Dead Ringers - So normal for Cronenberg (for the first half!)

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!).

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that