Method (2004) User Reviews (17)

Method: Mediocre thriller

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 16 May 2018]

For some reason this came up as a horror, I assure you it isn't.

It tells the story of an actress returning to the spotlight for a new movie. She decides to live on set and really become the character, trouble is she takes it a tad far and before you know it events in the movie and events in real life start to merge.

Starring the underrated Jeremy Sisto, the overrated Liz Hurley, British favorite John Barrowman and Heavy Rain (2010) star Sam Douglas it's not the cast that fails it.

Though I appreciate what they were going for it simply doesn't work, at all. It's a messy poorly constructed not so thrilling thriller.

Liz Hurley isn't a leading lady, she's a bit part character. One of those actresses who is pretty and looks the part on camera but doesn't have the acting chops and needs that weakness disguised with minimal lines.

Badly written mess, simple as that.

The Good:

Interesting concept

Sam Douglas

The Bad:

Bad delivery

Hurley isn't up to a lead role

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Sam Douglas needs more high profile jobs!

Will the real movie please come forward.

[jannagal · 4/10 · 19 November 2004]

Here we have two movies for the price of one. Unfortunately one movie plus one other movie does not make even one good movie. Method is the story of a beautiful actress in the come-back role of a lifetime. So, Rebecca (the beautiful actress) portrays a serial killer in a supposedly true tale of Belle (the beautiful serial killer.) A major portion of Method is the movie Belle. Herein lies the problem--the movie in the movie is actually more interesting than the movie we are paying to see.

We are to believe that Rebecca(Elizabeth Hurley) is so mentally unstable that, spurred by her overbearing mother's interference, begins to associate completely with the murderous Belle, finally assuming her character. (Hence: "Method"). There is a predictable ending to "Belle", and a surprise ending to "Method", which is also predictable.

Two stars out of ten for "Belle", one star for "Method". An extra star for Elizabeth Hurley(sorry about the bias, I just think she's beautiful). Total = 4 stars out of 10.

Edited with a Mixmaster

[rfeni-1 · 3/10 · 31 October 2004]

A total waste of a rental fee. The story involves a method actress who believes in 'becoming the character'. She plays a serial killer and bodies start turning up. Did she or didn't she?

It's an interesting idea, but why-why, why, oh why--would producers spend so much money on period sets, fine actors, beautiful photography, and then use such an incoherent, cliché-ridden script. My mother and I watched it together, and together we couldn't figure out what was going on half the time. The movie jumps back and forth between the film and the film-within-the-film and the filming-of-the-film-within-the-film (still in period costume, so you don't know at first), and from reality to hallucination. At the end it's not really made clear who killed who, and some of the answers aren't really credible. Why waste a lovely woman like Elizabeth Hurley in such a piece of poo-poo?

Pretentious methodical mess.

[JoeBobJones · 2/10 · 21 April 2012]

Jeremy Sisto and Elizabeth Hurley very earnestly work hard to make this shockingly bad film decent, but they simply can't. It is a maudlin mess of poorly written and directed dreck from Duncan Roy. Plot summary already attached to this film's IMDb posting, I will dispense with much of the redundant plot summary, but when Hurley barks out of the shack door to drifter Sisto's character "Hey, can you mend a fey-ance?" (it is turn of the century Indiana after all, so expect heavy accents), I knew this thing was heading down state in a durn hurry. Perhaps five minutes later, gentleman callers are arranged by mail to come see the impossibly beautiful Hurley to arrange marriage. With heavy brows does our fence fixer Sisto disapprove of Hurley's mail order suitors, referred to as her brother. Do we even need to delve into the budding melodrama of this period piece? Wait! O dreaded gimmicks, worse than a triptych, first person narrative, or chapter supertitles, we are fed a steaming dish of a film within a film. My word, I don't think this kind of thing has ever been done before! Oh wait, well, you know. The only interesting things about Method are Hurley's beauty, Sisto's effort, and the infamous off screen battles between the insane director Duncan Roy and Liz Hurley. The final product, though, stinks to high heaven.

Mr. Strasberg Would be Apoplectic!

[lavatch · 2/10 · 5 May 2005]

The expression "method" was coined by the acting teacher Lee Strasberg to describe his unique interpretation of the acting techniques of the Russian director Constantin Stanislavsky. In the 1950s, Strasberg was the guru of the famed Actors Studio of New York where many great film actors honed their craft with the master. Strasberg's authoritarian style was legendary as he watched the actors perform scenes and monologues and then proceeded to psychoanalyze the actors and their choices.

