Dead Ringers (1988)

"Dead Ringers" is David Cronenberg's psychological thriller about identical twin gynecologists (both roles played by Jeremy Irons) who are renowned and accomplished physicians in their field. Always together and never "separated" since birth, the brothers live a symbiotic life in which each sibling, though physically alike, feeds off of the other's talents. When the more confident brother seduces an actress and shares her with the shyer sibling, their lives begin to unravel as the latter seeks independence--separation.
"Dead Ringers" is similar to Cronenberg's earlier efforts, "Videodrome," "Scanners," and "Dead Zone" in that the protagonist(s) share a sort of supernatural ability that exceeds normal human capacity; however, it's this ability/dissimilarity from much of the rest of humanity that ultimately leads to their undoing. If there is any film that Cronenberg draws much of his influence from, it has to be De Palma's "Sisters" (1973). The title sequence is eerily similar and also implements odd combinations of early sketches, which foreshadow the events and psychology of the film. "Ringers" alternates between what appears to be early, medieval looking surgical instruments and early depictions of the female anatomy, while "Sisters" begins with a series of early depictions of conjoined twins. Though Cronenberg's brothers are not, or never were, conjoined physically (although they are in a dream sequence), it appears that their connection, and what ultimately prevents their assimilation into humanity, is their mental symbiosis.
Although I'm not the biggest fan of the Jeremy Irons' acting gamut, I have to applaude him for his work in this film. Not only would playing two characters in the same film be difficult, but also portraying two characters that are identical in appearance makes his performance doubly challenging. What astonishes me most about Irons' effort is that the audience is able to distinguish between the two characters although they are similar. Though Cronenberg's use of wardrobe aids in distinguishing the identity the brothers, it is Irons who ultimately constructs the emotion and psychological separation.
"Ringers," like most of Cronenberg's work, is odd, supernatural, and bold, but is one of the more accessible of his efforts. It is certainly not a film for everyone, but in its own right deserves its place among other great psychological thrillers.

3 out of 4