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Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon, Shirley Douglas ... see more see more... , Stephen Lack , Denis Akiyama , Damir Andrei , Lynne Cormack , Warren Davis , Richard W. Farrell , Jonathan Haley , Nicholas Haley , Jill Hennessy , Joe Matheson , Dee McCafferty , Marsha Moreau , Miriam Newhouse , Nick Nichols , Rina Polley , Nick Rice , Hadley Kay , Madeleine Atkinson , Bob Bainborough , John Bayliss , Murray Chuchley , Nora Colpman , Cynthia Eastman , Graham Evans , Jacqueline Hennessy , Jane Luk , Susan Markle , Denise McLeod , Nicholas Rice , Liliane Stillwell , Tita Trevisan , David Walden , David Hughes

Two twin brothers, both renowned gynecologists, descend into madness after becoming romantically involved with the same woman in this disturbing, horrific drama. Jeremy Irons delivers a bravura perfor... read more read more...mance as both Beverly and Elliot Mantle, Toronto-based surgeons who operate an exclusive gynecological clinic and share a reputation as brilliant innovators. They also share lovers, as the more aggressive, confident Elliott seduces women and later secretly allows the shier, more intellectual Beverly to reap the benefits. This arrangement is disturbed when Beverly falls in love with their newest conquest, Claire Niveau (Genevieve Bujold), a famous actress with an unusual gynecological deformity. Beverly's relationship with the hard-living Claire leads to him to turn away from Elliot and begin a dangerous involvement with drugs and alcohol. Elliot senses his brother's rapid decline into addiction and paranoia and attempts to save him, only to start falling victim to the same urges. Director David Cronenberg adapted the loosely fact-based tale to his own creepy purposes, tapping into primal fears regarding the uncanniness of twins and male sexual panic. His notorious gore was used sparingly here, however, with the film's most disturbing moments coming through suggestion, as in the display of a group of terrifying surgical instruments created by Beverly in his madness. Cronenberg's expertise with special effects proves crucial, however, as he and his regular cinematographer Peter Suschitzsky seamlessly combine Irons' two performances in a manner unrivalled by any previous depiction of twins. This visual achievement is more than matched by Irons, who delivers what may be his career performance, delineating the twins' differences and similarities and embodying their collapse in frighteningly believable fashion. The subject matter and chilly tone may be too intense for some viewers, but the brilliant central performance and intellectually provocative approach will prove thoroughly absorbing for others. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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80% liked it

20,282 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Release Date: September 23, 1988

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DVD Release Date: January 27, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (1,080)

