Chain of Desire

A friend recently gave me a copy of this very beautiful, funny, moving and sophisticated movie. One of the most poignant and intelligent depictions of sexuality I've ever seen. Every single actor playing one of the 14 main characters in the interlinked stories makes an impression. As does the moody photography capturing "La Dolce Vita" of 1980's Manhattan. This is a very special cinematic experience. Not flawless in its overall ambition, but still fascinating as a thought-provoking and panoramic chronicle of urban life at the end of the millennium.

Chain of Desire captures New York City and modern urban America in a powerfully truthful way, years before others portrayed sex in the big apple. It is not so much about sensual desire but the hopes and dreams of each character and how only other people can help to forward these dreams. Meanwhile as characters pursue their dreams the strength of sexuality, sex, perhaps a dark desire or perhaps a gift from heaven descends on the characters caught in a more dangerous time. Today desire is considered wrong.

The film takes you through human drama with reflections of greek comedy and tragedy that touches intense feelings and untamed moments. Linda Fiorentino, now famous but then just becoming known, gives a clear performance magically transforming her character above a torch song singer.

Eyes Wide Shut was also drawn from the same European theater roots as Chain of Desire, but Temi Lopez shows us a realist possible life whereas Kubrick makes a film more unbelievable than 2001. Stylish, seductive, vibrant, provocative, intelligent describe the film.

Great dramatic little movie. I didn't know it was that difficult to find CHAIN OF DESIRE until I read about it here. I watched it about 3 years ago. When it aired on late night, it was labelled as an erotic thriller but turned out to be as a great drama about urban couples. Malcom Mc Dowall delivers a fine performance, I couldn't believe that Alex from A Clockwork Orange was in this movie. Linda Fiorentino is as sexy and beautiful as always, and her acting is convincing.

Highly recommended, try to search for it, and buy it if you can. 7/10.

I got talked into seeing this movie years ago by some pretentious friends, wasn't all that impressed by it, and insulted it gratuitously on the walk home from the theater. It's not very well-acted, the plot is incomprehensible inasmuch as it even exists, and the sex scenes, explicit and implicit, are nowhere near as titillating as the title or promotion would suggest. But somehow I remember this movie with near-perfect clarity over a decade later. Why? The structure is fascinating -- I'd never seen a narrative structured as a progression of random encounters. And even if no scene is particularly compelling and no character is especially distinctive, the movie manages to be thought-provoking. Since every scene is obviously intended to depict a seduction, you start to wonder about the nature of attraction and power relationships. On a cinematic level, New York looks pretty, Linda Fiorentino is hot, the gay boys are all handsomely lit, and Malcolm McDowell is an embarrassment to the art of acting. Stop now before you hurt someone else.

This wonderful, original and very sexy movie escaped me for six years -- finally, a real friend rented it for me to watch last week. This has to be one of the true sleepers of the 90's. It's fresh and frank approach to sex is truly refreshing, in this moralistic age. This film also features the BEST performance of Linda Fiorntino's career. I hope she realizes it. I want to see more of this director's (Temistocles Lopez) work. Fun, entertaining and the best damn date movie I've seen in a decade! And how can I get Dewey Weber's phone number--and does he still look like he does in this film?? Hot Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!