Movie review - "A Dangerous Method" (2011) ***

Literate, smart and thoughtful entertainment almost entirely derailed by an appalling performance form Keira Knightley, full of ticks and gestures and erratic accent, like some bad acting grad fresh out of QUT who mainly got the role because she was really hot and willing to show a little nipple. David Cronenberg really should have pulled her under control - she's not remotely believable as someone capable of being a doctor herself. She's a film star trying to be an actor, and good for her, but she needed a month's more rehearsal and probably a director who is better with women.

There's excellent work from Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen (once you get used to his false nose) and Vincent Cassell (as a rock and roll lifestyle shrink - give into temptation, take drugs, sleep with your patients). Sarah Gadon is a completely blank canvass as Fassbender's wife. The most interesting character is Freud - smart, arrogant, not wanting to be questioned, more political than he seems.

Lots of ideas fly around, the main one being the difference in approach between Jung and Freud. It's treatment is a little stolid - at times I wished Peter Weir or someone more cinematic directed this, Cronenberg's approach feels stiff, as if he was intimidated by the pre-World War I-ness of it all and the literary quality of Christopher Hampton's script. It's very bright and clean and HD, something which didn't work for me (although I know others liked it). For all it's spanking scenes it is curiously unerotoic.