User Reviews

If you get a chance make sure to pick up this small gem from a Spanish actress turned director Laura Mana. This movie is rather obscure and not that well known over here in America as some other titles made in Spain so it might take some time and luck to find it. But once you do, get ready for one of the best thrillers of the last couple of years. This is an example of great film making, a flick made with a low budget and only small number of actors. But oh boy, some fine ones. That especially goes to Dario Grandinetti in a role of a serial killer suspect. The only thing he admits of doing is an abduction of his ex-wife, as revenge of her lies in their divorce case...Is there any more to it? The game of cat and mouse has begun. Not to spoil the fun and give away too much all I'll say is : don't point your finger until the very end. In difference to the majority of newer US thrillers the script is superb without any plot holes and the story is sharp and witty. Mana treats the audience as people who know how to think, rather than serving every single little detail on a plate. Everything is there, you just have to find it. Original, intelligent, twisted and somber, even funny at moments - this is a film that has it all and I can only hope it will not get a Hollywood remake, Palabras Encadenas is perfect as it is. Believe me in that :)

The previous reviewer pretty much said what I wanted to say: "Killing Words" is a difficult film to categorize, but if you have to place it under one genre, it's probably what they call a "mind-f**k". Twist upon twist upon twist - that's how this film proceeds. It constantly plays with your perceptions; just when you thing you've figured it all out, it proves you wrong. There are only four characters, and they are all effectively performed (and yes: Goya Toledo IS a sensual woman). The film is also stylishly directed and photographed. One minor point: the word game that Grandinetti and Toledo frequently play won't mean much to non-Spanish-speaking audiences. But Spanish is such a pleasant language to listen to anyway that this doesn't matter much. (**1/2)

Killing Words should be retitled "Killing Time" because that is exactly what I felt was happening while I watched this film. Killing Words is by no means a complete disaster; it is competently made and showcases some fine acting performances. The problem is simply that this is a thriller without any thrills.

The basic premise of Killing Words involves a serial killer, Ramon, kidnapping his ex-wife with the intention of making her his 19th victim. The catch is that Laura is a psychiatrist and basically, if she can "cure" him, she will survive. This set-up begins promisingly with Ramon showing Laura detailed video-confessions outlining his murders and a tense word game, played for the prize of Laura being allowed to keep her eyes in her head. The film starts to unravel, however, when Ramon claims to both the police and Laura that the tapes were fake and that the whole act has been a hoax to get revenge on Laura for lying about him during their divorce proceedings. While this "twist" is interesting to the extent that it raises the question as to whether Ramon is simply a twisted loser instead of a psychopath, it has the unwanted effect of draining away all the tension and suspense that the film had been building. In one fell swoop, this film transforms from a Spanish "Silence Of The Lambs" to a poorly produced episode of "Murder, She Wrote".

The film is not helped by Dario Grandinetti's over the top performance as Ramon. Grandinetti's performance is initially restrained but increasingly becomes an exercise in making crazy eyes and smirking for the camera. Goya Toledo fares better as Laura, helping give the film some much needed credibility. Veteran actor Fernando Guillen also turns in another fine performance as the Comisario. However, these compelling performances can not overcome the pedestrian screenplay which contains too many plot twists and not enough suspense. With the exception of the refreshingly perverse ending, the film has virtually no shock value and should be avoided by horror fans.

Killing Words is an example of a film that starts well but becomes entangled in its own web of twists and inconsistencies. If you feel like a Spanish thriller with some bite, watch "The Nameless" or "Tesis".

Palabras encadenadas (2003)

Locked in a dark basement, Laura, a psychiatrist in her early thirties, contemplates in horror a video where a man confesses to be a serial killer. His name is Ramón, an apparently normal man in his forties, who seems to be quite harmless. Gagged and bound to a chair, Laura realizes that it's the same person who kidnapped her and who is now pacing in the shadows. Ramón continues to speak as he turns off the television. He walks over to her, takes off the gag and challenges Laura to play the "Word Game". If she wins, she gets to go free, but if she loses, he'll poke out her eye. Laura is terrified, but reluctantly accepts. The game begins. Laura makes a mistake. Ramón menacingly moves towards her. Laura's screams are useless.

