Infatuation of the unbalanced for the unobtainable is a theme that has fascinated film-makers since Phantom of the Opera. This rather poor but interesting example is a kind of combination of The Mystery of the Wax Musuem and The Collector. Bruce Dern is a suitably manic choice for the tattoo artist with a passion for cleanliness and perfection and an obsession with fashion model Maud Adams. He kidnaps her, drugs her and executes his artistic masterpiece on her, consummating his passion for her only when her body is totally tattooed to his liking. Dern apart, though, the acting here is not too good, and the film itself far too slow and flabby, even though it's beautifully shot in fresh, clear colours that reflect (with garish red-lit scenes for his falls from grace) the character's obsession with hygiene. The love-hate nature of exactly what happens at the climax of the film is not too clear, but the odds are that by that time few will care.

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