B. Monkey (1998)

Alan Furnace is a young man with the perfectly proper, quiet life of a London school teacher. But beneath all of that decency lies a burning desire for excitement and he just found it. ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Radford

Writers:

Andrew Davies (novel), Chloe King,

Stars:

Asia Argento, Jared Harris, Rupert Everett

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Asia Argento	...	Beatrice
Jared Harris	...	Alan Furnace
Rupert Everett	...	Paul Neville
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Bruno
Julie T. Wallace	...	Mrs. Sturge
Ian Hart	...	Steve Davis
Tim Woodward	...	Frank Rice
Bryan Pringle	...	Goodchild
Clare Higgins	...	Ms. Cherry
Simone Bowkett	...	Angie
Marc Warren	...	Terence
Camilo Gallardo	...	Barman (Conrans)
Michael Carlin	...	Carlo
Paul Ireland	...	Barman (Kings Head)
Elizabeth Ash	...	Nurse (as Elisabeth Ash)

Storyline

Alan Furnace is a young man with the perfectly proper, quiet life of a London school teacher. But beneath all of that decency lies a burning desire for excitement and he just found it. She's a woman unlike any other: Unruly Irish eyes, Latin lips... her name is Beatrice, but on the streets they call her B. Monkey. She's about to take him on an outrageous, dangerous and sexy ride through the wild side of London.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | love | italian | thief | monkey | 

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Taglines:

Trouble never looked so good

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality and language, and for violence and drug content

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

15 July 1999 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Agria omorfia

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$17,436 (USA) (10 September 1999)

Gross:

$34,524 (USA) (17 September 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Scala Productions, Synchronistic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Caton-Jones was the original director for the film but left over creative differences.

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Quotes

Alan Furnace: [first lines - at DJ mic] You grow up in the suburbs, you picture a life for yourself, right? A life of danger, late nights in smokey Jazz clubs, beautiful women everywhere. There's Janda Rhineheart with A Hot Cup of Paris, 1939. - You're listening to Night Duty in Saint Jose's hospital. - Only then you *do* grow up, and you're not living that life. You're poor. You teach in a school during the day, and of course you like it. Though you can barely find time to play the bloody trumpet.

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Connections

Referenced in When Brendan Met Trudy (2000)

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Soundtracks

"D'AMOUR L'ARDENT FLAMME"
Composed by Hector Louix Berlioz
Performed by The Wiener Volksopernorchester
Courtesy of The Decca Record Company Limited
Licensed by kind permission from PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

A somewhat derivative romantic thriller that's boosted byfantastic performances.

B. Monkey has some elements that are similar to La Femme Nikita. But is also manages to implement just enough fresh twists to keep the film from getting too derivative.

The film's biggest asset is the fantastic performances from everyone in the cast. It's pretty evident that this film was designed as a vehicle for the Italian goddess Asia Argento, and she definitely does not disappoint as far as her looks or her acting abilities are concerned. Everyone else does an equally great job and add some great nuances to what could have been generic characters.

The film is quite violent at times and also features strong doses of sex and nudity (mostly of Ms. Argento) but it's all done in a tasteful and artistic manner that keep the film from veering into exploitation territory.

Overall, a solid little romantic thriller and a stunning showcase for Asia Argento.

rating:8