Review of Bound (1996) by Caleb M — 06 Dec 2008

Bound may not have much underneath its surface, but as a thrilling and sexy exercise in style and film noir it's is a wildly entertaining success. Not only does this film look great, filled with dark shadows, simple and sleek sets, smooth camera work and some fine shootouts, but Bound owes half of its style to its soundtrack. Not only is the score dark and cool, but the effects and editing bring life to moments that in any other film would seem routine.

While the film looks and sound superb, the plot is just slightly less interesting than the film's style. Not to say it isn't fun, but in the end (SPOILER!) everything works out. The Wachowski's have a neat if sometimes distracting technique of having characters outline plans and showing the plans happening at the same time, a gimmick they used again in Speed Racer. That little narrative trick is interesting and slick, but can get a bit confusing, especially if you aren't sure when the character's narration is supposed to have ended. Even though it isn't he greatest, Bound's plot manages to be just about as entertaining as its style.

Finally, the film has some excellent performances. Joe Pantiliano is great as a nervous, smart and cold mobster, and Christopher Meloni has some fun stuff to do as Pantiliano's boss's son, but the film's charasmatic leads are Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. Gershon is an ex-con lesbian who meets Tilly, Pantiliano's semi-girlfriend, in an elevator. Both women are attracted to eachother and eventaully are sharing a bed together. The main sex scene manages to be exploitative without being pornografic, if that makes any sense whatsoever, and as I said before, Gershon and Tilly have real chemistry on screen. I have to admit without Tilly this film wouldn't be half as fun as it is. Not only is she beautiful, she has that voice! Definitely one of the sexiest voices in film history.

Bottom line: see this movie. It looks great, sounds great, has an entertaining plot and fun performances. Fans of the Wachowskis in particular will find much to love.