Review of Passion (2013) by David G — 10 Sep 2012

Passion is the return to form most De Palma fans have been wanting for, well, apparently decades. De Palma has gone back to filming his signature art-based movie style rather than trying to fit in with another one, as he has done so for the last number of films of his. Passion is a remake of Love Crime, a French neo noir, which was easily right up his alley. It featured sex, corruption, tension, and anguish. De Palma, being one of the best directors at making the audience feel awkward with a pinch of fear and a toss of sadness, has tackled this film and made it his own. Whether you end up liking the film or not, Passion is more or less an appropriate title as it shows De Palma's absolute love for film making, finally.

This film, however, is not for everyone. In fact, I think this film is for a smaller group of people than it is for a larger group. This film is for the biggest of classic De Palma geeks, the film nerds that love seeing homages pouring out of every corner, and people who flat out just want some excitement and confusion out of a movie that can be compared with visual art. The cinematography and camera work is the best I have seen so far this year, hands down. Absolutely every shot is breath taking, and this could be depending on the angle of the shot, the rich colours used, the composition, anything and even sometimes everything. Oddly enough, the trailer(s) don't even show off these gorgeous shots at all. With Tree Of Life and its trailer, you got a sense of what you'd experience visually and it pulled many people in. With Passion, you just have to find out for yourself. The trailers do the movie no justice in regards to how it looks.

On the topic of justice, if there is any justice, Noomi Rapace will be lauded for her best English speaking role by far. Every single emotion hits you exactly the way it should, and you can almost hear exactly what she is thinking at every second. Her slow descent from an optimistic business woman to a resentful psycho is so humane, and I was honestly very worried that the revenge aspect of the film would have been rushed into. Not only was it planned out really well, Rapace helps you pin point exactly when each step down is not through obviousness but by compassion and empathy. I know I praise Noomi Rapace very often, but I do feel that she is one of the most exciting and talented actors out there, and it's not my fault that her work in Passion is some of her best work yet and easily a highlight of the movie.

McAdams's character, however, wasn't a bad one, but one that you kind of had to warm up to and understand De Palma's purpose of. Her facetious tone of voice, her exaggerated expressions, and her overall just very conniving attitude, all add up as both a parody of traditional American films but also a means to justify the eventual acts. McAdams does a pretty good job in the end, much better than expected (Really? The head boss? Hey, it somehow kind of worked). There's almost no comparison when both her and Rapace are on screen, however, as McAdams's plastic coated performance may outshine Rapace's organic one at times (not by talent but by necessity), but the latter prevails in most scenes.

In fact, you can find this American vs. European battle with the film itself, as its shots and editing suggest that the film was inspired by classic European film makers, but the fascination of technology, sexuality and vengeance is written with such an American mindset. Many directors are tributes as well, with an ending very Hitchcock-ian in nature, and shots clearly influenced by Kubrick. The music shifts from being playful and upbeat to being just the right thing to strike your wrong chords. The sad music was fantastic; the upbeat music took some getting used to.

The thing is, I loved this movie. I loved it loved it loved it. The issue lies with the films target audience. I can easily see why many people would dislike this movie. It has a lot of confusion being used as a major factor in its storytelling, it has many over the top moments, there are a lot of awkward situations, and so much more. Hey, it's classic De Palma. If you're not a big De Palma fan, and not everyone is (just liking Scarface does not count), then maybe this film is not for you. If you love the oddity, perversion, and anguish of his films, then this film shall deliver. I can see why people would rate this movie low, but that's why this is my review and not yours. The movie got off to a bit of a bumpy start, of which got carried by Rapace and the cinematography, yet it grew into a thrilling, scary and downright bizarre tale of envy and determination. Passion is a sterling film that will please De Palma fans, and it may slightly intrigue others, and if it does, I warn you: It is not your conventional film.

Final Rating: 8.2/10.