Femme Fatale

Released 2002
Stars Rebecca Romjin-Stamos, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote, Eriq Ebouaney, Edourad Montoute, Rie, Thierry Fremont
Directed by Brian De Palma

The movie opens with a $10 million diamond theft, with a difference: The diamonds adorn the body of a supermodel attending a premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival, and they are stolen with erotic audacity as the model is seduced in a restroom of the Palais du Cinema by the tall, brazen Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). Her team includes the usual crew of heist-movie types, and we get the usual details, like the guy in the wet suit, the laser-cutter and the TV spycam that attracts the attention of an inquisitive cat. But the movie announces its originality when none of these characters perform as they expect to, and Laure Ash steals the diamonds not only from the model but also from her fellow criminals.

The movie's story, written by De Palma, is a series of incidents that would not be out of place in an ordinary thriller, but here achieve a kind of transcendence, since they are what they seem, and more than they seem, and less than they seem. The movie tricks us, but not unfairly, and for the attentive viewer there are markers along the way to suggest what De Palma is up to.

Summary by Roger Ebert

The movie has a strong opening with a topless Rebecca Romjin-Stamos and one of the most interesting jewel switching scenes ever, but it wanes in its middle. It becomes a little tedious as it walks straight through its plot but then WHAM, it hits us with some big surprises. I certainly didn't see the big one coming, although I did notice the overflowing aquarium. I thought it was some supercool two-level aquarium, but I wondered why it looked just like the bathtub. Suddenly the twists give everything new meaning, and everything has to be reevaluated. The ending is a lot of fun as it plays with fate. --Bill Alward, July 20, 2003