 "Exceptional ..... I loved it!" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A7SK4IJ0W56J2 |
| This is one of the very few movies that I've watched more than once. Superb acting combined with a terrific storyline... hard to beat. One of those thrillers that kept me on the edge of my seat. Bravo! |
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| "NEW AGE NOIR A CULT CLASSIC" | 2009-09-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A30T2B7RFWGYNU |
| This is a refreshing, overlooked noir classic by the Wachowski brothers of MATRIX fame. Glued to my seat at the theatre for this one. Simple gangster tale but different as it is done with a modern-day stroke of the brush and effrontery---two gay femmes being the smart alecks. All about a gangster and his moll, the former accountable for the pick-up and timely delivery of a huge sum of mob money to big kahuna gang boss who's flying in to make the pick-up personally. Slight problem as gangster's lady conspires with female plumber/handy-"man" working in their building to steal the cash and place the blame on gangland incompetence. Major problem as the boy[s] responsible for the loss will have to pay with their heads---Mafia style. The gangster responsible for the cash is played by an always engaging pre-SOPRANOS Joe Pantoliano [as Caesar] who gives a MEMORABLE and RIVETING performance and basically steals the show [though not the money]. His back-stabbing babe is played perturbingly well by Jennifer Tilly and the pipe-cleaner [no pun intended] is played convincingly well by Gina Gershon. Christopher Meloni as Johnnie Marzzone [pre- LAW AND ORDER and OZ] is ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS as the son of Mafia boss Gino Marzzone. Johnnie and Caesar despise each other, mainly the result of mutual envy and the fact that Johnnie has tunnel-vision for Caesar's lady. Their antagonistic banter is loads of fun. All hell breaks loose once Caesar returns home with the cash only to have it disappear. He knows this is a death sentence. Spurred on by Tilly's subterfuge Caesar goes into a paranoid frenzy as the clock ticks for Don Gino's arrival. Very tense and suspenseful action here as Caeasar cracks and starts dispatching prime suspects of the theft starting with Johnnie and ending with the purgative and unexpected execution of the Don himself---this the point of no return. With bodies starting to pile up in his bathtub the cops come knocking on his door in response to a neighbor's complaint of hearing gunfire. Got to see the rest yourself. Wince-inducing "ask-ya-ten-times" bathroom scene with a guy losing a finger each time he doesn't come up with the desired answer is brutal. The whispering femme fatale Tilly and beer-guzzling Gershon quite a pair as they heat up the tension, Pantoliano's temper and themselves. Highly recommended. |
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| "A modern noir spiced with style and a visual touch of class!" | 2008-11-03 |
| - Reviewed By higopa |
A handywoman (the alluring Gina Gershon) and a gangster's moll (the sensual Jennifer Tilly) fall in love and plan to run off with two millions bucks.
This simple plot is enriched and even enhanced with a not so common visual refinement, and enough tension to capture your whole interest from start to finish.
As you may expect, there is a dose of acidic humour all long the movie but Joe Pantoliano steal the show as the gangster who suddenly finds himself trapped in the middle of the road and has to think faster than the speed of life.
Entertained and extremely sexy-thriller.
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 "Not free from issues, but definitely better than expected..." | 2008-10-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: ANCOMAI0I7LVG |
I really expected very little from this film. I knew that it had a big cult following, but so does `Showgirls', and lord knows how dreadfully ridiculous that trash was. So, it's safe to say that at best I was expecting another `Poison Ivy', you know, equipped with a decent performance or two but ultimately void of any real merit. While in parts I believe my initial preconceived notion of the film is correct, there is much to enjoy here that I wasn't expecting.
Sure, I expected to enjoy the whole `girl on girl' gangster side of things, but when you remove the `girl on girl' part there is actually still a pretty decent movie here.
The film tells us of Violet, an attractive woman dating a violent gangster. Violet has repressed feelings for other women that become manifest when she meets Corky, an ex-con who is hired to maintain the building Violet and Caesar are residing in. Corky is instantly attracted to Violet, and the feelings are mutual. They soon concoct a plan to steal two million dollars from the mob and set up Caesar to take the fall, this way they can be free to love one another without restraint. Their plan isn't as foolproof as they originally conclude, and so things start to savagely unravel as Caesar's business partners get involved and soon Corky and Violet are exposed, and they have to fight for their lives.
