Review of Link (1986) by Glenn C — 04 Mar 2013

I have idolised writer Everette DeRoche for years and he has written some important Australian genre films such as Patrick, Roadgames, The Long Weekend, Razorback and Fortress amongst others. His work has a unique quality and I've collected all of his films over the years.

.. except for Link. This is the one film of his that I had never been able to see. It was only briefly released to home video before being deleted. Occasionally a few copies would pop up on ebay for upwards of $100 and so needless to say it's a film thats hard to come by.

I recently found a dvd copy from the Netherlands and watched the film for the very first time tonight. Directed by legendary Aussie filmmaker Richard Franklin, the film is about a zoologist student, Elizabeth Shue, who travels to the English countryside to work for her professor, Terrence Stamp, as he studies and trains chimpanzees.

His most intelligent primate is an orangutan named Link. Link displays hostile traits and when the professor goes missing it becomes obvious that Link has a far more sinister and murderous personality.

Franklin wasn't able to find funding to make the film in Australia and so he took it to England. It's a slow paced thriller that builds it's menacing tension gradually and the primate performances are incredible.

Link predates George Romero's similar film, Monkey Shines, and it's disappointing that this has been lost in time. By no means DeRoche's or Franklin's best work but a bold and original film nonetheless.

It might have taken me years but I finally got to see it... the wait was worth it.