B. Monkey is fundamentally a film noir about loyalty between people who should know better.

Beatrice (Argento), nicknamed B. Monkey, is a beautiful Italian armed robber. She steals cars. She empties jewelry shops. But her heart is no longer in it. Her champagne no longer bubbles. But can she quit?

Her best pals, the sultry, gay dipsomaniac Paul (Everett) and his gorgeous uncontrollable lover Bruno (Meyers), are certainly not willing to help her start a new life.

The straight-laced Alan (Harris), though, is another story. After seeing Beatrice in a local bar a few times, this teacher and volunteer deejay for a local hospital is smitten. He woos the reluctant Miss Monkey as if she were a normal girl, and that turns out to be the right way to win her heart.

But it's not that easy to walk away from a criminal past. Paul owes huge sums to the mob, Bruno is unwilling to share Beatrice's affection with anyone, and Beatrice herself realizes she can't just drop her friends for true love. She'll commit one more robbery for them and then she'll become Mrs. Schoolmarm. Ah, if it were only that simple.

Beautifully acted, and smartly directed by Michael Radford, helmer of Il Postino and White Mischief, this venture never breaks out of the restrictions of its genre. So if you like film noir, look no further. If not, you have the stunning Myers to look at. Thick lips and wild eyes have never found a better face to land on. And if you don't believe this is one giant star in the making, catch his performances as the lovesick Gentile in The Governess and as the Confederate bastard in the forthcoming Ride With the Devil. You'll be convinced then.

Then there's Mr. Everett who just never gets enough screen time, which just might be his genius. You always keep wanting more. Here as a self-centered lovable lout who tends to accidentally destroy all the lives he touches upon, he is irresistible.

As for Argento, whose press release notes that she read Moby Dick at age six, she's proof you're never too young to be exposed to Moby Dick.

And Harris, who was a fine Andy Warhol in I Shot Andy Warhol and a very believable homeless man in the sensational but overlooked Sunday, makes innocence seem like a resplendent trait almost worth having. That's a remarkable accomplishment to achieve as the 90's end.

--Brandon Judell

Source : Obtained from PlanetOut.com