She is his ex-wife.. She divorced him after knowing that he is a gay... In-between twists are unexpected and all are acted soo well.. One time watchable movie..!

Truly magnificent effort by all involved. I haven't seen a psychological thriller this good since the Silence of the Lambs. Dario Grandinetti's chilling portrayal of a seemingly psychotic serial killer is engrossing, evocative, amusing at times and too surreal it becomes terrifying. A flawless performance, his on-screen presence captured your attention refusing to let go, not even for a moment.

His performance is equalled by Goya Toledo, whose stunning portrayal of Dario's wife, his both smart, sexy and strong.

The writing and direction were also top-notch; developing the multi-dimensional characters full of depth, excellent cinematography, playing off the rival husband and wife against each other, etc.

There seriously was not one fault with this film. A Must see!!!

10/10

One of the best thrillers I have ever seen. This film keeps you captivated until the very last frame. Darío Grandinetti is truly chilling as Ramón. Goya Toledo as Laura is superb as well. Portrayals of the mind of a killer simply don't get better than this.

This film avoids every Hollywood cliché you could imagine. Everything that happens in this film is cohesive. Nothing outrageous is added just for thrills. This is such a smart film. Truly great writing and directing on display here.

This is another amazing example of how superior foreign made thrillers are compared to American thrillers. Don't miss this if you ever get the chance to see this Spanish gem. Beautifully done!

I had to import this DVD from Bangkok as I gave up looking for it elsewhere.

It was well worth the time and effort.

I've seen a lot of film over the years, and in recent history this is at the top of my "recently seen list". The movie had good acting, a good story, and to be honest all the elements required for a Hollywood remake. It's somewhat (and I'll use this comparison at a HIGH level) like a Silence of the Lambs meets OLDBOY. Fans of Haneke may also want to take a look.

While watching this film you slowly learn more about the characters, and why the women is being held captive. It keeps the viewer interested and helps keep the story intense. The characters are kept to a minimum and the focus remains on the story at hand. It allows the viewer to stay focused on the plot and not get lost in little sub plots that aren't required. The film is intense and will keep the viewer glued to the screen until the end.

The only bad part about this film is the fact the DVD is a bit questionable in terms of the subtitle quality. They were translated fine for the most part, but there were a few times in which they went off. Outside of that I can't find any other noticeable fault with this film.

I honestly suggest you see this film if you can.

I read everyone's reviews before watching this movie, everyone is so positive about it. But, I didn't somehow like it, kind of felt bored at some point because of the word games. However, the ending was shocking.

Brilliant mise-en-scène and excellent acting in this chilling psychological thriller, an exceptional, multi-twisted script full of lies, fraud, faked evidences and changing realities - but, and that's very rare in this genre, the end is as disturbing as it is logical and does not insult the viewer's intelligence. All the irritating twists displayed in the masterfully puzzled flashback scenes are dissolved to make sense towards the end. The solution is developing and it's achieved without lengthy or clumsy explanations - which makes it superior to even classics such as LES DIABOLIQUES, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, SE7EN or THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Speaking of the latter two: hello Hollywood, if you're planning to do a remake from this, try to get Kevin Spacey for the main character, he would fit like a glove. And please cast Sigourney or Annette Bening instead of J-Lo for the female lead... Don't get me wrong - this movie is just perfect and does not need a reworking, it can't be crafted any better (same as "Abre mes ojos" or "Spoorloos"). But a big name US cast sure would help to provide a far better international marketing for this exceptional thriller. It's a shame that it did not get a theatrical release in most European countries - including Germany, where it had toured a few weeks in 4 cities within the FANTASY FILMFEST and then disappeared from the big screen. This is as surprising as the fact that the brilliant director, Laura Mana, is generally known as an actress. But maybe that's one reason for the outstanding performances delivered here. Definitely a must-see!

