Bound is set in Chicago where the seductive Violet (Jennifer Tilly) lives in a posh apartment with her boyfriend Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) who launders money for the mob. A lesbian named Corky (Gina Gershon) is hired to do some work in the next apartment & Violet takes a fancy to her, in no time at all they are sleeping with each other. Violet tells Corky that she wants to leave Caesar, Violet also says that Caesar is looking after & counting over two million dollars of stolen mob money before he hands it back to the boss Gino Marzzone (Richard C. Sarafian) & that if they could steal it they could live happily ever after together. Corky agrees but stealing over two million dollars worth of mob money & getting away with it isn't going to be easy, it's going to take meticulous planning & a foolproof scheme to cover their tracks...
Executive produced, written & directed by Andy & Larry Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers) one has to say that Bound is a terrific gangster thriller with a touch of stylish film noir about it. The script revolves around two lesbian lovers & their intricate plans to steal two million dollars of mob money & get away Scott free, the film is largely set in two apartments with a minimal cast which gives it a certain tight & claustrophobic feel which works perfectly. The character's are excellent, are well fleshed out & developed as the film progresses. There are always doubts in your mind as to who you can trust & what people's motives are. The first third of the film focuses on Violet & Corky's lesbian relationship but while that's the most controversial & infamous aspect of Bound the film could have been made without it & still been as effective, it's just a way to get Violet & Corky together & provide a motive for the theft. Having said that there's nothing wrong with a bit of gratuitous lesbianism, is there? Once the complicated plot gets going there's double crosses, unexpected problems & the script certainly keeps you on your toes as a lot of people stand to either lose or gain a huge amount. The one slightly disappointing aspect of an otherwise intelligent & gripping script is that it does play out a little to logically, I know that sounds odd but there weren't any big surprises or twists & while I love the plot & the feel nothing made me sit up & go 'wow I didn't see that coming'. Still, Bound is a fantastic thriller with a great plot that keeps you glued to the screen although once you have seen it I am not sure how much replay value it has.
Director's the Wachowski Brothers do a great job & Bound is surely one of the most stylish thrillers you will ever see, from extreme close-ups on objects to dizzying ceiling shots to a clever scene as the camera follows the telephone cord as a call is made including a loop the loop moment as some of the cord is twisted into a knot! The contrast between Violet & Corky is superb as well with actress Jennifer Tilly all feminine lipstick, large cleavage, short skirts & sexy high heels while Gina Gershon wears jeans, shirts & working boots. They play off each other's styles brilliantly. The apartment has a nice sleek, shiny art deco look to it which suits the film noir feel perfectly. There's not much violence, there's a severed finger, some gunshot wounds & some blood splatter although the Walchowski's manage to bring some style to the violence as well like in the scene at the end when someone is shot & their blood mixes with spilt white paint on the floor. For a film with the notoriety Bound has there's only one sex scene in it & an earlier seduction scene which are both quite arousing actually & filmed with class & style, this isn't just uncultured lesbian porn this is style...
With a supposed budget of about $4,500,000 Bound wasn't the biggest budget film ever made but it did get the Wachowski Brothers The Matrix (1999) gig. Set almost entirely in two apartments Bound has a certain stage production feel about it, the production values are high & it's well made with the cinematography in particular deserving a mention. Although set in Chicago it was filmed in Los Angeles. The acting is top notch with Tilly, Gershon & Pantoliano excelling. Veteran actor John P. Ryan has a small role.
Bound is an excellent crime thriller with bags of style, great moments & an involving plot. I am not sure if I would want to see it again anytime soon but it's definitely well worth a watch whichever way you look at it.
Executive produced, written & directed by Andy & Larry Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers) one has to say that Bound is a terrific gangster thriller with a touch of stylish film noir about it. The script revolves around two lesbian lovers & their intricate plans to steal two million dollars of mob money & get away Scott free, the film is largely set in two apartments with a minimal cast which gives it a certain tight & claustrophobic feel which works perfectly. The character's are excellent, are well fleshed out & developed as the film progresses. There are always doubts in your mind as to who you can trust & what people's motives are. The first third of the film focuses on Violet & Corky's lesbian relationship but while that's the most controversial & infamous aspect of Bound the film could have been made without it & still been as effective, it's just a way to get Violet & Corky together & provide a motive for the theft. Having said that there's nothing wrong with a bit of gratuitous lesbianism, is there? Once the complicated plot gets going there's double crosses, unexpected problems & the script certainly keeps you on your toes as a lot of people stand to either lose or gain a huge amount. The one slightly disappointing aspect of an otherwise intelligent & gripping script is that it does play out a little to logically, I know that sounds odd but there weren't any big surprises or twists & while I love the plot & the feel nothing made me sit up & go 'wow I didn't see that coming'. Still, Bound is a fantastic thriller with a great plot that keeps you glued to the screen although once you have seen it I am not sure how much replay value it has.
Director's the Wachowski Brothers do a great job & Bound is surely one of the most stylish thrillers you will ever see, from extreme close-ups on objects to dizzying ceiling shots to a clever scene as the camera follows the telephone cord as a call is made including a loop the loop moment as some of the cord is twisted into a knot! The contrast between Violet & Corky is superb as well with actress Jennifer Tilly all feminine lipstick, large cleavage, short skirts & sexy high heels while Gina Gershon wears jeans, shirts & working boots. They play off each other's styles brilliantly. The apartment has a nice sleek, shiny art deco look to it which suits the film noir feel perfectly. There's not much violence, there's a severed finger, some gunshot wounds & some blood splatter although the Walchowski's manage to bring some style to the violence as well like in the scene at the end when someone is shot & their blood mixes with spilt white paint on the floor. For a film with the notoriety Bound has there's only one sex scene in it & an earlier seduction scene which are both quite arousing actually & filmed with class & style, this isn't just uncultured lesbian porn this is style...
With a supposed budget of about $4,500,000 Bound wasn't the biggest budget film ever made but it did get the Wachowski Brothers The Matrix (1999) gig. Set almost entirely in two apartments Bound has a certain stage production feel about it, the production values are high & it's well made with the cinematography in particular deserving a mention. Although set in Chicago it was filmed in Los Angeles. The acting is top notch with Tilly, Gershon & Pantoliano excelling. Veteran actor John P. Ryan has a small role.
Bound is an excellent crime thriller with bags of style, great moments & an involving plot. I am not sure if I would want to see it again anytime soon but it's definitely well worth a watch whichever way you look at it.