  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    As come to be expected, this is another strange tale from David Cronenberg. Featuring brilliant performances from Jeremy Irons and Jeremy Irons).
  • 366weirdmovies
    July 31, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    A woman disturbs the delicate psychic balance between twin gynecologists. Genuinely unnerving psychodrama with a dominating performance by Jeremy Irons.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    April 4, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Dead Ringers is a prime example of fine psychological horror in top form. The film plays out effectively on the human mind as Cronenberg unleashes yet another astounding film. Cronenberg's film focuses on two twin brothers who both are gynecologists. Both of them act alike, exce... read morept one is more confident than the other. The brother who suffers from confidence issues falls in love with an actress which has an abnormal reproductive system. Dead Ringers is a horrifying piece of cinema, and is brilliantly directed by David Cronenberg. Dead Ringers is a change of pace from his previous work, but he crafts yet another phenomenal film. Dead Ringers is probably Cronenberg's most memorable film since Videodrome. Jeremy Irons plays both brothers and he is absolutely incredible in both parts. Of all the roles that I have seen Jeremy Irons tackle, his roles in Dead Ringers are some of the most brilliant he's ever done in his impressive career. Cronenberg films tend to tackle the horrors of the human body, mind and soul. In Dead Ringers, he touches on all his usual topics, but focuses more on the psychosis condition of his characters, which is a welcome change of pace for a director whos made a career out of the body horror genre. Dead Ringers is brilliantly told, horrifyingly psychotic and superbly acted. This is unlike any other David Cronenberg film that you've seen before.
  • WrenchLT
    March 8, 2011
    WrenchLT
    Pretty tame for a Cronenberg movie, accept for one scene there's none of your usual grotesqueness or disturbing bodily mutations. It's all psychological this time round with Jeremy Irons playing Twin Gynaecologists who take advantage of their appearence to share all life's experi... read moreences, including their women, until one twin decides to go it alone. It's all based on a bizarre true story and this movie adaption is reasonably good and interesting too with Jeremy Irons performance the driving force behind it all.
  • fb619846742
    October 27, 2010
    fb619846742
    A disturbing if slow-moving story concerning twin gynecologists (Jeremy Irons, playing both roles) whose lives start to spiral out of control simultaneously. This film was tough for me, I wanted to admire it on every level, and I definitely do in some aspects (acting wise - Jerem... read morey Irons is just phenomenal), but in the end I couldn't help but feel let down. It's never as hypnotizing as it potentially could be, and the romantic subplot with Bujold feels somewhat forced into place. Still, redeemable to a degree thanks to Irons' incredible turn, with an unsettling ending that won't go away quickly, but one whose slow-footed pace gets the better of it. If you want to stick to utterly devastating Cronenberg material, go with "The Fly" instead, which eclipses this film in every way except for acting, really.
  • guttersnipe28
    October 18, 2010
    guttersnipe28
    Exceptional 'horror' film from the Canadian master sporting superb work from Irons in a dual role. It's restraint pays off massively, the 'bound' sex scene, In The Still Of The Night moment and the sight of the gynaecological tools in particular. Frequently makes me feel quite il... read morel. Some suprisingly hilarious dialogue, I defy you not to imitate the Mantle brothers after watching this!
  • bbcfloridabound
    April 5, 2010
    bbcfloridabound
    Pretty Good Movie for 1988, The Mantle Twins are doing the same women, One falls in lover with her, the other heartless. As Film goes the point of the film seems to dwindle further and further into making very little sense. Still worth 3 stars a good watch just don't expect much.... read more 3 Stars
  • ythelastman89
    December 6, 2009
    ythelastman89
    A very bizarre descent into madness. Jeremy Irons did an amazing job at playing two very distinct characters, while also making them similar enough to be twins. David Cronenberg's eerie style worked amazingly well, giving it a proper and suspenseful tone.
  • ebs90
    October 6, 2009
    ebs90

    Proper review at last!


    Jeremy Irons plays both Eliot and Beverly Mantle, two gynecologists who are identical twins. They are a curious, disturbing mixture of scientific and sexual inquisitors, ever since their childhood. Their research and development of gynecological

    ... read moreinstruments earns them fame and recognition since their college years, and the story begins to unfold once they are an established team. Beverly, the shy, insecure one, is the main practicing doctor and also does most of the research, while Eliot takes care of "public relations", writing acceptance speeches, etc.

    Eliot is the charming, assertive twin. He and Beverly have a rather unhealthy relationship, as if they couldn't really see the difference between one another (for as obvious as we find it). When Eliot sleeps with a woman, he will "pass it over" to Beverly so that he can do it too; after all, she won't be able to tell the difference. This is the dynamic in their lives. Eliot is perfectly content with it, although Beverly's uneasiness is obvious from the first moment. Everything changes when a mini-series actress, the tortured Claire Niveau (an aggresively sexual, quintessential Cronenberg woman), turns to the Mantle brother for an examination. Beverly discovers a rare defect in her uterus, which entices a disturbing fascination. The brothers "pass her around" as usual, but Beverly gets more hooked than Eliot is prepared to accept.


    Claire acts as a catalyst for the individualization of the twins. Beverly is in love with her, while Eliot isn't, and he doesn't want to share or give her up. He unconsciously becomes aware of the unhealthy co-dependence between he and his brother, and how menacing it can be for his future life, which pushes him into a whirlpool of obssession, paranoia, and drug abuse. Eliot tries uselessly to save him, in an attempt to save himself. But soon, without explanation, it seems as though he experiences his brother's pain as his own.


