Written and Directed by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Starring Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, and Joe Pantoliano
As Reviewed by James Brundage
Let's sum up Bound in one word: perfect. Now lets sum it up again in one phrase: no business being perfect.
Bound is about as much of a shock as you can get out of a movie nowadays. Not a shock in the means and motive of something that actually surprises you in plot twists (although it has that) or a new and innovative style of filmmaking (although it has that, too). Instead, what shocks you about Bound is the fact that it is as good as it is with a plot like it has.
Bound's plot is basically the same as every crime movie. A couple teams up: one an abused singer screwing a Chicago Mafioso, the other a crack thief. As a money laundering goes down, the crack thief and the abused singer plot to screw the mob out of two million dollars. Now, here's the vermouth with a twist: the crack thief is a girl.
Yes, Bound is a crime film that has two main characters that are lesbians... which throws about every cliche in the hack-genre of Copolla and Scorscese knock-offs out of the window, not to mention makes the Christian Coalition come out in force protesting the movie.
But, hey, who cares if we're all having fun.
Bound takes us on a wild ride as we spend the first half hour watching the lesbian romance between closet, demure and pretty, lesbian Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and out of the closet, jailhouse tats and monkey wrench holding, dyke Corky (Gina Gershon) take form. The two get together, fall in love, etc. The next half hour we spend developing plot: Mafia money-launderer Caesar (Joe Patoliano) is in charge of cleaning up two million in cash after Johnny Marzoni kills someone right on top of it, spilling blood and brains everywhere.
Of course, Johnny and Caesar hate each other and each wants the other dead. And of course, Violet comes to Corky with a plan to screw the Mafia and get out of the business.
That's where the predictability of this film stops.
From then on in Bound takes us on a modern Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as everything goes wrong with the seemingly perfect plan.
The Wachowski's debut film is probably the best debut I've seen in ages: showing us a wonderfully textured tale with characters you either love or love to hate and a story that doesn't just go from Point A to Point B, but everywhere in between instead.
They use their cameras like pros, picking every shot like it was the last they would ever do: perfectly. They know when to use slow motion, and don't overuse effects or go too over-the-top. They know when to insert comedy, when to relieve tension. If there's one impression that comes off about the Wachowski's from watching Bound, it would have to be that they just played you like a well-tuned fiddle.
They know how to work with actors: everyone in the film does a great job of taking their completely stereotyped roles and throwing the norm out the window. They know when to imitate previous style (such as some of the beautiful shots of the mob boss Gino Marzoni coming to the apartment, henchmen in tow, filmed from above in slow motion with a classic mob score in the background) and when to strike out on their own (i.e. the use of a non-linear narrative that keeps coming back to Corky bound in rope in a closet.).
One thing is sure: they have the touch.
As I said earlier, the Wachowski's aren't the only great people in the film: the actors do their jobs perfectly, and the cinematographer does his part. The score is masterful, a perfect imitation of the mob suspense films of Scorscese. The soundtrack is fit perfectly to the movie (my favorite point would have to be as the song "She's a Lady" comes on as the credits roll).
Like I said before, Bound is perfect. Simply perfect.