Mike Hardy Just did not like this movie, or anything about it. I don't mean to be rude but Susie Porter is utterly miscast and completely unbelievable as a "private detective" (c'mon). She is also physically repulsive (makes me wonder how she ever made it in acting) literally hard to watch on film. Mcgillis' acting performance (and looks) are slightly better but I think in truth she made this film just to be controversial and maybe revive her dying career. Sex scenes are also poor and the films climax plain lame. A movie just full of ugly lesbians and no backbone.Give it a miss!!

fedor8 This Australian oddity - or piece of crap, depending how one chooses to look at it - is basically B-level trash disguised as a philosophical art detective story, about a lesbian version of Philip Marlowe(!) trying to solve a murder. Of course, like Bogey, she gets involved with a woman who is in some way connected to the case. The difference is that Bogey doesn't have more sex than he investigates - it's a wonder Susan Porter ever gets to the core of the case, what with her having lesbian sex every five minutes; the movie has more sex scenes than any "regular" film I've seen in quite a while. But I don't mind: Susan Porter has a terrific pair of breasts and is kind of charismatic in a sort-of semi-lipstick-lesbian way. On the other hand, watching Kelly McGillis(!) display her masculine body and even worse silicone boobs is something I can easily do without. Talk about a major career plunge! From big-budget Hollywood hits to erotic B-movie Australian detective stories! I've always considered McGillis to be unattractive, what with her huge head - rivaling in size even that of Ted Kennedy - and with the femininity of a wrestler's body. And God knows she hasn't aged well… The movie is based on a woman's novel, directed by a woman, and starring two women; obviously the first two are lesbian, and perhaps even Susan Porter. Add to this the fact that it deals so pretentiously with various poems. The result is, predictably, a PC movie but a trashy one, in disguise. Porter's thoughts, which are a direct rip off of Marlow's narration, ooze with silly pretentiousness and hollow philosophizing. There's poetry aplenty - and screwing. It's an almost unintentionally hilarious mix.Another few things Porter has in common with Marlowe: ex-cop, every woman wants to have her/him, and some other less relevant details. It's funny to watch the Aborigine lesbian grope Porter in a library: however, not nearly as absurd as when the guy from "Lord Of The Rings" gropes her only minutes later: they actually show his penis - in erection – which made me think that perhaps this is not so much a B-movie but a Z-movie. What irony: we are shown an erect penis in a lesbian-filled sex movie! After Porter shoves him off, she concludes that he is the murderer to which he grins idiotically and says something stupid. And as if the level of sleaze weren't abundant already, it turns out that the murder was actually a sex-strangulation manslaughter, an idea probably lifted from Crichton's "Rising Sun".

rosscinema I did enjoy The Monkey's Mask but lets face it, this script needed some more re-writing. Porter is very good and her character is interesting but she's really not cut out to be a private investigator. When she announces to someone that she's a PI working on the case you expect some of the characters to brush her aside and say "Beat it"! The chapter element of the film is really not needed. This film has no chapters. It's not that long of a film and it flows nicely so it was pointless to have it at all. I did enjoy the sex scenes with Kelly McGillis who doesn't appear in films nearly enough and she's always had great beauty and even though she's probably nearing 50, she looks great. I'm not buying the attraction of the two for each other but the nudity is pretty daring and I enjoyed the audacity of that part of the film. The whole way that she solves the case is not convincing and it looks like anyone could have figured it out. Not a bad little independent film from Australia. I recommend it for Porter's performance and her scenes with McGillis.

katiakallai An interesting film, since there are only a few of this kind. It seems that is hard to convince the viewer in the beginning but as it runs it gets better. Bear in mind that K.McGillis is older than the woman she's impersonating, same stands for S.Porter. The story has some unclear points, but the director has managed to cover them. In a few words, a nice try - next time better luck (or script). It is not a 'MUST' film to see, but I do recommend it (at least is far and away more interesting from many others of its kind).