Mr. Strasberg would be truly appalled by the trite and cliché-ridden "Method." The film seeks to weave two stories in a "play-within-a-play" style. Unfortunately, neither one of the stories is interesting, and the main problem is the script. Much of the dialogue was laughable. Also, the production values of this film seemed amateurish with special effects and scenes of violence that were not credible. Sadly, the good premise of a story about an actress who loses touch with reality and "becomes the character" was not realized, despite the good efforts of the cast.

The classic film "A Double Life" (1947) was successful in developing this premise as the actor playing Othello is so enmeshed within his character that he commits a real-life murder. The screenwriters for "A Double Life" were the brilliant team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, from whom the writers of "Method" could have learned a lesson worthy of the great teacher Lee Strasberg.

Excruciatingly bad

[TwoCrude · 2/10 · 4 April 2010]

I admit I have watched many of Liz Hurley's movies. Almost every one of them has been a disappointment (she was actually very good as an addict in "Shameless" about 15 years ago).

Hardcore Liz fans should stick to "Bedazzled" and "Passenger 57". Sisto has plenty of good work in circulation; I am amazed that he stooped to this tripe. The DVD set of the short lived TV show "Kidnapped" is worth the price of admission. It even has Carmen Ejogo, an Englishwoman who can act circles around Hurley.

Do not waste your time on this poor excuse of a mystery. You'd be better off doing your income taxes. And at least the tax return has a conclusion worthy of being called that.

Is there a method to her madness?

[sol-kay · 4/10 · 17 November 2005]

**SPOILERS** Brain-numbing film that's a movie within a movie with a number of confusing dream sequences added on as well.

Beautiful but unstable motion picture actress Rebecca Fairbanks, Elizabeth Hurley,had been off the silver and big screen for three years. Rebecca is now attempting to make her big comeback in the movie role as turn of the century serial murderess Belle Gunness "known as the Black Widow of the the America Heartland" who killed 42 people in he early 1900's.

Determined to make her comeback in the movies a smashing success Rebecca trying to get into the role, using method acting techniques, lives on the set where the film's being made in off all places Romania! the home of serial blood-sucker Darcula. Later she even becomes a murderous fanatic to get the "feel" and "state of mind" of what Belle Gunness was in at the time she murdered her victims.

Pushed by her stage mother Mona, Carmen Du Sautoy, and having her co-star movie leading man and heart-throb Jake Fields,Jeremy Sisto,who had an affair with Rebecca three years ago that lead to her getting pregnant having an abortion. Jacks affair almost had him lose his wife Bethany, Hanna Yellard, because of it putting her, Rebecca, into such a deep depression over the whole mess that she hadn't made a movie since. Jake promising his wife Bethany who's there to make sure that he keeps he feeling, as well as pants on, for Rebecca in check and that he's only in love with her and no-one else. Bethany also wants to make sure that the hot and heavy work Jack's doing in his love scenes with Rebecca on the set are strictly professional and nothing more, ha ha ha.

On the set Rebecca is more then in her role as the psycho-killer Belle Gunness by overdoing some of the murder scenes that's she's, using axes and knives, in. Rebecca's method acting techniques cause a number of actors in them with her to get medical treatment. There's also a number of people in and around the movie set that end up getting brutally murdered including both Rebbeca's mom and Jake's wife. Rebecca early in the movie drives out to a nearby town and picks up the local bar/saloon stud who also ends up dead with his throat slashed, was this her way of perfecting her acting as a serial murderess?

With the exception of one of the actors in the movie, who Rebbeca smashed his head in with her new found method-acting skills, we don't know for sure if she's really responsible for all the murders off the set. Even when the movie is over her involvement in them is still up in the air and unexplained to the audience by the director and writer of the movie "Method".

We also see the ghost of the real Belle Gunness, Loana Prvelescu, pop up every now and then in the movie giving Rebecca tips and advice in killing off her cast members in the film. "Method" looks as if it wasn't finished and just slapped together to get it released as if it's some kind of abstract art-film that only those who are really "hip" and "with it" could understand what it's all about.

Even the scenes in the movie that Rebecca is staring in come across more convincing and realistic, then those that are supposed to be not before the camera, with Rebbecca and Jake having their affair rekindled after three years.In fact the love scenes that take place in the movie with Rebecca and Jake, playing their roles of Belle and her lover Ray, are far more hotter and convincing then the ones where their in bed and getting it on as Rebecca and Jake.

