Monkey murders are nothing new to cinema. Richard Franklin, Australian director of PATRICK, ROADGAMES and PYSCHO 2, however is considered almost Christ like to have reinvented them in some of the extras in this new Blu Ray release of LINK. This is not a logical or imaginative response to the film or its director but it is telling of the rather vapid, hipster response to cinema we are voyaging through. Link is a former circus animal turned live in butler to an out there college professor and anthropologist Dr. Steven Phillip (Terence Stamp). He is in need of an assistant and lucky enough, naïve American Jane Chase (Elizabeth Shue), the best thing in the film by the way.

So they head off for a summer break at his clifftop mansion (and film theorists wet dream). Once there life settles into a routine of animal husbandry and training to make the creatures, better and raise their IQ. Problems however begin when the Professor disappears. I mean the man likes his vino but three days is a bit much. Jane cant leave the mansion due to packs of wild dogs and then their is Link. He keeps acting weird. Doing things against the order of things. Against the spirit of all the human nicety.

So Franklin was a better director than credit is given. After watching LINK, you will be forgiven for telling me bullshit on this comment. It is not the cult classic that the audio commentary makes it to be (though thanks to Lee Gambin it is balanced and measured). It is a attempt at making a creature feature that ends up being a messy affair of plot holes, poor tension and plainly uninspired editing. After Stamp is off screen, Shue becomes the propellant but even her (And Jerry Goldsmiths wonderful score) stunning turn, is not enough to grip you. The flab is real. The writing is dull. God its a mess and one for the so bad its good crowd.

Extras:

New: Audio Commentary by Film Historian Lee Gambin and Film Critic Jarret Gahan
New: Interview with film programmer and horror expert Anna Bogutskaya
Deleted workprint scenes
Audio interview with director Richard Franklin
Jerry Goldsmith demo of the LINK theme
Original UK Theatrical teaser trailer