Killing Words (2003)

Absolutely the worst movie.

Blistering performances.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

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.

I'm absolutely amazed about the rate and the comments, here on IMDb, about this movie! Almost all reviews describe it as an excellent film, very intelligent and with great suspense! Well, PALABRAS ENCADEÑADAS is not bad, but it's not as good as it's described by those comments, not even close! The plot is not that original. I'm sure we all have watched movies very close to this one, and about its twists, I must say that if some of them are good, the majority don't work so well… The final twist was far expected I think! It was no surprise at all! Suspense and tension were not great either. If we exclude a few scenes, it's hardly suspenseful! However I must say I appreciated the cinematography, and also the acting. Here, a good work was done. The main scenario (the basement where the girl is arrested) is well constructed. It's cold, empty and a bit sinister. The acting is also good, especially by the main actor, Dario Grandinetti, because he plays a very disturbed character with those very same characteristics: coldness, emptiness and a very disturbed mind covered by a smile and a manipulative speech… As I was mentioning in the beginning I don't think this movie is bad, but I think it's a bit slow paced and boring at parts. It's too centered in the words' games and lacks a bit of suspense because of that. Besides, the way the twists are built is not really a novelty and the final one was quite expected. Globally this film is not too far from average, so I score it 6/10.

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.

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".