Link, el sanguinario

A zoology student (Elisabeth Shue) must try to out smart a murderous and super-intelligent orangutan.

The 1980s were a strong decade for monkey-themed horror. Not only did we get Argento's "Phenomena", but one of George Romero's better films, "Monkeyshines". This one has probably fallen through the cracks, despite coming from director Richard Franklin ("Psycho II") and starring a pre-babysitting Shue and the wonderful Terence Stamp.

The film also raises some great ethical and philosophical questions about how primates should be treated. Are murderous monkeys responsible for their behavior? And is the professor in this film a hero of science or a villain who mistreats his experiments?

I think this was a break-through movie for Elizabeth Shue. It was the first time I heard of her as an actress. I think I saw the movie back in 1988, but it made quite an impact on my young impressionable mind. After watching the movie, I had a real fascination with primate intelligence. The psycho-sexual interaction between Shue and the monkeys stayed in mind all this time. In particular, I remember quite vividly the bathroom scene. It was strange from me to see that back then. And, everytime I see anyone take a bath or shower with a pet in the bathroom on a movie or commercial, I think of that scene.

Although this was not academy award material,i thought 'link' was an enjoyable and educational movie. I saw this movie when i was 16 years old,and had no idea that chimpanzees were so strong. After watching the film, i studied a book at the library about them,and was amazed at the things they can do. Most people don't realize just how large they can be. Many chimpanzees in the zoo can weigh 175lbs as adults, which is the same as a human. They are over a foot shorter than we are, but they have denser bone and muscle,which makes them heavier. Interesting animals.

College student, Jane Chase (Elisabeth Shue) gets what should be a dream job as assistant to her primatology professor, Dr. Phillips (Terrence Stamp). All she has to do is move into Phillips' remote castle, and help him with his ape experiments. Jane is amazed by the two chimpanzees named Imp and Voodoo, but is really intrigued by the orangutan "butler" named LINK. Everything goes smoothly, right up until Dr. Phillips goes missing, leaving Jane at the mercy of an increasingly menacing Link!

Any other human visitors are dealt with rather savagely, and the injuries and deaths begin to mount.

Ms. Shue's character is charming, and even manages to be firm with Link when necessary. Stamp is superb as always, though his role is more of an extended cameo. This is a superior "animals run amok" movie, with some actual terror generated by the simians involved. Link (Locke the Orangutan) himself is quite convincing in his intimidating role! An unexpected treat...

This movie started off very well, and I was beginning to think that I had stumbled across a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, things weren't nearly as interesting in the second half, and so I can't quite recommend this one. The best scenes are when the chimps are displaying their remarkable talents. In fact, the pleasure of watching the chimpanzees is almost enough to make up for the otherwise mediocre story. The novelty does wear off, though, and the film suffers badly as a result. Shue and Stamp are both effective, but the script simply runs out of steam in the second half. Watch only if you love chimps.