The first part of the film tends to drag a bit. It comes off rather ridiculous in scenes, overdoing the steamy sections in order to compensate for lack of `action'. It really comes off like a soft-core adult film at first, thus confirming my initial thoughts. But, as the film progresses and our attention is shifted towards the money and the scheme it all starts to elevate to a decently crafted and well filmed caper. It really works. The final scenes are stunning in moments and truly chilling. The acting also gets a major boost as the film progresses. What came off at first like amateur fluff transforms to smartly calculated character development, especially from Jennifer Tilly who transforms Violet from a ditzy girlfriend to a deceptive and intelligent `girlfriend'. Joe Pantoliano (from `Sopranos' fame) also delivers a strong performance. He works with his characters clichés well and filters through feelings of betrayal and fear quite nicely. Gina Gershon (who was actually the only respectable part of `Showgirls') is nice eye-candy here, but she takes a backseat to Tilly's breathy performance.
The film is not perfect, and it really could have used a little tightening and reworking (especially in the beginning), but it works itself out and deserves recognition for that. I am baffled a bit by all the reviews of adoration for this film, because one should not be blind to the films problems, but I do feel that the film is no where near as bad as it could have been. A film that could have easily been an F, or at best a low D rises above itself in the final chapter and becomes a solid C, C+ even. Sure, that may sound like a low rating, but when you factor in the films genre you can see that a C is actually pretty good. |
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| "The Wachowski Brothers' best film...." | 2008-08-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2UYAFQ40U2PHS |
I'm going out on a limb here, but I think this is the best work that the Wachowski Brothers have ever done. This is an awesome film noir, a film where you have no idea what's going to happen. I remember sweating bullets during it because, as an avid film person, I usually figure this stuff out. But this film kept me guessing until the end, which is something most modern films don't do.
Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon are awesome as the leads, and Joey Pantoliano gives a great, great performance as a deranged heavy that may lose it at any time. Many have made hay about the 2 lead characters being lesbians, which to me ultimately doesn't matter. The film itself is incredible tense and entertaining, and you forget about the fact that the two lead women are lesbians, even though the sex scenes are quite steamy.
For all of the fanfare of the Matrix films and the debacle of the Speed Racer film, it's nice to see this film and remember that the Wachowski Brothers actually can make a great film without CGI. This is their best film. |
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| "Excellent Thriller, Poor DVD Transfer" | 2008-07-21 |
| - Reviewed By drbomb_communications |
Of the many films I have in my DVD library, "Bound" is a truly unique and engrossing thriller. The cinematography, acting, editing, music and script are all finely honed to a razor-sharp edge. For a debut film by the Wachowski Brothers this set the mark very high in regards to quality. Even with a limited budget everything in this film simply works beyond all expectations.
If you have friends who thought they have seen some thrillers I recommend that they are shown this film. I'm pleased to have it in my collection.
Granted, I really wanted to give this disc a five-star rating. The DVD navigation menus are not just generic but plain awful. It's hard to see which selection is highlighted since the color shading is so close. Even worse, this masterpiece hasn't been given the proper 16:9 anamorphic progressive scan transfer that it deserves. Instead it's a letterboxed 4:3 interlaced transfer. I'll venture a guess that a lot of Artisan Entertainment's early releases (now Lionsgate) suffer similar flaws. After all who'd know that 16:9 widescreen would become a standard? The only saving grace for its current DVD version is that it's region-free.
I do have to give props for the audio mix. It's very clean with lots of play in just the right places. There's no analog hiss or other distortions. And the audio commentary by not just the actors but also the Wachowski Brothers themselves is quite entertaining. But the real standout in the commentary is Jennifer Tilly. As soon as she enters the track it livens up even more. So not only do you learn about the background of the film and its production (there's some nice discussion of the lesbian symbolism employed within the film) but also the high level of camaraderie between the participants.
So while this is not my favorite DVD it is one of my all time favorite films. I hope that someday the Wachowski Brothers can return to it and help create a fitting release that takes full advantage of the technology at hand. A high-def restoration and release would certainly make me a convert to BluRay just to show it off not just to showcase the technology but also to showcase this work of cinematic art.
It's worth a buy but only if you can accept the technological limitations of the current version. I found mine in a bargain bin for $5. Maybe you can get lucky and find it at that price as well. So until it's re-released it's worth looking for. |
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