The last two films David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen did together were fantastic. They were gripping character examinations with fantastic stories. A Dangerous Method falls short and falls hard. The film is about Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), who meets Sigmund Freud (portrayed by a nearly unrecognizable Viggo Mortensen). Their relationship helps establish and define the idea and practice of Psychoanalysis. Carl Jung begins this new therapy with his new patient Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley). One thing leads to another and Jung falls into a deeply intense sexual relationship with Sabina that puts a strain on his relationship with Freud.
The film is gorgeous to look at and the soundtrack, or lack their of, is subtle and adds to the films look. The cast is solid and Vincent Cassel has a fantastic, yet unfortunately small role as Otto Gross, a humorously deranged patient/doctor. Despite all it’s positives, what plagues this film is the story. Just as we’re about to dig into the characters and their story, the film jumps ahead in time. Taking us to a different place, with different feelings, yet farther away from the characters. You never feel an emotional connection to the characters, and as their relationships builds and grows; your interest in the film just dwindles. It starts to drag early on and doesn’t stop. Go ahead and skip this one.