The movie ends with a really out-of-this-world dream sequence that gives you the impression that Rebecca either kills herself or Jake or both with the encouragement of the ghost of the evil Belle Gunness. It's then that it switches to Rebecca playing Belle as if that scene was put in by mistake with the film editors not knowing that she was either dead or imprisoned for what happened in the previous scene!

Same Old Story packed with Clichés

[Electric_Sheep · 2/10 · 25 March 2005]

This may be one that goes to television viewing when one has nothing to do in the evening.

The story is, as described by others, a story within a story which interchanges time to time - an actress back into the world of acting after a few year's hiatus (due to tragedies).

The Movie on a supposed female serial killer from early 20th Century USA is acted out by Liz Hurley and her co star. They still have feelings and an eventual affair ensues. Oh, I forget - the co-star has his wife on the set as well. :-) There's also a reporter on their tails with blackmail material and lets not forget the cold blooded agent/mum of Liz.

After 20 minutes it will become apparent that Liz eventually "merges" into her role so well (Method acting)that mysterious serial killings will occur on the set.

Ending is very predictable and quite cheesy too, I mean (Big Spoiler Ahead) ... we are made to believe the spirit of the dead serial killer possessed Liz all the time, a spirit that travels from the US to the sets in Romania? :-) It may be worth glancing at if you like to watch good IL pouty lipped Liz. Apart from that, get a decent movie or a book.

Cheers

METHOD needs to improve its methods.

[hdeckeraz · 4/10 · 17 March 2005]

In the real world people learn from mistakes. Players in Hollywood apparently feel no need to learn from mistakes. Case in point: METHOD. This beautifully shot but badly edited film is eerily similar to the beautifully shot but badly edited film THE WEIGHT OF WATER. Producers of these films obviously spent a lot of money on stars, sets, costumes, locations, equipment, etc. Directors of these films actually had good story to work with. Yet, in the end, both films don't work. In an attempt to dazzle the audience by interweaving the past with the present using slick editing techniques, the directors weaken the credibility of the story as well as confuse the audience. Regarding the story lines, both employ some type of mysterious karmic influence between people of the past and people in the present. Although this is probably a good plot device, it has to be believable, which it isn't in these two movies. Once last point: Elizabeth Hurley happens to be in both of these movies. I would love to know if she tried to point out to the producer and director of METHOD that THE WEIGHT OF WATER was very similar and didn't really work. If she did, why didn't they listen? And if she didn't, I guess she only wants to collect a paycheck.

Name: Belle Gunness, Age: 34, Murders: 42

[Cat-Squire · 8/10 · 1 March 2006]

Rebecca Fairbanks (Hurley) is finally returning to the silver screen, after a three year absence, in the role of serial murderess Belle Gunnes. Fairbanks is acting alongside her old flame, movie star hunk Jake Fields (Sisto). In order to totally immerse herself in the role and get the best performance she feels she can give, Fairbanks resides on set trying to live the life of Belle Gunnes. However, all becomes tragic when people begin to turn up dead and Jake is arrested as a suspect.

Method (or Dead Even as is titled on the UK DVD) is a very good thriller and is, at times, quite unnerving. The film Method features scenes from the film 'Belle' that Fairbanks and Fields are starring in. As such you get 'real action' mixed with the action for the pretend film. Iy has been said in at least one comment that it is hard to tell what is the 'real action' and what is the fake film action. I would have to disagree with this as I thought it was perfectly clear, but maybe I'm just more preceptive than some other people. The acting in this film is very, very good with the stand-out performance coming from Jeremy Sisto, brilliant actor. Elizabeth Hurley looks very good in this film, as does Jake Field's wife Bethany (Hannah Yelland). I feel sorry for Fields having to choose between these two, it's a tough call. Olivia du Sautoy is very good as Mona, the mother of actress Fairbanks, who controls her life and seems very over-protective of her daughter. I watched this last night for the first time and am left feeling the longing to watch it again tonight which is a sign of how much I liked this film. It really is a great thriller. 8/10

Cat Squire

average B movie

[dromasca · 5/10 · 9 September 2006]

If there is something like an average B movie nowadays 'Method' would fill in this role. The story combines in two interleaved threads the story of a 19th century serial killer, a widow attracting older man with promises of re-marriage and killing them to rob them of their money with the story of the making of the movie, in which the the principal actors live their own love story which becomes soon a murder story. The rather thin premise of the movie is that the acting method of identifying with the real life character can lead to the violence of the story penetrating real life.

