'Crimes of the Future' is a dystopian thriller that cuts to the heart

With its graphic images of stomachs being sliced open

organs being removed, and eyes and mouths being sewn shut,

David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future is certainly not for the squeamish.

But then why, as someone who self-identifies as squeamish, did I enjoy it so much?

Maybe it's because while this director loves his gaping wounds and exploding heads

he wields his scalpel here with extraordinary finesse.

There's a cool elegance and a disarming playfulness to this movie that pulls you in

even (or especially) at its most grotesque moments.

And as with most of Cronenberg's movies, the pleasures are intellectual as well as visceral.