This film -- is it a psycho killer flick, murder mystery, psychological mind f**k -- is tight as a drum. You may think you know what is happening; don't count on it. The performances are dead-on. Dario Grandinetti as Ramone and Goya Toledo as Laura are perfectly nuanced, and their transitions (and the film's) will alter your perception several times before it's done. Not to mention, Goya Toledo is serious eye candy. (A remark possibly out of place in a serious review (ha ha), but damn!) It would not be too far off to suggest this film would appeal to fans of Silence Of the Lambs (minus the Grand Guignol). A very intelligent thriller!

I am a big fan of being scared whilst watching films. That's why "Killing Words" was so appealing not only because of the r18 certificate but also because the cover had a chilling beckoning that drew me towards it.

The film started slowly however as the story unfolded it could only be compared to the ranks of the sixth sense with the twist that was only revealed at the very end after drawing me deep into it's chilling premise.

Beautifully directed with nothing spelled out blatantly which keeps the element of surprise and the characters are both beautifully acted and masterfully written.

An intense directing style which doesn't always need a fast pace to enthrall but simply keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what the hell is going to happen next.

You will draw your own conclusions as to the ending of this film.

But you will be wrong.

A must see - Ash out.

If "not seeing it coming" is your decisive criterion for which thriller to watch, then go ahead and watch it. Some say the twists were way too obvious whereas others say the twists were realistically smart. I, therefore, cannot tell what is in store for you.

If not, then carry on reading: I do not appreciate a movie that tries too hard to surprise and does that without a story. That keeps me asking "so what"? Personally, I didn't find the twists as realistic as some deem it to be, as realism, to me, has more to do with the tangibility of causes than the nature of effects.

Once I had realized the movie was all about twists rather than the story, I stopped caring about how the story told in flashbacks would unfold (because a partially hidden retrospection is what these movies are all about, most of the time).

So, there actually is a story, but the story pertains in the twists and I was expecting otherwise. It almost feels like the movie is saying to the viewer: "I want to surprise you so much that it is actually impossible for me to think of a captivating story with believable motives, see, a movie can only last this long and because I am filled up with twists, I cannot even build characters and back up my story, there is in fact no story even though it might seem otherwise, because there was no time to give you one." This is the single reason I rated this movie a 5. It is interesting enough to keep watching with an anticipation to see more of what is coming and then letting it all add up coherently, but, in the end, all I felt was that I didn't even care about what I had just seen. I couldn't find a single thing worthy of remembering in this movie.

Other than that... I liked the performances of the actors. I found the setting to be a little too nondescript for my taste; with nothing really sticking out in particular and setting a memorable atmosphere. Maybe I should have chopped more off the rating because of that.

This film is the finest effort of all parties involved. Pure, unpretentious, riveting. This movie should remain a symbol of the extraordinary passion of Spanish filmmakers and actors. For non-native speakers, very little spanish language is needed to understand the action of the movie, such is the skill of Mana, Grandinetti, and Toledo, who proves so skillful in her presentation of Laura that she may perhaps stunt herself for a while. Not even Grandinetti's amazing performance in Hable Con Ella can match his portrayal of a sexy, vulnerable, completely horrifying villain in Palabras Encadenas.

I've just finished watching "Palabras encadenadas" and WOW...

Script, direction, acting - everything is perfect. I usually notice a lot of faults and holes in the (especially) story and acting but not in this film.

The story is very coherent, well written, exciting, thrilling and non-predicable. As you watch the film you learn about the characters, bit by bit. At the end we have nicely circled and developed characters and the story itself.

Performance of Dario Grandinetti playing Ramon gave me chills and not just chills... I felt like a puppet - like the film is pulling my emotions and mind all over the place. The story just sucks you in.

Btw, this is not fast film, nor action film, nor bloody film so if you prefer fast car scenes or Tarantino-ish quasi scary scenes etc. this is not it.

This is psychological thriller and I recommend that you watch it.