Although decently filmed and acted the movie suffers because lack of ambition and imagination. Much more could have been achieved by a more skilled director out of the violent fiction story slowly penetrating life. Although crime and suffering happens on the screen, we really do not care too much about this as viewers, one of the reasons being maybe because it is not clear whether the suffering happens in the fiction plan we are less involved with, and also maybe because the flat performance of Jeremy Sisto, the weakest from all the cast, in my opinion.

It's a film easy to forget. I will probably remember nothing about it in a week or so.

Confusing!

[unimportant · 4/10 · 22 January 2005]

Method is a thriller about Rebecca, an actress played by Elizabeth Hurley, who is starring in a movie about a non-fictional 19th century serial killer who lured rich men to her house and killed them for their money. Her co-star is Jake, Rebecca's ex-boyfriend whose wife, Bethany, is jealous of Rebecca and keeps a close eye on Jake.

Rebecca's mother/agent gets an idea to have Rebecca live on the set -- the house where the murders take place -- so that she can "get into character." While Rebecca is living on set, she begins to have hallucinations of the murderer. There's some implication that this is in part because she's not taking her medication. Most of the movie consists of the serial killer movie -- not as it's being filmed, but as it plays in finished form, which is odd because it keeps switching back and forth between the serial killer movie and "reality," when the movie isn't finished yet. Several people get killed, but in the end, it's so confusing that I don't know what's real and what's a hallucination/dream, who's really dead, and who really did the killing. (4/10)

Method? That movie really sucks..! Horrible pappy show of a film!

[smiley-32 · 1/10 · 6 February 2006]

I saw this film today on DVD.. It was also known as DEAD EVEN.. I gotta hand it to you.. That movie bored the hell out of me.. Yeah! There may've been a plot.. but this was beginning to put me at a point where I wanted to press the stop button.

No wonder Elizabeth Hurley claimed that the movie METHOD was horrible. Horrible cast. Horrible crew. Horrible director. Horrible film.

It makes me want to think that has Elizabeth Hurley made up her mind on giving up acting in movies? The only movie I have of her is PASSENGER 57.. I liked it not because of Elizabeth Hurley.. but Wesley Snipes. He was one those 'action heroes' that kept me glued to the film.

Well, I know for a fact that Ms Hurley has been struggling to get her acting career back on track. ..and I think with this movie.. it seems that it's killed her acting career off.

Years ago, and I still got the newspaper 'cut-outs' of all the movies that Elizabeth Hurley have appeared in and they've all flopped as a result. Is there a curse going around Ms Hurley as we speak? I believe so..

Anyway, I'm bringing the DVD back tomorrow and I'm getting my refund. Sorry Ms Hurley.. that movie was horrible for me! Blame the director..!

0 out of 10!

film of the making of a movie about Belle Gunness , a prolific murderess from Indiana at around turn of the century and later.

[fificahill · 20 November 2013]

I am very interested in the Belle Gunness story , and I had great hopes for this movie before reading the reviews here. I hope its not as bad as I hear. I'll be back to give my opinion. I would like to see some really well investigated movie made on Belles life. I would like questions answered that apparently aren't in this film. Although it is bound to be enjoyable if taken at face value, I got interested in it because it was supposed to be about Belle and the murders at LaPorte.. when I went to look to view it , I find its called something else other than Method and is only loosely related to Bele Gunness after all. Shame . Its called Dead Even outside of the USA. .

Too many threads

[ElliottMortensen · 1/10 · 4 May 2023]

There is dialogue early on in this movie. Elizabeth Hurley's character is walking through a film premiere gathering and one bystander says to another, "She's so beautiful," and the other bystander says, "Yeah, but she can't act." At this point turn off the movie, and save yourself time.

This movie then proceeds to pull at too many threads: a mother-daughter jealousy trope, ex-lovers finally reuniting after many years, a marriage on the rocks, trying to become a bona fide method actress, power brokering in Hollywood, and a haunted movie set. Besides the last idea, it could make for a compelling script. However, each of those are poorly pieced together, presented in the most cliché way possible, and never coherently blended. Therefore, the redeeming quality of the movie is to see an example of a bad movie.

Reminiscent of a Daytime Soap

[iquine · 3/10 · 29 June 2023]

Pretend you are walking up the steps with a few tokens in your hand to play Plinko on "The Price Is Right". You line up token number one, release it and it zigzags down and lands into $0. That is the feeling you get after watching this movie. The story revolves around a famous actress who is back in the limelight and trying to disprove rumors she is more than just a pretty face but can actually act. The movie plays out with the story line moving between the movie being made and the characters involved in that movie production. The movie title Method refers to the type of acting where the actor/actress immerses themselves into a role. This female character plays a 19th century killer thus that mindset plays into the actress in reality. You can guess where things may end up heading. The story is rather muddled, characters are unlikable and unsympathetic and overall, this is not interesting or even visually intriguing. Simply put: avoid.

