it might be his least notable. We observe the technical competence of most scenes, but once that doozy of a final line is spoken, weâ(TM)re left wondering why the script didnâ(TM)t focus on that very idea, and then we ask ourselves what else was left unexplored. One error that stuck out half-way into the film is how we would have almost no sense of Freud and Jungâ(TM)s differing perspectives if the film did not so blatantly spell them out for us. With 90 minutes and so many relationships to cover, Freud and Jungâ(TM)s is provided surprisingly little screen time, so their departure is far from poignant, or even thought-provoking. The sequence with Otto Gross is ancillary in seeming to have no impact on any part of the story. Add to this a mawkish soundtrack that downright ruins one scene and threatens to kill several others, and you have bland independent cinema from a director who is so reliably anything but.