Cuerpos malditos

An outlandish conclusion mars this otherwise decent little early '90s thriller. Jeff Fahey, he of "Lawnmower Man" fame, stars as Bill Chrushank, a shrink who tragically loses his arm in a brutal car wreck. But through the miracle of science, and with the consent of his wife, Chrushank is given a second chance at an able-bodied life via a groundbreaking transplant. All seems well until the limb, formerly belonging to a murderous death row inmate, seems to take on a life of its own. Is the killer living more than vicariously through Chrushank, or is it all in his head?

One of the biggest complaints the big-name critics had with this one was that the story is all too familiar (i.e. "Hands of Orlac"). Yet a borrowed story is no reason to automatically dismiss a picture. Look at how many cop pictures and romantic comedies steal elements from their predecessors. So yes, this basic tale has been told before, but director Eric Red (I've never heard of him, either) makes it all work pretty good. Until, that is, the aforementioned climax rears its ugly head. It's then that Chrushank discovers the sinister origins of his surgery. I won't give it away, but let's just say there are plenty of four-letter words to describe it: lame, poor, nuts, crap. This film just could have been so great with a great finale.