DeAnna
Just A Face in The Crowd
This was one of those movies I had to go back and see after Antonio Banderas became popular in the States. It was one of his first starring roles in Spain, plus you get to see him nekid!. The movie is not for the faint of heart! Rated R
Synopsis: Ricky has developed an unhealthy obsession with Marina, a one-night stand from years earlier. Upon his release from prison, Ricky kidnaps Marina in an attempt to force the former porn starlet into the bondage of love. Their ambivalent relationship fluctuates between moments of hostility and tenderness. Ricky ties her up one minute and runs through the streets to find her pain killers the next. Ultimately his plan succeeds, transforming a kidnapper-victim relationship into one of lovers. Everyone lives happily ever after.
Antonio Banderas (Frida, Assassins) makes this film. He is absolutely perfect as the conflicted convict Ricky. Picture Banderas 16 years younger, less suave and a lot cuter. It is his sweet and innocent look which convinces you that he is a lover and not a fighter. His moments of rage are as frightening as they are convincing, contrasting with his normally soft spoken and gentle demeanor. These moments are frightening because they show the anger of a lover, not a criminal. As much as I wanted to hate Ricky, he was a sympathetic character. He was even more sympathetic than his victim, a quality that was necessary for Almodóvar to pull this fete off
The title Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! might imply that the film is about bondage in a sexual sense, but it is truly a film about the bondage of humankind.
Synopsis: Ricky has developed an unhealthy obsession with Marina, a one-night stand from years earlier. Upon his release from prison, Ricky kidnaps Marina in an attempt to force the former porn starlet into the bondage of love. Their ambivalent relationship fluctuates between moments of hostility and tenderness. Ricky ties her up one minute and runs through the streets to find her pain killers the next. Ultimately his plan succeeds, transforming a kidnapper-victim relationship into one of lovers. Everyone lives happily ever after.
Antonio Banderas (Frida, Assassins) makes this film. He is absolutely perfect as the conflicted convict Ricky. Picture Banderas 16 years younger, less suave and a lot cuter. It is his sweet and innocent look which convinces you that he is a lover and not a fighter. His moments of rage are as frightening as they are convincing, contrasting with his normally soft spoken and gentle demeanor. These moments are frightening because they show the anger of a lover, not a criminal. As much as I wanted to hate Ricky, he was a sympathetic character. He was even more sympathetic than his victim, a quality that was necessary for Almodóvar to pull this fete off
The title Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! might imply that the film is about bondage in a sexual sense, but it is truly a film about the bondage of humankind.
