Purely Joyful Movie!

Admirable film.

A Brilliant Conflict

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

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?

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

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.

A young Elizabeth Shue plays Jane Chase,an American student studying at the London Institute of Sciences,who accepts a holiday job as housekeeper for anthropology professor Steven Philip at his house on the remote Cornish coast.Steven has three trained chimpanzees named Link,Voodoo and Imp.When professor mysteriously vanishes Jane is left alone in the house with Link whose behaviour has become increasingly more menacing."Link" is a surprisingly effective killer ape flick.It offers some great shocks and the monkey Link looks very sinister.The score by Jerry Goldsmith is splendid.Unfortunately the explanation of Link's murderous behaviour is not particularly clear.Director Richard Franklin has also made "Patrick","Road Games" and "Psycho II".8 out of 10.