Cheap Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (DVD) (Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Loles León, Julieta Serrano, María Barranco) (Pedro Almodóvar) Price

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Customer Reviews of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Antonio Banderas Was Better When Euro Film Star
I watched Banderas in his European movies before he became an American movie star. I really liked all of his work then whereas now his work is very uneven in quality. "Evita" is the only work of his I've admired since his "conversion." This film was his very best prior to his coming to America. I'll confess that director Pedro Aldomovar's 2 most commerical films, of which this is one, appeal to me more than his other films. The other is "Woman On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown." Perhaps this is because these two works involve heterosexual love affairs and are also comedic and satiric. They're broadly played but enjoyable for a bigger audience than Aldomovar's work normally gets. Banderas is incredibly sexy in this film as the patient fresh from a mental hospital who wants a regular married life and seeks to find it with a porno star woman. Bringing these two together for a black comedy was a stroke of genius. The Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down in the title refers to the woman's liking kinky stuff and Banderas's literally tying her up and down to the bed. This is a very sexy, romantic even, film and for those who feel Aldomovar's films typically are aimed to please only gays and not straights, this film should convert them to becoming fans of his considerable talent. It will also make them sad that Banderas decided to become an American movie star.

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The Wild & Erotic World of Almodovar
Pedro Almodovar followed up the success of his international hit, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," with this wild, erotic comic fantasy starring his long-time leading man and soon-to-be Hollywood star, Antonio Banderas.

Fresh from his incarceration from an asylum in Madrid, Banderas plays a ex-lunatic who leaves in search of the object of his affection, a popular Spanish porn star (played by Victoria Abril).

After meeting, then kidnapping her, Banderas' character is more determined to make her fall in love with him, and does whatever he needs to do in order to win her love. However, Abril, refuses to love a man who has made her a prisoner of her own home. The title, which is a translation of its' original Spanish title, "Atame!," reflects the method Banderas uses to coax and subdue Abril's character in falling in love with him (he ties her up in her bedroom).

While the story seems far-fetched at times, the chemistry that Banderas and Abril emit makes the film work. Supporting actresses Maria Barranco and Rosie de Palma lend their unique comic talents in helping the director weave a tale of love and desire that only Almodovar can tell.

Upon release in the United States, this film was slapped with the newly created and feared NC-17 rating due to his sexual themes and minor violence. Compared to R rated films of the present such as "Basic Instinct" and "The Matrix," this film is tame. Refusing to edit his work, Almodovar criticized the MPAA for its' decision to market the film with an NC-17 rating. Due to this rating, the film did not do too well at the box office as expected.

This film marks Banderas' final film in Spain, before departing to the United States to start his successful career in Hollywood. The film contains glimpses of Banderas' backside, as well as a whole lot of Abril's figure, and the sexual scenes are soft-core porn quality. If you are offended by glimpses of the naked body or sexual themes, then skip this film.

"Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" is one of Almodovar's rare gems. As a true master of the Spanish cinema, his work truly reflects his gifted talent. A great film with a comic ending!

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A loving kidnapping drama...
Ricky (Antonio Banderas), a newly released mental patient, enters society with hope of building a family after have convinced the woman in his life that she loves him. This woman is Marina (Victoria Abril), a former heroin addict and porn star, that is filming a horror film with a director who has recently suffered a severe stroke. Ricky enters the film studio and retrieves Marina's keys, which he uses when he breaks into Marina's apartment and kidnaps her. In doing so Ricky wants Marina to get to know him and fall in love with him as they have had a brief affair once before, which changed Ricky's life.

Pedro Almodóvar knows how to make the absurd feel authentic and in this story he does it well as Marina and Ricky get to know each other. The story is planned down to every last detail as both characters have some heavy luggage from their pasts, which serves as a solid foundation for them to relate and understand one another. Almodóvar uses vibrant colors that improves visual representation of the likes and dislikes between Ricky and Marina as it expands on the audience's understanding of what is going on. There are also several interesting shots that are out of the ordinary as they draw attention to the characters and develop the persona around the characters. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! fades away from the silver screen with a good cinematic experience, which can be pondered over a glass of sangria.