La scimmia impazzita

This movie holds your interest for quite a while, with its eccentric and enigmatic characters, atmospheric direction and first-rate acting by Jeff Goldblum and Miranda Richardson (Lisa Walker is kind of weak though, as the nymphet). But eventually it becomes clear that the story leads nowhere. Its "title history" is a giveaway: you can find it listed under either "The Mad Monkey" (unattractive and meaningless - it's only the title of a fictional movie we learn nothing about) or "Twisted Obsession" (more "suggestive" and commercial)....but actually it doesn't matter what it's called, because it ultimately isn't ABOUT anything in particular. (**)

It deals with Daniel Gillis (Jeff Goldblum) , an American screenwriter living in Paris , recently left by his spouse (Anemone) , and getting used to his new life as a bachelor while attempting to take care of his son , Danny who is also attended by an old maid (Asunción Balaguer) . Daniel suffers marital difficulties being exacerbated when he gets involved in an European movie project financed by a Paris-based rich producer (Daniel Ceccaldi) . The offer comes from a wealthy financier named Legrand , but on this occasion he is being asked to write an unconventional flick with Malcolm (Dexter Fletcher) , a young and unknown film director who has only a brief quotation from one of Dan's favourite novels , Peter Pan . Dan is undecided about the offer , seeing it as far from the kind of work he has used to make , but Legrand's insistence and the intrigue personality of the young filmmaker finally convince him to accept the filmmaking despite the reticence of his business agent , Marilyn (Miranda Richardson) , who was initially reluctant , but subsequently changes her opinion and she does him a good deal . Surrounding the project is an eerie cobweb of upsetting happenings , it forces him to search for tracks about the whole business of the making of this film , as he begins writing an avant-garde and almost abstract plot . Later on , his complete existence will be modified as he immerses himself in a twisted relationship with an adolescent Femme Fatale called Jenny (Liza Walker) , Malcolm's 16-year-old sister . In his spellbinding quest , he discovers that he has been conned and betrayed until a thrilling as well as frightening climax .

This strange , dark psychological chiller contains thrills , hallucinatory dream sequences , serpentine plot twists , sexual fantasy , shock effects and builds inexorably to a disturbing , tight finale . This rare film being compellingly shot by Award Winning filmmaker Fernando Trueba , the director of ¨Belle Epoque¨ and including an international all-star-cast . In the film there is a dense tapestry of sexual obsession , relying more on weird atmosphere than in action and clear scenes . It has a complex intrigue in which a screen-writer is caught within a web of greed and ambition from which he will be unable to getaway when takes place infatuation with a young girl ; in fact , this character at the center of which catalyses all the participants' selfish desires . As there happens a closed universe of incestuous relations surrounding Malcolm and his beautiful young sister Jenny , with whom Dan soon becomes obsessed . An agreeable story plenty of intense drama , thrilling moments , and tragic climax . It is a thought-provoking , wistful thriller , hard to watch , and difficult to understand . It is as beautiful filmed as it is written and acted . Director Fernando Trueba , also writes the interesting script along with Manolo Matji based on the novel by Christopher Frank . The cast is frankly well , as Jeff Goldblum as a writer who is commissioned to write a script when he discovers that there is more at stake than just a movie ; Miranda Richardson as his beautiful but disabled agent bounded to wheel-chair ; Daniel Ceccaldi as Legrand , a successful producer with whom he has worked in the past ; Dexter Fletcher as a precocious young English filmmaker who wants to direct a bizarre story in which he has only the flimsiest of outlines ; the androgynous teen played by Liza Walker and Arielle Dombasle as a famous actress . Furthermore , a sinister but colorful cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine , Trueba's ordinary cameraman . Amazing and electrifying original musical score by Antoine Duhamel .

This intelligent though slow motion picture was well and deliberately directed by Fernando Trueba . His first success was Ópera Prima (1980) following the style of the "Madrid comedy". He had major success with ¨Sé Infiel y No mires Quién¨ (1985) also known as : ¨Be Wanton and Tread No Shame¨ , starting a longer collaboration with the producer Andrés Vicente Gómez . He went on directing numerous successes such as ¨Coarse salt¨ , ¨Too Much¨ , ¨Milagro De Candeal¨ , ¨Year of Enlightment¨ , ¨The Girl of Your Dreams¨ , ¨Calle 54¨ , ¨Embrujo De Shanghái¨ , ¨Chico and Rita¨ . Trueba was President of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and he received the 1994 Oscar for Best Foreign Film to ¨Belle Epoque¨ (1992) . His last film was ¨The Artist and the model¨ handled with smooth assurance by Trueba , as usual .

The plot: Writer, Dan Gillis, is hired to write a script for a money obsessed producer and a half-crazed director (and subsequently his sister) He soon realizes something is wrong, and that this film should not have been written. This leads to a confusing, and enigmatic journey trough the dark alleys of Paris. Greed, lust and insanity shows itself at very corner, and the movie becomes more about anything else than the movie itself. We never actually see the movie, and with good reason, instead we are left with an idea of a; half-pornographic, psychotic and depressing storyline. But, as many got wrong, it's not about the movies, the film is about people, their greed, lust and insanity, their madness and they way nothing is as it seems. Beware! It's one of those films where you can't trust anybody (except Jeff of course)

I can't see how nobody likes this. Obviously if you are looking for Die Hard or a commercial action thriller you ARE going to be let down. This is nothing of the sort. It's an: intelligent, fascinating, psychotic, confusing, disturbing and utmost bizarre story. Then again isn't life all those things?

The film is wonderfully executed, with fascinating shots and angels. If I would complain about anything it's the quality of film, and the fact that 90% of all scenes are faded out, which gives it an amateurish feel. But maybe that's what they wanted.

This is a different movie, an almost neorealistic movie, it's a masterpiece of writing, and the acting is superb.

I suggest you set of one evening to see this film. Preferably a dark a rainy night, cause this will scare the living daylight out of you.

One thing a commenter commented was: it constantly leads to something and then stops. Some may not like this, I thought it was incredible. It's slightly Wagnerian! (Lot's of huffs and puffs, lots of build up, and never any release, never any release of the climax, it just lingers in the air until it fades away.)

If you like realistic yet bizarre films, if you like a great story see this!

Jeff Goldblum is a good actor. He has his typical way and sure enough this movie demonstrates his skills. However, the script is not well made. There is some interesting dialog, but there are many parts that should have been explained in more detail. The Paris scenery hadn't been used to an advantage; it could have taken place in any other city. The rest of the cast was simply poor; it explains why the other actors never hit it big. The worst part of the movie is the story itself; it's quite boring and one had wished a point or moral question would be addressed. The music was very wrong as well. It was out dated, even for 1980, and bad timing. The whole movie fails miserably in delivering a message or story telling. They posted this movie as a thriller, which puts the viewer in a wrong state of mind. It definitely was not worth my time. I voted 3/10.

I saw this film as part of a set of cheap-o movies. So far, the films in the collection had been total crap.

Then I dropped this one into the player and did a double-take when I first noticed that the dialog and acting were both good.

The next question that popped into my head was, "Am I imagining things, or is this movie also well shot and well lit?" Followed shortly by, "You know, I think this is actually a good film." By the time it reached the scene where Goldblum started screaming, I was totally sold. What a wicked little movie.

1989 was a bad year for film, so I certainly wish I had known about this one back then.