    Dead Ringers is one of the saddest, darkest films I've seen. It's just how everything happens. It isn't forced. It doesn't rely on supernatural elements or killers, but the terrifying distortions of the characters' minds and bodies: something much more internal, inaccessible, harder to understand or fix. Watching it is like watching a car crash or staring into a dark pit. It has the stamp of David Cronenberg all over it, from the use of strong, bright primary colors to the Howard Shore score, the disgusting body abnormalities and makeup, the eerie credibility of the blood, and, most importantly, the thorough characterization. The Mantle twins and Claire are strange people, caught up in their pyschosexual and drug conflicts, but never become caricatures. Their pain is tangible and believable.


    Dead Ringers' success or failure rested aboslutely on the shoulders of the actor playing the twins, and Jeremy Irons is as good as it gets. He takes on these complex, emotionally draining, tortured roles with transparence and exhausting intensity. I personally felt so exhausted watching Beverly spiral further and further downwards in self-destruction. Still, his performance is subtle enough not to to differentiate the twins obviously: he understood their similarities (which are the basis of their unhealthy relationship) and didn't compromise them for the sake of making the film easier to follow. He interacted perfectly with "himself", there is never a single defect in his stare or gestures. Also, it is possible to tell the twin aparts successfully after some observation,and this only further proves his expertise.


    Anxious and uncomfortable pretty much define this film: Beverly and Eliot's anxiety of separation, which ultimately brings on their demise, the anxiety that begins to de-humanize them, or rather to alter them in such a way that they lose any notion of civility or tact. As a woman I was horrified not only by their instruments to work on "mutant women", but by the brutality with which they treated their patients after their crisis.


    Dead Ringers is one of the most fascinating films that I can rank as my favorites. It's unapologetically bizarre but still vaguely plausible. Cronenberg proves that defects in such notions as sexuality and identity can be a thousand times more terrifying than a house full of ghosts. He takes on fear of the intangible in a stylish manner, supported by the brilliance of Jeremy Iron's work.
  • DrBenway
    May 25, 2009
    DrBenway
    Seeing this again, I'm reminded of a "must-see" performance by Jeremy Irons who can be cold, sleazy, threatening, charming, sympathetic and without the "absolute of good and evil" leaving the audience to decide. The other star of the film is the camerawork with solid direction f... read morerom Cronenberg. Of course, there's the sex. It's a Cronenberg film after all, so sexuality is a given topic along with his staple of distrust when it comes to medical science. Subtle, darkly humorous and horrifying in depicting the onset of mental illness in two twins at once.

    I don't have a vagina, but if I did this movie might have given me shivers. (Not the Cronenberg film)
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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
September 24, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Director David Cronenberg handles his usual fondness for gore in muted style. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
September 24, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

People like myself who find the character played by [Genevieve] Bujold (in one of her best performances) more interesting than either of the twins are bound to feel rather frustrated by the end. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Cronenberg, who has begun to emerge as a master of body-related horrific fantasy, clearly understands that a small amount of medical mischief can be more unnerving than conventional grisliness. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Really sordid stuff that becomes ridiculous, painful, unbelievable and tedious. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The kind of movie where you ask people how they liked it, and they say, 'Well, it was well made,' and then they wince. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Watching Ringers is not unlike watching a critical operation -- unnerving but also enthralling. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
October 18, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

This is arguably David Cronenberg's masterpiece. Full Review

October 8, 2008
Film4

Irons gives a highly accomplished performance in a chilly knife-swapping psychodrama that remains among the director's leanest, meanest releases. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 30, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Impeccably executed, Cronenberg's first masterpiece is an unsettling film in which biological horror is entirely conveyed through pyschological exploration of character, masterfully played by Jeremy I... Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 2, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's one of Cronenberg's more complex relationship tales, that puts a deadly spin on separation, loss and hopeless love. Full Review

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    • Elliot Mantle: I've often thought there should be beauty contests for the insides of bodies. You know, best spleen, most perfectly developed kidneys. Why don't we have standards of beauty for the entire human body, inside and out?
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  • In which film does Jeremy Irons play twin doctors?  Answer »
  • In Dead Ringers, what sort of doctor is Jeremy Irons?  Answer »
  • what connects the movies raising cain, dead ringers and the man in the iron mask?  Answer »
  • This David Cronenburg film is about twin gynecologists and the woman they love, played by Geneveive Bujold.   Answer »
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