Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

callanvass OK. I'm being a bit dramatic obviously, but I hated this film with a passion! It's insipid to the extreme, with any entertainment being completely evaporated as soon as the movie begins, which means it wasn't even there to begin with. I do not find the threat of a sadistic Orangutan frightening what so ever. I don't know whether they were going for a horror film or a horror film with shades of black comedy, but it just didn't work, regardless. The setting is certainly eerie, but they crapped all over it. Orangutan's aren't the only problem here; they try to throw in a bit of Cujo for good measure with a bunch of rabid dogs lurking around the place. To say the pace is leisured is an understatement. There are many pointless scenes of Jane (Shue) wandering around the place, interacting with the Orangutan's that amount to nothing. When it actually does kick into gear, it's too busy being absolutely idiotic. I also had issues as to why Jane stuck around for so long. I would have left at the first hint of trouble. It was just a plot hindrance which bothered me. Elisabeth Shue is cute as a button, but this is quite possibly her worst performance. It's not entirely her fault. She has absolutely nothing to work with, but she is too nonchalant when it comes to things. It got on my nerves very quickly. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she was phoning it in; I wouldn't blame her in the slightest. Terrance Stamp doesn't have a lot of screen time. He added presence and class whenever he was on. Link (The main Orangutan) is written as this clever thing. He came across as obnoxious and one of the most annoying things i've ever seen. The acting gives way for the Orangutan's to be the whole show. Also; 5.7 guys, seriously?! I am really starting to lack faith in humanity…Final Thoughts: This was a real chore to get through. I'm one of the biggest Elisabeth Shue fans around, and when I get annoyed at her, there is something seriously wrong. Die hard Shue, or Die hard Horror fans, I'd suggest avoiding like this plague. It's extremely boring, and has virtually no suspense. If you decide to watch it, you reap what you sow2/10

Paul Andrews Link starts in London where American student Jane Chase (Elizabeth Shue) is studying at the College of Sciences, Jane needs to earn some extra money & when she discovers that Dr. Steven Philip (Terence Stamp) is looking for an assistant she applies for the position. Dr. Philips agrees to hire Jane as a sort of housekeeper at his huge coastal mansion during the summer, Jane couldn't be happier & looks forward to starting. A few weeks later & Jane travels to Dr. Philips home where he carries out his experiments & writes his bestselling books, he is particularly interested in Chimpanzee behaviour & has three living with him, one called Imp, one called Voodoo & a dominant male named Link. All three seem remarkably intelligent, they all seem able to communicate with & understand human beings, then Dr. Philips suddenly disappears leaving Jane alone with the three Chimpanzee's. Jane finds it hard to control Link as his behaviour becomes more unruly & violent...This English production made by the infamous Cannon was produced & directed by the late Richard Franklin who also helmed the surprisingly good Psycho II (1983) a couple of years earlier & I have to say that I quite enjoyed Link for what it was, I am not entirely sure why but I did enjoy watching it. The script is interesting but a little empty, various things are hinted at but never fully explained & just when I thought I was following what was happening the film deviates or leaves issues unresolved. It's never made clear why Link is menacing Jane in the first place or why he killed Dr. Philips or his mate Voodoo with only vague suggestions to reasons why, I just would have liked the script be a little bit more definite & give me a reason why I should believe what is going on. When all said and done Link is just another horror thriller in which some young girl is trapped alone somewhere & menaced by some killer, sure the killer's a Chimpanzee here but he's still a fairly motiveless killer who seems to everywhere at once & can predict the future, the killer Ape film has never really took off & it's sort of easy to see why with this & George Romero's killer Monkey film Monkey Shines (1988). At over 100 minutes Link is a little slow, the first third of the film does tend to drag & fails to build much momentum but the climax is pretty good as Link finally gets some people to kill.I am not quite sure what the makers were aiming for here, a straight horror or suspense thriller as it satisfies on neither count. The body count is disappointing low with all the kills off-screen, there's no blood or gore & minimal violence. There's a slightly off putting scene in which Janes undresses to take a bath & Link stands in the door looking at her naked body, it's kind of perverted & fells wrong to even watch it. The Chimpanzee's do a great job & really express themselves well but I just didn't find them scary or threatening, you can tell most of the time they are just playing rather than being nasty & it's hard not to like Link with his goofy smile & sad looking blank eye's. Special mention must go the the fantastic music by Jerry Goldsmith who nails it with a bizarre mix of African rhythm's, electric pop & classical music to produce a memorable if sometimes inappropriate score.Filmed mainly in St. Abbs in Scotland I would say Link is a pretty obscure film & no-one I know has even heard of it, it hasn't seen a video release of any kind over here in the UK since 1992. The acting is alright, Elizabeth Shue is decent & is left to carry most of the film on her own as the always watchable Terence Stamp is wasted.Link is a film I quite liked, it's a bit different & is well made with some odd moments but it's too long & has too low a body count. It has it's good points & it's bad points but overall I think it's worth a watch as long as you don't expect any sort of masterpiece.

SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain Unfortunately it's never as creepy as the poster, but it does come close. Link sees Elisabeth Shue take a job minding Stamp's cottage where 3 apes live. An elderly domineering female, a youngling hat can communicate via a computer, and an old geezer dressed as a butler. The latter, known as Link, soon becomes a bit obsessed with his new female house guest. Mysterious goings on soon give way to extended chase scenes. It gets a bit tiresome as you'd think some competent person could take out an orangutan in this situation. The ape that plays Link is incredible. His facial expressions put the human cast to shame, and it looks like he does a lot of his own physical scenes. Enjoyable, and sometimes creepy, it can also drag on in places.

lost-in-limbo Jane Chase a young American grad student studying at London Institute of Science takes a job as an assistant/housekeeper for anthropology professor Steven Philip at his isolated country house on the coast. There she would meet Philip's chimpanzees Imp and Voodoo, and very well trained orangutan Link. Here she would learn how to act around them, so when the professor has to go somewhere. He knows nothing will happen. However one-day Philip suddenly disappears and Jane notices that Link's behaviour is becoming more assertive, as he cuts off any chance of her escaping.What is a series of effective set pieces make up this simple minded, but extremely tight and conniving cat and mouse monkey on the loose thriller. The Australian pair of director Richard Franklin and writer Everett de Roche (who both brought us "Patrick", "Road Games" and "The Visitors") does an able job of giving the film a professional touch, but the real stars of the show are the monkeys themselves. Trainer Ray Berwick does a splendid job of milking out the personalities and acting abilities of these chimps. Link's blank facial expressions are downright unnerving, because there's a real sinisterness hiding behind that placid (and well-dressed) frame! Roche's minimal set-up for the screenplay is truly inspired for what is a systematic exercise, while slowly letting the mysterious factors of story unfold and leaving the characters dangling there as they realise what's actually happening. Streaming through the script is a dry sense of humour that fitted right in, but there's a real vagueness surrounding certain details that really do stick out. Franklin's interesting direction is visually adept and the steady pace constantly builds the suspenseful situation, where it finally takes off in a rapid, nail-biting final half. The violence is not particularly graphic, with most of it off screen. He also uses the Victorian setting of the mansion within the gorgeously secluded backdrop to take shape and become a formidable presence. Underrated cinematographer Mike Molloy's atmospheric and abstract framing was that of high quality and the reliable Jerry Goldsmith flavoured score captures the right bounce with its ever-changing tenor of styles. The adorably bold Elisabeth Shue (just her second role after "The Karate Kid (84)" and showing some skin) is agreeably strong and convincing. The always-fine Terence Stamp, gives a subtle off-wired performance that was probably a little too short and abrupt.