A very interesting film, even gripping I would say. Reading the synopsis, you may find yourself thinking that it's a usual psycho-maniac horror crap with no claims to originality, but let me assure you that you are mistaken. It's a pure mind-blowing thriller which will keep guessing what's going to happen and what it's all about till the most unpredictable and stunning ending. I feel no need to write anything more, because I don't want to ruin you the whole joy by saying how surprised I was every time something incredible happened in this movie, I mean writing spoilers like 'when he said that…, I couldn't believe my ears' or 'when she turned out to be his…' oh, man. I nearly did it! So, well, that's it. Find this film somewhere and watch it immediately, it's a must see one!

Creepy Silence of the lambs feel in the beginning. The first third of the film does much to mentally horrify the viewer. Psycho guy reminds me of a creepy Kevin Spacey, Victim (girl bound & gagged in chair) reminds me of Jennifer Garner in Alias disguise...I really enjoyed plot & twists.

Spanish actors and dialog. There are only four main characters in the film and they all seemed to do a great job. Of course I do not understand Spanish so I can hardly be a critic of the acting. The film leaves you guessing throughout, but satisfies in the ending wrapping everything up nicely.

It's a shame that such fantastic cinema goes to waste; not only because it got overrun by huge blockbusters, but in this case, as with almost every single non-English-language film, it gets doubly ignored due to peoples' seeming allergy to reading subtitles. Palabras Encadenadas, which technically translates to "word chains" in Spanish, gets the US title Killing Words, because, not only would the original title hold less meaning to an American audience, but a title with the word "killing" in it gives it, potentially, much more power, than what sounds like a kid's game.

But that is exactly the sinister charm that this film pulls off beautifully. Ramón, played by Dario Grandinetti (Habla con Ella), appears to be a decently charming man who just so happens to be experimenting, all the while showing the audience step-by-step, with his first "adventures" in becoming a serial killer. Word Chains, is indeed, a child's game, but when conducted by Ramón, the stakes only become increasingly fiendish and inescapable as time goes on.

The first thing we see as the audience, is Ramón's character speaking directly to us (i.e. seeming to break the 4th wall), but as the camera pans out, it is revealed that we are watching Ramón watch a video recording which he recorded of himself confessing/conferring with/to his potential audience about his burgeoning "talents" as a killer. He openly brags about how easy it has been to gain a potential victim's trust, and exactly how he has conducted these first few murders. Once he has what he feels is enough confidence in his newfound skills, he sets out to target the one person he would love to torture and kill most of all: his ex-wife.

Psychologists, such as Wayne Wilson, would say that certain serial killers, like Edmund Kemper (aka the Co-Ed Killer) keep killing their victims – sometimes unwittingly – as substitutes for their ultimate target. It seems that we are witnessing the birth of that very kind of serial killer in the character of Ramón.

The ex-wife, Laura, played exquisitely by Goya Toledo (Amores Perros), is then subjected to intense psychological torture by Ramón as he keeps her tied down to chair, and insists that she play word chains with him. Slight disclaimer: the words they say as part of the game aren't necessarily what is said in Spanish – obviously, everything that rhymes in one language isn't going to rhyme in another. So, please bear that in mind if you are coming into this film with absolutely no knowledge of Spanish. The subtitles, however, are done in such a way that capture the essence and nuances of the specific words they are using.

As Ramón gleefully keeps his ex-wife prisoner, he rants and boasts of his newfound "hobby". Laura, being a psychologist, desperately tries to find cracks in his statements. Is Ramón actually a cold-blooded killer willing to torture and kill his own ex-wife? Or is he just lonely, delusional, and scared, crying out to be noticed by his former love abandoning him?

The title already tell us, that the film concentrates rather on words than on action. It is ambiguous. Ramón and Laura use words to talk about death and murder, and they use them to kill their opponent - at least on a psychological level. Is Ramón really a serial killer? Which of Lauras accusations are true? The protagonists don't know who tells the truth and what they are able to do. The little wordplay is the prelude for an extremely exciting and high-level duel, which reveals more and more information - similar to the zoom from the TV screen to the cellar at the beginning of the film. Another impressing aspect are the cross-fadings between the cellar and the police station. The Spanish psycho thriller proves that there are excellent productions beyond Hollywood.

