the audience applauded

A Masterpiece!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

David Cronenberg found fame making pretty 'out there' films which, due to their content, never really received much mainstream attention, destined to become 'cult classics.' His most successful outing was the remake of 'The Fly,' but that was what most people would agree on was an outright 'horror.' Next he made 'Dead Ringers.' It's a story about a pair of identical twins (both played by Jeremy Irons thanks to some clever editing and camera tricks - no CGI here!) who are both brilliant surgeons and yet succumb to some pretty distasteful vices.It looked like Cronenberg had finally left his 'body horror' roots behind, moved through an outright horror film and was now making high-quality dramas with an A-list cast. And, for the first half of the film, you'd be right.If you've never seen any of Cronenberg's previous films, you may not get that weird feeling of 'normality' at just how ordinary the first half of this film is. We meet the twins. As I mentioned, they're both played excellently by Irons - making each of his characters instantly distinguish by their contrasting personalities. They go about their business of being a little too clever for their own good and it does have a 'regular' feeling about it all that would put it in with most other mainstream dramas.Then comes the second half. I know this is kind of a spoiler, but if you're really not into your 'gross-out' moments which involve some pretty disturbing 'body horror' moments then you're going to have to have a sick bag on standby for the second half of this film. It was like Cronenberg was just lulling us into a false sense of security and teasing us with the opening.Maybe this film is more of a horror than Cronenberg's previous efforts because there are no monsters here and nothing hideous that comes from a drug-fuelled nightmare. Everything nasty here comes from real people and Irons makes you believe that the two brothers are quite capable of acting out their crimes.It's certainly not an easy (or light) watch. It's almost two hours long and you really need to give it the respect it deserves by paying attention all the way through. So, if you're in the mood for something that doesn't involve superheroes flying around New York fighting aliens, then give this one a go (if you can stomach the second half!).

Dead Ringers (1988) *** (out of 4) Gynocologist and twin brothers Elliot and Beverly Mantle (Jeremy Irons) work together in their field and quickly become well-known for their brilliance. The two share a strong relationship with Elliot having the stronger personality but everything begins to unravel when they get involved with the same woman (Genevieve Bujold) and Beverly begins to fall in love.David Cronenberg's DEAD RINGERS is a rather dark and twisted tale of love. Yes, I think it's a love story about two brothers and their disastrous relationship, which leads to all sorts of horror. The film is one of the director's best works and it's rather amazing to see how well directed and acted it is. It should go without saying but Irons delivers a remarkable performance in not one but two roles.In actuality you could argue that he's actually playing even more roles than that. Both Elliot and Beverly are brilliantly brought to life by Irons who never struggles with either role. The most impressive thing is the downfall that the Beverly character goes through and it's amazing to see how well Irons plays it. In fact he's really playing three different characters and he pulls all of them off wonderfully. Not once does this feel like a gimmick because the actor is so wonderful. Bujold is also very good in her supporting role of the woman trying to make sense of what she's in.Cronenberg was known for some rather over-the-top and ghoulish things but you're really not going to find that here. Mentally the film is quite disturbing as there's a lot of suggestive violence but none of it is in your face and I think the film benefits from that. The film also benefits from the rather slow pacing as the director manages to bring you into the story, its characters and he certainly builds up a rather dark atmosphere.DEAD RINGERS has a lot of very good things going for it but for me the highlight is certainly the performance by Irons.

From body horror master David Cronenberg comes this eerie tale of twin brothers who work as gynecologists and share women. When one patient begins a relationship with one of the brothers, the downward spiral of twins Eliot and Beverly takes us down the rabbit hole along with them.This film owes the majority of its intrigue to the dual performance of Jeremy Irons as Eliot and Beverly Mantle. Irons' take on the twins as complete opposites is beyond breathtaking; Eliot is confident, a player and arrogant while Beverly is shy, passive and a pawn for his brother. We are as seduced by the brothers as Genevieve Bujold's Claire is due to the confusion of which twin Jeremy Irons is playing at the exact moment. I even lost track of which twin was on camera when Irons appears alone.The catalyst for the film's tragic story is the reserved portrayal of Claire by the lovely Genevieve Bujold. At the film's start she is simply a patient of the twins who comes for a medical concern. However when she is seduced by the charming Eliot and passed onto the passive Beverly, the spiral is set for tragedy as she and Beverly grow closer. Claire is no fool when she confronts the twins to find out which one has just been using her and which brother she actually care for. But when her hidden drug habit is revealed to Beverly, the point of no return is reached as she pulls Beverly into the web of addiction. The body horror is more psychological in this film than Cronenberg's usual body of work. He relies more on fooling the viewer with the Mantle twins's deception of swapping places and when Beverly becomes a drug addict, his hallucinatory state provides the horror of a disturbed mind. The narrative ultimately ends in one of the more disturbing death scenes in Cronenberg's films, tugging a little at the heartstrings of more sentimental viewers. An unhappy conclusion is guaranteed for a Cronenberg film.

This movie is about two identical twins named "Elliott Mantle" and his brother "Beverly Mantle" (both played by Jeremy Irons) who have shared an interest in medicine all of their lives. But that's not all they share as the slightly older twin, Elliott, is less shy and typically initiates a sexual relationship with a woman and then when he gets tired of her passes her off to Beverly who takes it from there. Although this has worked like a charm for years, one day Elliott just so happens to hand a woman named "Claire Niveau" (Genevieve Bujold) to Beverly who then falls deeply in love with her. To make matters worse, when Claire finds out what has happened she gets angry with both brothers which throws Beverly into an emotional tailspin that results in dramatic consequences for everyone involved. Now from what I understand this movie has apparently garnered both critical and popular approval. That's fine. However, rather than following the proverbial crowd I happen to demur from the overall consensus as I found this movie to be a bit too dark and dreary for my tastes. Admittedly, Jeremy Irons performed in an excellent manner and he deserves whatever praise is offered. But even so I still thought the movie was too slow and boring and as a result I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.