Interesting and fun, but a bit confusing at times

[PeachHamBeach · 9/10 · 23 October 2004]

POSSIBLE SPOILAGE!!!

METHOD is a fun "film within a film" story about a beautiful, glamorous actress who is trying to make a big comeback with her first leading role in 3 years. The cast is headed by Elizabeth Hurley, who after giving birth to a son, took some time away from her own films. In a way, this story of a modern day actress seems to mirror Hurley's own career. Although this film isn't too shabby, it is just the latest of Hurley's films to go straight to video. I'm not sure if this even got theatre play overseas. The reputation of the fictitious actress Rebecka Fairbanks is similar to Hurley in so many ways that I wonder if all the gossip surrounding the filming of METHOD was part of an attempt to get the public to be intensely interested in the film. Among the gossip was an alleged brawl between Hurley and director Duncan Roy in which some harsh things were said and then apologized for. The other big issue was Hurley's husband reportedly being jealous of Hurley's "love scenes". I thought I only saw one very hot love scene, not many.

Before I continue, I guess I need to try to dispel my own confusion and any potential confusion I may cause readers of my commentary. I can only keep my sanity by referring to METHOD in its two entities: the film BELLE, which is the movie Fairbanks is shooting, and the MAKING OF BELLE, which is the documentary-style element in which we get more than just a glimpse of Fairbanks' personal life. See what I mean when I say confusion can set in easily unless things are sorted out???

Hurley as Fairbanks, Fairbanks as notorious 19th century serial killer Belle Gunness. It is the role of a lifetime for Fairbanks, and she wants badly to do her very best to turn in a stellar performance. At least that's what we assume when we first meet her. On the set, her mother Mona (Carmen du Satoy) seems just a little hovery, just a little bossy and just a little domineering. She treats her daughter Rebecka like she's a 5 year old superstar rather than a 34 year old mildly successful actress. Mother's ambition and daughter's resentment become quite clear, and not only because Mona's a pushy "stage" mom.

There is also the matter of Rebecka's costar for the film, Jake Fields (Jeremy Sisto). He used to be Rebecka's boyfriend, and it's obvious he still has feelings for her, much to his wife Bethany's dismay. More reasons are revealed for why Rebecka resents her mother, and they are good, understandable reasons. Instead of the life she would have been overjoyed to have, Rebecka is living the life her mother chose for her. Jake is not as happy as he would have liked to be either, and before too long, the feelings he harbors for Rebecka ultimately drive his wife away.

Yet instead of happiness when they get back together, Rebecka and Jake face strange on-set violence, and off set murders begin happening. Although no suspects are named, certain people seem to have a motive for killing. Both Mona and Jake have been pestered by a sleazy little media mouth named Timothy, and Timothy is found with his throat cut. Jake was not in love with his wife, and Rebecka might have been jealous, and Bethany Fields is found with her throat cut.

The "film within the film" BELLE was fun to watch. I almost want to say that I wish they would have just made a movie about Belle Gunness and been done with it. It was done well. Hurley playing Fairbanks playing Gunness. Sisto playing Fields playing a farm hand named Ray Lamphere who falls under the spell of the beautiful widow and ends up helping her kill and dispose of over 40 men.

On the set, Mona notices that Rebecka is not taking medicines that have been prescribed to her (for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia is my guess, since Rebecka protests to her mother, "They make me tired. I'm forgetting my lines. I can't FEEL anything.") So the actress has stopped her medicine, in spite of Mona's worries, because she wants to capture the spirit of the role she is playing. A method actor, she is. A few days without her balancing meds, and Rebecka seems to be hallucinating the spirit of Belle Gunness, hearing the serial killer's voice telling her that Mona doesn't want her to be happy, that all men are evil. Thus the lines between pretend and reality are blurred.

I'm sure that METHOD will be a film that I will chew on for a while, trying to learn more about it, trying to figure out things that confused me, like: What happened to the little Romanian hottie that Rebecka picked up in the bar??? She took him home, but we don't know if she bedded him, or killed him, or both!!! That was most confusing. And whose was the burnt corpse in the morgue??? Did the Romania guy end up as one of the victims under the house???

As for the acting, well Jeremy Sisto was first rate as always. Hurley was better than usual. Du Satoy was great, and so was Oliver Tobias.

Not perfect, but definitely unusual and fun!!!