This is a cleverly constructed film, with a well-fabricated script, which is acted beautifully – if that's an appropriate word, in this context – by four characters: an aggrieved and psychotic divorced academic; his abused ex-wife, who is a practicing psychiatrist, and whom he has kidnapped; and two police officers who are trying to unravel the mystery of the wife's recent disappearance.

Above all, this is a horror story, and a quite chilling one if you can overcome the disbelief that nags at the back of your head: how could anybody concoct and execute such a convoluted plan? For complexity, it reminds me of Sleuth (1972), which many will recall as a well-crafted murder mystery, but certainly no horror story. There is also, I think, some slight affinity with The Vanishing (1993) which is a horror story, but of a different kind.

Based upon a stage play (like Sleuth), this narrative is essentially divided into two parts: the scenes between the academic, Ramon (Dario Grandinetti) and his ex-wife, Laura (Goya Toledo) are all in flash-back; the interrogation scenes between the police and Ramon are in the present. Throughout the film, the scenes cut between those time frames at irregular intervals, the first of which provides a seemingly inexplicable narrative transition – so much so, the viewer may feel completely lost for a few minutes. As the story unfolds, however, that and other transitions begin to make more sense.

The story centers upon Ramon and how he wants to murder Laura as revenge for what he felt was an unjust divorce; at least that's the rationale he uses. It goes much deeper than that, however, as is disclosed (but not here; see the movie). The problem for Ramon is this, however: how to achieve that goal without being convicted of the murder? As the ex, he'll be a suspect, obviously; so, being the brilliant academic he is, he sets up one of the most ingenious mind games I've seen on film.

Not only does he play the cruelest of mind and word games with Laura, he also manipulates his own interrogation by Comisario Espinosa (Fernando Guillen) and Inspector Sanchez (Eric Bonicatto), pitting his mind and plan against the cops, and all to his advantage. The way Ramon accomplishes the latter is, once more, clever to the point of almost beyond belief. All the while, however, none of those interacting with Ramon – including the viewer – can be sure that Laura is in fact dead, much less harmed, apart from the severe emotional trauma of being held against her will. Not until the very last scene...

So, while the basic story is nothing radical – man plans to murder his ex, in a nutshell – the plot, cinematography and editing kept me on the edge of my seat. That doesn't happen very often to me. In fact, this is one of only a few films that grabbed me from the get-go, as the fade-in opens with Ramon talking to me from a TV set, telling me about the first person he murdered. As he finishes his chilling description, he moves off the screen within the screen, and the camera pulls back to show a woman in red, gagged and bound to chair, and weeping in terror at what she just saw on the TV. Hooked...

There are some gruesome scenes and still photos that will disturb some, for sure. And, when Ramon prepares to use a tea spoon as a truly diabolical torture tool, you may not want to watch. Suffice to say, I think, that not since Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lechter, have I seen a sociopath portrayed so effectively and so convincingly. Dario Grandinetti's Ramon is a worthy, but lesser, companion for Hannibal, and without the cannibalism (although I can't be sure about that last). As Laura, Goya Toledo is ravishing, smart, confident and determined to outsmart Ramon; while the good cop-bad cop routine by Espinosa and Bonicatto is clever and devious, with both also determined to uncover the truth about Ramon and his missing ex. So, kudos go the script-writer, the actors, director Laura Mana and the production team for creating a mini-masterpiece, I think.

Having said all that however, I come back to the whole premise for the story: I just can't quite swallow the idea that somebody would go to such trouble to murder his ex; there are easier ways. So, while the writer did an excellent job to script it and made sure that there were no loose ends – everything was explained to my satisfaction – the critic inside my head just wouldn't stop screaming. I guess I'm just hard to please.

Recommended, but not for any kids.