"Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" (1990)

Director-writer Pedro Almodovar scored a major hit last year with his hilarious "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown," one of the rare foreign-language films to make a splash in mainstream houses. "Women" was a manic romp about a TV star driven to near-distraction by a misguided affair, a tame topic easy for the mass audience to take. For his encore, "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!," Almodovar has tackled a variation on John Fowles' "The Collector," hardly anyone's favorite book. Even more provocative is his decision to make his story of a mentally disturbed man who kidnaps a woman and "teaches" her to love into what is essentially a romantic comedy. Perhaps its greatest truth comes from two of its characters watching a movie in production: one notes that the film is more a love story than a horror story. Replies the movie's director, "Sometimes the two are indistinguishable."

It would probably be much more difficult were it not for Almodovar's dazzling leads, Victoria Abril (one of Europe's hottest stars) and Antonio Banderas, both of whom manage to be not only funny, but also stunningly attractive while doing unattractive things. Banderas plays Ricky, recently sprung from an asylum and nursing a domestic fantasy involving ex-porn star Marina Orsorio (Abril), who's now trying for a career in legit cinema. Ricky follows her from the set of her latest picture, traps her in her apartment, and bombards her with a mix of kindness and dominance. The personality evolutions that follow won't surprise anyone, but Almodovar gives the story the same splashiness employed in "Women," with electric colors and creative camera angles putting a chic sheen on what could have been sordid.

Enjoyable as much of "Tie Me Up!" is (and many of the scenes involving the vivacious Loles Leon as Marina's meddling sister are amusing), you can't help but wonder how it could be misconstrued by real-life Rickys; at a time when the terrorism of stars by demented fans is front-page news, this story comes off as irresponsible, almost a fairy tale for voyeurs. Almodovar's style is seductive, but his message is extremely questionable.