Link - O Animal Assassino

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.

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.

The cast,featuring a young Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp,was appealing.But,as for the latter,he does his stint,then collects his money quickly ,as if he wanted to get out of this drivel as soon as possible.Anyway,he was miscast:Stamp needs excessiveness,he cannot do anything with a straight character.The "cultural" intro is de rigueur in these "experiment" movies,here Stamp bestows on us a whole lecture ,complete with pay-attention-I'll-ask-you-some-questions-next-week.

It seems that the humans are very strange and that everybody's got something to hide except for Elisabeth and her monkeys.The humans leave the stage for a while,and the beautiful girl is on her own ,on her planet of the apes.The movie is then crawling along at 20 and it becomes boring.The Kinks' "Apeman" signals the boys' arrival and the slow-moving "psychological" suspense becomes a ape-like "Friday the thirteen".Best avoid.

Richard Franklin is a self-proclaimed Hitchcock fan (he made "Psycho II", after all), and you've got to hand it to him, "Link" is more artfully directed than the average mid-80s horror film, with some nice camera movements and some even nicer transition shots. It moves slowly, though, and some characters seem to be introduced only to pump up the body count. Elizabeth Shue, in only her second role, is admirable in the way she holds her own against the naturally scene-stealing chimpanzees. (**1/2)

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...