MONKEY SHINES (1988)

Cast

Plot

Allan Mann (Beghe) has it all... a beautiful girlfriend, a promising law career and a great pair of legs. All this changes when he is hit by a very big truck and he finds himself facing a life paralysed from the neck down. Luckily for Allen his best friend, Geoffrey (Pankow) also doubles as a mad scientist who has been experimenting with capuchin monkeys, injecting them with human brains to make them more intelligent. With the help of an animal trainer, Geoffrey's prize subject, Ella, is trained to be Allens helper, performing the minutiae of daily living for the quadriplegic student. Unfortunately this utopia of domestic bliss is shattered when Allen realises that the uncommon bond that has developed between Ella and himself includes experiencing telepathic dreams and having his sub-conscious rage acted out. Romero goes for more subtle, restrained thrills in this movie with some success. Beghes gives an impressive performance of the frustration of quadriplegia and Pankow is twitchingly furtive as the insomniac scientist. However, it does all get just a little bit silly and this does detract from the suspense particularly at the films climax.