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source: Bound

Jennifer Tilly & Gina Gershon star in this twisty film directed by the Wachowski Brothers that has two women named Corky & Violet who team up to steal the laundered mob money of Violet's boyfriend Caesar(Joe Pantoliano) and pin the blame on him. Things don't go according to plan when Caesar reacts unexpectedly, and his boss(played by John P. Ryan) gets involved, forcing the women to come up with another plan if they hope to get away with the money and their lives... Good cast and stylish direction cannot redeem this sordid story that gives the viewer nobody to root for. Everyone here is without conscience and out for themselves, so I can't really cheer at the "happy" ending, and Caesar is in some ways more sympathetic than the two women! A cult film nonetheless.

It's a mob movie, it's a lesbian movie, it's a suspense thriller, it's a heist film, it's a love story...Bound tries to be a lot of things. In the end it just ends up being a bit of a mess. The lesbian angle got most of the attention when the film came out but the fact the two lovers here both happen to be women almost seems beside the point by the end. It's almost as if halfway through the filmmakers said, "OK let's drop the lesbian stuff and turn this into a crime caper." The movie goes off in all kinds of different directions and the whole thing never really comes together and holds your interest. Jennifer Tilly as Violet and Gina Gershon as Corky play the lovers in question here and there are a few sparks between the two but nothing is ever really sustained. The whole relationship seems rather forced and the performers, Tilly especially, never seem entirely comfortable in their roles. The best performance in the film comes from Joe Pantoliano, who plays Violet's rather oblivious mobster boyfriend Caesar, who never seems to notice that his girlfriend is more interested in Corky than she is in him. Eventually things will start to go badly for Caesar when a rather large sum of money goes missing. Watching Pantoliano's full-blown freak-out is about the best thing the film has to offer. As for why the money goes missing, suffice to say there is plenty of back-stabbing and double-crossing. There is meant to be a great deal of suspense but there really isn't. The whole caper thing just is not very interesting and quite frankly the same can be said for the movie as a whole. It starts with some promise but never really hits its stride and in the end disappoints.

Pretty fair acting . . . I'd have to admit. John Ryan was the best to see. But . . . what's all the hype about ??? This movie is no great adventure; it's filmed in either an apartment or a bar. There have been other devious women movies that were better. Much better! 'The Last Seduction' puts 'Bound' to shame. So just because lesbianism is involved (which there really wasn't much of when it comes to actual contact) should not make this a special movie. In no way should 'Bound' be rated above a 6 out of 10 for its genre, and that's being generous.

I can only hope the Wachowski brothers next foray into writing and directing, THE MATRIX, fulfills the promise they show here. This is a well-done example of film noir, one of my favorite genres, with a twist; it's got a lesbian romance at the center. Yet the film is smart enough not to depend on the novelty of it being a "lesbian" film, but takes time to develop both the story and the romance, so we're caught up. I also liked how Violet (the Jennifer Tilly) character turned out; she at first seemed like a pushover but turned out to be the strongest character in the movie. If I had a quibble, it's that Corky (Gina Gershon, who is very good), is inactive for a crucial, and lengthy, part of the film, which slows things down a little. Also, the way we first see Corky in the film sort of promises a twist that the story doesn't deliver. Still, this is a gripping film, to be sought out by fans of this genre. Oh yeah, and Joe Pantoliano was quite good too.