Plot: What’s it about?
Ricky (Antonio Banderas) has just been released from a mental hospital, but he plans to make good use of time as a freed man. His main plan includes a visit to a beautiful woman, who he wants to get married to, but he is unsure if she will accept his proposal. But since he wants to settle down and start a family life for himself, he takes a chance and ventures to meet his potential mate. This woman is Marina (Victoria Abril), who used to work in adult films and is still very much a looker. So Ricky shows up at her place and informs her of his plans, to which she is hesitant, so he takes her hostage and ties her to the bed. You see, Ricky knows what he wants and sometimes to succeed, you have to go to extremes. At first, Marina is unhappy with this turn of events and resents Ricky, but as time passes, the two start to develop some sort of relationship. Now I am unsure about how healthy that is, but who am I to judge, right? In any case, Ricky hopes that Marina will see things from his perspective and marry him, but who knows if this approach is the right one to use?
I saw this film some time back and liked it, so I gave the disc a quick spin when it arrived. I still liked this movie, but I found that a lot had changed this time around, even though the film was the same. It seems like this was a controversial picture back when it came out and the sex scenes caused some talk, but now as I watched the movie again, I was surprised at how tame they were. The sequences still worked well within the flick of course, but cinema has become more bold with sex since then, which is why the scenes didn’t seem as outrageous to me now. I never though they were that bad, but now I can’t even understand why a fuss was even made over them. But I was still taken in by the film’s darker humor and sexually charged tones, which haven’t lost a beat in terms of effectiveness. I think the film has the chance of offending some folks, if you’re a real closed minded person in terms of films, then by all means, rent a safer title than this one. This is not your typical romance flick to be sure, but if you like offbeat, dark cinema, then I recommend you give this disc a rental, but as I mentioned above, not if you’re easily offended.
If you’ve seen his other works, then you’ll find this movie to be on the tamer side, but Pedro Almodovar still crafts a smart and sexy piece here. I know some will dislike the premise of a woman falling in love with her abuser/captor, but come on people, this is a movie and not real life. Almodovar doesn’t tackle the subject matter in a serious fashion either, so while the movie has a darker tone, it is a comedic picture at heart. It is true that some of the film is focused on non comedic elements, but this really a comedy with strong dramatic moments, a nice blend of the two. Some people disagree with me there though, claiming this is a serious and dramatic effort. I don’t know who is right in this one, but I do know that I like this movie a lot. Other Almodovar flicks include Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, The Flower of My Secret, Live Flesh, and Law of Desire. The cast here includes Loles Leon (The Naked Target, A Woman Forever), Maria Barranco (The Girl of Your Dreams, The Butterfly Effect), Julieta Serrano (The Impeccable Sinner, Pink Sauce), Victoria Abril (Between Your Legs, Change of Sex), and Antonio Banderas (Desperado, Four Rooms).
Video: How does it look?
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I expected a good transfer here and I wasn’t let down, as the image looks good and it is the best this movie has looked on home video. There is some grain present at times and some nicks on the source print, but this is still an above average presentation in all respects. The colors seem bright and not faded much, while flesh tones look natural and warm also. The black levels are right on here also and detail is high, though some darker scenes show some grain at times. In the end, this is a very solid transfer and I think fans will be pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes a mono track, which seems limited at times, but it manages to scoot by in the end. This film doesn’t have much use for dynamic audio, so this mono option never lacks much, although the music seems held back at times, I must say. But it sounds good overall, so no really serious complaints there. The sound effects don’t need extended range, so they come off well and the volume is well balanced, so nothing ever overpowers the other elements. The dialogue is up to task also, very crisp and always easy to hear & understand, if you speak Spanish of course. This track is in Spanish, as it should be and this disc includes optional English subtitles, should you need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
