Review of Passion (2013) by M. K — 13 Jun 2013

I was expecting this to be a laughably bad hot mess, considering its tepid reception and its direct-to-video fate in Europe, but no -- De Palma clearly intended this to be his comeback film, and he is firing on all deranged cylinders (yes, there is even split screen).

At about the point Noomi Rapace discovers that her arch-nemesis Rachel McAdams has a fetish for creepy sex masks and fucking her boyfriends with a strap on, you know you're in for a good time. The first two acts are Showgirls-level brilliant (and the story itself is basically Showgirls transposed to an ad agency); masterfully directed trash of ludicrously epic proportions, with a tour de force lead from Noomi, an amazing score from De Palma's longtime collaborator Pino Donaggio (that simultaneously channels Ravel, sleazy 80s porn music and Ennio Morricone's The Thing -- seriously), and the best cinematography I've seen in ages (the cheap looking stills do not prepare you for how gorgeous the film looks).

It all builds to a third act of such stupendously silly ridiculousness that it must be seen to be believed.