Roger Burke 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.

mario_c 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.

Claudio Carvalho The philosophy professor Ramón (Darío Grandinetti) kidnaps his former wife and psychiatrist, Laura (Goya Toledo), locking her in the basement of his house tied to a chair, gagged and watching a video where he confesses nineteen murders. He proposes Laura to play a game of association of words, telling her that if she wins, he will let her go; otherwise he would push her eye out with a spoon. The Chief of Police Espinosa (Fernando Guillén) and Detective Sánchez (Eric Bonicatto) bring Ramón to the precinct to give his statement and explanations about the disappearance of Laura."Palabras Encadenadas" is a dark and complex thriller with an outstanding performance of Darío Grandinetti in the role of one of the scariest psychotic serial killers of the cinema history. However, the story has many twists, becomes confused and I need to see this movie again paying attention to details to be sure whether there are many plot holes and flaws or the writer is a genius. For example, was the message in the answering machine an edition of Laura words while playing the "words game"? If so, it is incredibly smart. Is Ramón really a serial killer or not? How can the police ignore eighteen murders associated with his confession? Or was his intention only revenge against Laura? Who sent the videotapes to the police? The relationship of Ramón and his mother is also not well explained. I liked this thriller but at least for me there are many points that are not clear. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Jogo de Palavras" ("Game of Words")

Rocco3000 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