Chaindance

I should first say that I am a BIG Brad Dourif fan. I first heard about this movie on Dourif.com (which is offline now). I kept hearing more about it from other Brad Dourif sites. Then I saw the movie on a "for sale" rack in a video rental place near my hometown, and so I bought it. And it is incredible!!! I fell in love with the movie the first time I saw it. This movie is a must-see for all Brad Dourif fans. It made my respect for him shoot up another 50 points, and I recommend it to anyone (except little children).

This is a film that truly shows that Brad Dourif can act. This also shows that Michael Ironside, could have a character that truly could be "loveable".

Brad Dourif's performance as a man with Cerebral Palsy was flawless, and it was equal to Daniel Day-Lewis' Cerebral Palsy performance in "My Left Foot" released the year before. Truly this was showing a true insight into the character, since neither actor (Dourif or Day-Lewis) had the other performer's work to look upon given the production schedules and release schedules of both films.

This is high praise for me, because, I have not really been a Brad Dourif fan. I appreciated his 'Billy Bibbit' role in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), and his role as 'Piter De Vries' in David Lynch's version of "Dune" (1984) which was made with the on set assistance of the author Frank Herbert so it has a special place in my heart.

If this film EVER comes out on DVD, I will Definitely add it to my collection. I keep searching for it to come out... but like most quality "art house" Canadian films, I am not holding my breath for it to come out anytime soon.

This was a low budget film, and Aylward & Ironside as rather new writers came up with a quality script all things considered. If you compare it with a "Big Budget Hollywood Film", then you will be disappointed. But if you want a film that shows human drama from the points of view of someone with severe Cerebral Palsy (Dourif) and a Convict on work release (Ironside), with heart, and looking at it from a "Foreign Film" point of view, rather than a "Hollywood" point of view, you may find this a very touching and lovely little film to come out from our Neighbors to the North in Canada.

I was 7 years old when I saw this movie,... I remember telling everybody that I loved it, I remember crying during all sad scenes, but the plot captured what was important and I still hold it to this day... I am 19 years old today and since then I have been searching for another movie that could move me,... no movie such as this one could be found...

This movie is one I have watched repeatedly and I feel it is one of Michael Ironside's best works. Take a rough and tumble jail bird and force him to work with a wheel chair bound smart mouth and you have the makings of a great adventure.

It takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions. Though somewhat predictable in spots, more often just when you think you know where the movie was going it changes direction.

I spent years looking for this movie when I was still in Canada and was only able to find it for purchase 2 years ago. It is a shame that this movie was not noticed by more people.

Although Michael Ironside and Rae Dawn Chong are credited as the stars of the film, this is far and away Brad Dourif's movie. A low budget, Canadian film, Chaindance ( aka Common Bond) is an independent film. Besides starring in the movie, Ironside was also the executive producer. Knowing this, the movie has been labeled an attempt to advertise Michael Ironside as a leading man. Having played several (good) supporting roles in the past, Ironside put on the executive producer hat in order to star in a movie. Ironside is a great supporting actor. Then again, he is far from the star of this film, even though he is the main character. Brad Dourif, who plays the supporting role, steals the show with his over the top and very convincing role as a handicap. A good movie, one of Dourif's better roles.