Half an hour into Pedro Almodovar’s new film and you’re already up to your chin in sex, blood and lust. Try Not To Have Fun With This Crazy Movie By Almodovar — You Can’t…
The twisty plot, taken from a Ruth Rendell story, is handled adroitly, lightly, and concerns young Victor (Javier Bardem), imprisoned for the accidental shooting of a policeman: when released, he finds the girl he loves married to the now paraplegic cop. Almodovar has toned down the frenetic heat of his early comedies: this is an almost restrained, intimate picture of passion, jealousy and revenge, the vivid characters dignified by real emotion and motivation; and all this allied to the old Pedro’s vibrant visual style. With Angela Molina and Penelope Cruz.