← Back to Reviews
in
Bound (1996)
The creative forces behind the Matrix franchise tried something a little risky and knocked it out of the park with 1996's Bound, a richly stylish and sexy noir-ish type thriller that is riveting entertainment thanks to imaginative direction and the surprisingly steamy chemistry between the stars.
The film stars Gina Gershon as Corky, an ex-con who has been hired by a landlord to restore one of the apartments in his building. One day on the elevator, she locks eyes with Violet (Jennifer Tilly), the mistress of a not-too-bright wiseguy named Ceasar (Joe Pantoliano) and before she even realizes it, Corky finds herself involved in a sexual affair with the woman. Violet asks for Corky's help in getting out of her life with the mob and collecting a two million dollar booty while they're at it.
Directors and screenwriters Lana and Lilly Wachowski were billed as The Wachowski Brothers and submitted this screenplay under that moniker, most likely because it was the only way to get the film made. Lana and Lily have since publicly come out as transgendered individuals but it really doesn't have a lot to do with their superior work on this sexy film nior, with directorial touches that are seriously inspired by the likes of Hitchcock and DePalma, creating a crackling suspense that seamlessly weaves with a sexual chemistry between two actresses unlike anything I have ever seen. Research revealed that Gershon prepared for her role by watching films starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Robert Mitchum.
As expected, the sex scene here is one of the film's highlights, but it's not just that particular scene, Gershon and Tilly ignite sparks ever single moment they spend onscreen together, even with their clothes on. Tilly is an absolute revelation here, creating a character that's part Ava Gardner, part Marilyn Monroe, and part Faye Dunaway. Tilly is electric sex on legs here and her performance is worth the price of admission alone.
But there's so much more going on here...the camera work is inventive and inspired...I loved that shot of the toilet bowl that Gershon is working on and it morphs into the toilet bowl next door which is slowly filling with blood thanks to Ceasar and his goons roughing up a fellow wiseguy trying to skim money from the mob. Or where Ceasar meets his fate in a sea of thick white paint, with the aid of slow motion photography. The Wachowskis display a skill and passion for the art of film noir and know exactly what they're doing.
Pantoliano, best known for playing Guido the Killer Pimp in Risky Business, turns in the performance of his career as Ceasar, a thoroughly greasy and wonderfully entertaining sleazebag who you know just has to get what's coming to him. A pre-Law and Order Christopher Meloni also shines in an early role as a dumb ass mob heir apparent, but it is the stylish direction and the deliciously erotic chemistry between Gina Gershon and the fabulous Jennifer Tilly that keep this one on sizzle.
The creative forces behind the Matrix franchise tried something a little risky and knocked it out of the park with 1996's Bound, a richly stylish and sexy noir-ish type thriller that is riveting entertainment thanks to imaginative direction and the surprisingly steamy chemistry between the stars.
The film stars Gina Gershon as Corky, an ex-con who has been hired by a landlord to restore one of the apartments in his building. One day on the elevator, she locks eyes with Violet (Jennifer Tilly), the mistress of a not-too-bright wiseguy named Ceasar (Joe Pantoliano) and before she even realizes it, Corky finds herself involved in a sexual affair with the woman. Violet asks for Corky's help in getting out of her life with the mob and collecting a two million dollar booty while they're at it.
Directors and screenwriters Lana and Lilly Wachowski were billed as The Wachowski Brothers and submitted this screenplay under that moniker, most likely because it was the only way to get the film made. Lana and Lily have since publicly come out as transgendered individuals but it really doesn't have a lot to do with their superior work on this sexy film nior, with directorial touches that are seriously inspired by the likes of Hitchcock and DePalma, creating a crackling suspense that seamlessly weaves with a sexual chemistry between two actresses unlike anything I have ever seen. Research revealed that Gershon prepared for her role by watching films starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Robert Mitchum.
As expected, the sex scene here is one of the film's highlights, but it's not just that particular scene, Gershon and Tilly ignite sparks ever single moment they spend onscreen together, even with their clothes on. Tilly is an absolute revelation here, creating a character that's part Ava Gardner, part Marilyn Monroe, and part Faye Dunaway. Tilly is electric sex on legs here and her performance is worth the price of admission alone.
But there's so much more going on here...the camera work is inventive and inspired...I loved that shot of the toilet bowl that Gershon is working on and it morphs into the toilet bowl next door which is slowly filling with blood thanks to Ceasar and his goons roughing up a fellow wiseguy trying to skim money from the mob. Or where Ceasar meets his fate in a sea of thick white paint, with the aid of slow motion photography. The Wachowskis display a skill and passion for the art of film noir and know exactly what they're doing.
Pantoliano, best known for playing Guido the Killer Pimp in Risky Business, turns in the performance of his career as Ceasar, a thoroughly greasy and wonderfully entertaining sleazebag who you know just has to get what's coming to him. A pre-Law and Order Christopher Meloni also shines in an early role as a dumb ass mob heir apparent, but it is the stylish direction and the deliciously erotic chemistry between Gina Gershon and the fabulous Jennifer Tilly that keep this one on sizzle.