Fatal Bond (1993)

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Just so...so bad

It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.

Blistering performances.

FATAL BOND is an Aussie addition to the run of psycho-thrillers that did tidy business in the early 1990s after the success of FATAL ATTRACTION and the likes of THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. It's a low budget enough piece of entertainment that nonetheless has some undeniable charm in terms of era and setting, and somehow I always find these 'Ozploitation' movies more enjoyable than their American counterparts, possibly because they're more unfamiliar. FATAL BOND's directed by Vincent Monton, who previously wrote LONG WEEKEND among others.This one sees imported American starlet Linda Blair (of THE EXORCIST fame, of course, and with a subsequent career in B-movie cinema) playing a young woman who gets a new boyfriend in the form of the edgy Jerome Ehlers. The problem is that Ehlers always seems to attract violence and on top of that a young girl he was seen talking to at the beach is found dead the next morning. Is Blair's new beau a serial killer? You'll have to watch this to find out, but it moves through the genre tropes with ease and provides a slice of switch-off-the-brain viewing material. Ehlers gives a good and mysterious performance in this and I always like Blair although she's not the world's greatest actress. The requisite sex and shower scenes tease nudity although Blair plays it tame for most of the running time.

Well okay, "Fatal Bond" was an awful film and an incredible waste of time, but at least I got to laugh really hard once, because afterwards when I browsed through the reviews here, I read someone's comment that this is – and I quote – "the best film Linda Blair has been in since The Exorcist". He or she seriously must be joking?!? I'll admit that lovely Linda hasn't appeared in many Oscar-worthy films since "The Exorcist", but this one has got to be one of her absolute worst accomplishments, on par with the dreadful "The Chilling" and "Moving Target". In case anyone is looking for real Linda Blair highlights, check out the awesomely entertaining "Chained Heat", "Savage Streets" and maybe even the crazy "Witchcraft" in which she stars alongside the one and only David Hasselhoff. This thing, on the contrary, is a horribly derivative, predictable and textbook thriller (it feels like a TV-movie although it isn't one) that shouldn't even be available anymore. Produced in Australia, but certainly not representative for the quality cult/exploitation cinema they usually make over there, "Fatal Bond" is full of clichés and dull sequences. Blair stars as the bored 30- something hairdresser Leonie who falls head over heels in love with a mysterious guy she spots in a night club. I can understand why she falls for him, because the bloke (Jerome Ehlers) looks a lot like Robert Mitchum, but it quickly becomes obvious that he isn't a perfect match. The police follow him around everywhere, supposedly for unpaid parking tickets, and he openly flirts with other girls in Leonie's presence. When the young girl he cheated Leonie with turns up murdered, she suspects that he is a dangerous psychopath and yet still remains on his side. Probably the main reason why I hated "Fatal Bond" so much is because Linda Blair appears in such an atypical role for her. I'm used to seeing her as a very strong and independent leading lady (see the aforementioned titles), whereas here she depicts a weak and emotionally unstable housewife! That's not the Linda we know and worship! Aside from that, the film is mostly boring and the director doesn't succeed in generating anything that even remotely resembles to suspense or mystery. The denouement is as imbecilic as it is predictable, and I've seen better plot-twists in my grandmother's favorite soap operas on TV. Linda Blair's heavenly and world-famous breasts are unleashed – or at least one of them – during a brief sex sequences and in the obligatory shower scene. Still, not worth it

This Australian movie is up there with Red Rock West as one of the best thrillers I've seen. It has a great anti hero (Jerome Elhers) who like Nick Cage has a great edgy screen presence. This is the best film Linda Blair has been in since The Exorcist. She captures the character of the girl enraptured in this man on the run from something he won't reveal. A great film, highly recommended.

I love this movie. I saw it a few years ago on cable. What could be better than Linda Blair in Australia trying to learn Italian while she is dating a hot dark-haired guy? There is something for everyone here: hot scenes of both Linda Blair and Jerome Ehlers (the male lead), nice scenery of Australia, and a sense of mystery. I think overall what helps the movie is the cinematography. Try catching it on cable.