Unbalanced tattoo artist Karl Kinsky grows obsessed with Maddy, a model he meets when he's hired for a photo shoot. As Karl's obsession grows, he determines that Maddy should bear his mark f... Read allUnbalanced tattoo artist Karl Kinsky grows obsessed with Maddy, a model he meets when he's hired for a photo shoot. As Karl's obsession grows, he determines that Maddy should bear his mark forever.Unbalanced tattoo artist Karl Kinsky grows obsessed with Maddy, a model he meets when he's hired for a photo shoot. As Karl's obsession grows, he determines that Maddy should bear his mark forever.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Frederikke Borge
- Sandra
- (as Rikke Borge)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie is extensively discussed in episode four of the second series of the British sitcom The Royle Family (1998).
- Quotes
Karl Kinsky: That's not for me. That's not what I want. That's not love, Maddy. Because to me things must last.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Winners That Were Losers (1983)
Featured review
Tattoo Ain't Tattoo Bad.
Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Tattoo; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.00
TOTAL: 6.00 out of 10.00
Not being a great Bruce Dern fan, I hesitated in watching Tattoo. Being filmed in 1981, I was unsure how they could produce a decent horror film based on Tattoos. Well, they couldn't. It's a dark thriller about yet another "broken" man.
The writers give us the story of Karl Kinsky, a tattoo artist who fell in love with the Japanese style of body painting when he served in the navy. Not only does Karl promote the Japanese style, but he's also captivated by its history, myths and legends. His work is skilled and superbly detailed. Due to his talent, his work is brought to the attention of a magazine photographer. Kinsky's ink could be something special for his next feature. The job brings him in contact with Maddy. A model who could be his muse, who could be his next canvas. Her skin and body are perfect. Bob Brooks and Joyce Bunuel, the writers, give the audience a slow and plausible slide into obsession and mania. Kinsky is a loner and awkward with women. He's brusque, single-minded, and quick to anger. When he gets angry, it's easy to see Kinsky isn't a man to cross. There's a disturbing scene in a restaurant when a self-obsessed obnoxious blatherer invites himself to sit at their table because he knows Maddy. Kinsky doesn't like that he cusses around a lady and asks him to leave. When the man confronts him with, "What you gonna do, hit me?" Kinsky replies with a look that means business, "I don't hit people I don't like. I Kill Them!" And, you believe he would. One thing I found particularly engaging was his delusion that Maddy was a virtuous person. She isn't. She's not bad by any means, but she's not as righteous as Kinsky believes. The two are chalk and cheese. However, their differences make the story more credible and captivating. It would have been delightful had the writers added more detail about Kinsky's tattoo obsession and some of its background. It would have helped strengthen the viewers' belief in his methods and actions.
Brooks also directs, and, sadly, he has an average cinematographic style. Tattoo is a movie that could have been reinforced by some smart camera work - More intriguing close-ups of the body art. Slow pans across the inked flesh. And when Kinsky is working on Maddy, a couple of overhead shots wouldn't have gone amiss to add extra interest. That said, Brooks did give me a wonderful thought-provoking image of used paint swirling down a shower plug-hole. One hindrance to the filming is the slow pace. Brooks is apt to use it quite well to keep the atmosphere a tad off-kilter and keep your nerves slightly piqued. But when there's a dip in the story and direction, then the slowness becomes noticeable.
The cast is superb. I especially liked both the lead characters. Bruce Dern gives simmering menace to the camera excellently, and I have to say Kinsky is one of my favourite roles he's performed. I've only seen Maude Adams in secondary roles, such as being a Bond Girl or in cameos. I was surprised at how good she does here. There are a couple of moments when things slip a little, but you can accept these because, for the rest of the time, she's spot on with her character's personality.
If you're looking for an entertaining dark thriller to pass a Sunday afternoon or evening, then look no further than Tattoo. It's a delicious slice of the Psychopath Pie. Not every nutter dresses up as Mother or makes ashtrays from people's skulls. I may not be rewatching the movie anytime soon, though I may meander upon it again in a few years or so.
Now you have that full sleeve finished, come on over and look at my Killer Thriller Chillers list to see where I ranked Tattoo.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.00
TOTAL: 6.00 out of 10.00
Not being a great Bruce Dern fan, I hesitated in watching Tattoo. Being filmed in 1981, I was unsure how they could produce a decent horror film based on Tattoos. Well, they couldn't. It's a dark thriller about yet another "broken" man.
The writers give us the story of Karl Kinsky, a tattoo artist who fell in love with the Japanese style of body painting when he served in the navy. Not only does Karl promote the Japanese style, but he's also captivated by its history, myths and legends. His work is skilled and superbly detailed. Due to his talent, his work is brought to the attention of a magazine photographer. Kinsky's ink could be something special for his next feature. The job brings him in contact with Maddy. A model who could be his muse, who could be his next canvas. Her skin and body are perfect. Bob Brooks and Joyce Bunuel, the writers, give the audience a slow and plausible slide into obsession and mania. Kinsky is a loner and awkward with women. He's brusque, single-minded, and quick to anger. When he gets angry, it's easy to see Kinsky isn't a man to cross. There's a disturbing scene in a restaurant when a self-obsessed obnoxious blatherer invites himself to sit at their table because he knows Maddy. Kinsky doesn't like that he cusses around a lady and asks him to leave. When the man confronts him with, "What you gonna do, hit me?" Kinsky replies with a look that means business, "I don't hit people I don't like. I Kill Them!" And, you believe he would. One thing I found particularly engaging was his delusion that Maddy was a virtuous person. She isn't. She's not bad by any means, but she's not as righteous as Kinsky believes. The two are chalk and cheese. However, their differences make the story more credible and captivating. It would have been delightful had the writers added more detail about Kinsky's tattoo obsession and some of its background. It would have helped strengthen the viewers' belief in his methods and actions.
Brooks also directs, and, sadly, he has an average cinematographic style. Tattoo is a movie that could have been reinforced by some smart camera work - More intriguing close-ups of the body art. Slow pans across the inked flesh. And when Kinsky is working on Maddy, a couple of overhead shots wouldn't have gone amiss to add extra interest. That said, Brooks did give me a wonderful thought-provoking image of used paint swirling down a shower plug-hole. One hindrance to the filming is the slow pace. Brooks is apt to use it quite well to keep the atmosphere a tad off-kilter and keep your nerves slightly piqued. But when there's a dip in the story and direction, then the slowness becomes noticeable.
The cast is superb. I especially liked both the lead characters. Bruce Dern gives simmering menace to the camera excellently, and I have to say Kinsky is one of my favourite roles he's performed. I've only seen Maude Adams in secondary roles, such as being a Bond Girl or in cameos. I was surprised at how good she does here. There are a couple of moments when things slip a little, but you can accept these because, for the rest of the time, she's spot on with her character's personality.
If you're looking for an entertaining dark thriller to pass a Sunday afternoon or evening, then look no further than Tattoo. It's a delicious slice of the Psychopath Pie. Not every nutter dresses up as Mother or makes ashtrays from people's skulls. I may not be rewatching the movie anytime soon, though I may meander upon it again in a few years or so.
Now you have that full sleeve finished, come on over and look at my Killer Thriller Chillers list to see where I ranked Tattoo.
Take Care & Stay Well.
helpful•10
- P3n-E-W1s3
- Jun 19, 2022
- How long is Tattoo?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Tattoo - Das Mal der Rache
- Filming locations
- Ocean City, New Jersey, USA(house at beach)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Sound mix
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