'Dangerous Methods' Review: LMN's nerve-racking thriller fizzles out toward the end
LMN's latest movie, 'Dangerous Methods' is a gripping thriller. Make sure to add it to your watch list, as the movie's title is absolutely befitting.
The LMN movie stars Christopher Showerman (as Desmond Gage); an actor who wants to make it big in the industry and is dedicated to his process of method acting, and Rachele Brooke Smith (as Lacy Johnson), an ambitious Hollywood assistant. When Lacy is asked to accompany and shadow Desmond in his acting process, little did she know that his character would flip to a complete 180. Read on to know more about his this intriguing plot pans out.
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As is the case with most movies of this genre, 'Dangerous Methods' too does start off pretty normal. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has fallen onto Lacy's lap, she'd be a fool not to take the chance of learning from the famous actor, Desmond Gage, as he prepares for his next role. Before Lacy embarks on a journey that she thinks will reflect on her resume, her boss, Sharon Warman (Nicky Whelan), gives her some pills; they were meant to aid Desmond in case he has an upset stomach.
There are several hints Lacy picks up on during this entire debacle. For starters, after things get steamy between her and Desmond, the man has no recollection of the night's events. Instead, he blames her for taking advantage of him when he was in character, and in the process of "immersion". Mind you, the night before, he even asked to keep a friendship bracelet Lacy had sported, before confessing with "I love you. A lot".
Desmond cuts the phone lines out of frustration when Lacy tries to reach her dad, gets mad at her for his cat going missing, and threatens to put in a bad word regarding her assistance to Sharon. What's more, Lacy sees the name Angie, carved on a tree in the woods. Who is that? Also, why does Desmond keep calling her by that name?
At this point, Lacy is literally stuck in that cabin in the middle of nowhere with a strange man, who's much older than she is. It doesn't come as a surprise when he actually tackles both an officer as well as Lacy's dad, Harry (Costas Mandylor), when the two reached the house to get Lacy to safety. The last leg of the movie saw Lacy recovering at the hospital after surviving a gunshot (fired by the police). The doctor hands over pills he found on Lacy to Sharon, stating that they are prescribed medication for schizophrenics. Well, that definitely explains a lot!
While the movie was genuinely intriguing, a con would be not fully tapping into who Angie is. In addition, the ending was pretty abrupt, with Sharon walking out of the ward, apologizing to Lacy under her breath. All the suspense built till this moment just washes out since there is no conclusive ending.
While Smith's plays the character of a naive, ambitious woman, it is Showerman's character portrayal that easily stands a class apart. You're sure to find yourself genuinely getting scared for Lacy from time to time, for being holed up in isolation with the man who thinks they're "soulmates"
'Dangerous Methods' was released on April 1, 2022, on LMN.