Bound

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous directorial debut from the Matrix boys
Review: "Bound" surprises the viewer from start to finish with plot twist upon turn - it's a great movie. It'll grab your attention right from the start with two passionate scenes between Jennifer Tilly & Gina Gershon, and then things really get rolling.

Joey Pants (as folks seem to call him in the biz) plays a middle-managment gangster who borders on the pathetic; his attitude is definitely much bigger than he is. After a collection operation gone a bit awry, Violet (Tilly) and Corky (Gershon) hatch a plan to make off with more than two million dollars of the mafia's money. The plan is simple enough, but naturally is doesn't go off exactly as planned; blood is shed, there's a lot of running around and screaming, cover-up is laid upon cover-up, and some pruning shears come into play more than once.

This is great film noir, and everyone is cast perfectly. The brothers do an excellent job of direction, with novel angles and shooting methods (you wouldn't expect anything less from these guys, would you?) They also employ some classic film noir sequences that work perfectly. It should hold your attention throughout, very enjoyably.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie of 1996!
Review: "Bound" is my favorite movie of 1996, and one of my ten favorites of the decade. It's a crime movie, a comedy, and a drama all rolled into one. I love it!

Most of the movie takes place inside of two adjacent apartments. It almost looks like it could be performed as a live play on a stage.

Unfortuantely, this movie didn't get the box office that it deserved. In the city where I live, it was only in the theater for two weeks. And during those two weeks, it only appeared at one theater. I saw it once during the first week, and once during the second week. Each time that I saw it, there were only about five people in the theater. What a shame.

I own the DVD of the movie "Bound," and there seems to be some sort of a techical problem. The movie itself plays perfectly. The sound and picture are both perfect. However, on the supplemental audio commentary track, at 52:06, the audio disappears. At 52:23, the audio returns for a fraction of a second, but then it disappears again. The silence continues until 53:17. At this point, the sound returns, and is fine for rest of the disc. During the 71 seconds of silence, the picure is perfect. This 71 seconds of silence only occurs on the supplemental audio commentary track. The regular audio track is perfect.

The way that I see it, there are two possibilites.

Possibility #1 My particular disc is defective. But if this is the case, then why aren't the picture and the regular audio track also affected?

Possibility #2 Every DVD of this movie is affected in this way. But if this is the case, then how come nobody noticed it during the original mastering?

In case it matters, I am using a Panasonic DVD A-120 DVD player.

Rating:
Summary: a classic guilty pleasure...
Review: ... and not just because of the steamy sex! a very well made thriller that deserved a wider audience than it got. everything about it is classy. plus it is a veritable textbook on shot compositions - demands multiple viewings. get the dvd - the commentary is a hoot and you can instantly access your fav scenes :)

Rating:
Summary: Great thriller
Review: ... I give it high marks for suspense, and for very nice plot twists. It's a film that draws you in and keeps you involved from beginning to end. The script, acting, cinematography and direction are all solid, much more so than one would usually expect from a relatively unknown cast and crew.

Rating:
Summary: BOUND to Please
Review: A thoroughly absorbing caper from the first scene to the last. If you like sitting on the edge of your seat, wondering what in the world is going to happen next, then you'll love being plopped down into the intricate maze of this film. The story twists and turns unpredictably, and the billiantly quirky cinematography and seamless editing add to the fun. Great star-turns by Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano, and especially Gina Gershon who never hits a false note. There's also an edgy, over-the-top performance by Christopher Meloni as a gleefully sadistic mobster; Meloni makes his scenes crackle with barely contained malice, and proves once again that he's a highly capable actor with a commanding on-screen presence.

The DVD presentation of this underrated gem is quite good. "Bound" is much more enjoyable when viewed in widescreen, and the sharp transfer offered on the disc is a vast improvement over the VHS version. The theatrical trailer and audio commentaries are enjoyable extras. A "making of" featurette would have been a nice bonus - but even without it, this is a great DVD that current and future fans of the movie will be proud to own.

Rating:
Summary: GIRLS WITH GUNS
Review: and alot more. The Wachowski Brothers have a great film here that knows exactly what it is: great suspense, smart enough to make sense and a thrill a second joy ride. BOUND is an ultimate guilty pleasure, but for all the RIGHT reasons! Solid performances from Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly and John Ryan, in his best role since KOJAK ("Cop In A Cage" 1974). Tom Jones sings "She's A Lady"...RIGHT!!!

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite films of the '90s
Review: Before the (godawful) Matrix series, the Wachowski brothers gave filmgoers the erotic "Bound" starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. I am by far no fan of Jennifer Tilly, her voice irritates me to no ends of the earth. Plus most of her films that I have seen her in have been pretty bad but surprisingly enough I liked her in "Bound". "Bound" is one of my favorite films from the '90s.

Gina Gershon stars as Corky, a convicted felon who had just gotten out of prison. She lands a job that involved fixing up an apartment in a seedy apartment building. There she meets Violet (Jennifer Tilly), the girlfriend to the psychotic, abusive Caesar (Joe Pantoliano). The two women literally hook up together within minutes of the movie. Normally that would happen in the middle of a film but the Wachowski brothers decided to avoid the cliche and put the love scene in the first 15-20 minutes of the film. I read that erotica expert Susie Bright was hired as a consultant in the film for the love scenes between the two actresses. I thought the love scenes were pretty convincing, a lot more than in most mainstream films that involves lesbian love scenes. After hooking up with Corky and listening to Caesar and his mob buddies punish another mobster, Violet realizes that she wants to get out of this life once and for all. She recruits Corky's help to help steal $2 million from the mob (which is in Caesar and Violet's apartment) and skip town with it.

I am not really into gangster films but "Bound" is by no means your traditional gangster film. I found the writing engaging and the performances by the Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, and Joe Pantoliano entertaining. For people who might be faint at heart, there is a lot of bloodshed in the film but no more than in most films nowadays. Still the scene with Caesar and his mob buddies torturing another mobster made me cringe, no matter how many times I have seen the film. I thought the dialogue was hilarious although it bordered on hokeyness like when Violet says to Corky that she was glad that she [Corky] told her about her time in prison. Another cheesy moment was when Violet was talking to Corky over the phone and both women placed their hands on the wall in the exact spot where each other's hands were in each different room. "Law & Order: Special Victim Unit" star Christopher Meloni (with a lot more hair) makes a cameo appearance as the stupid, psychotic mobster Johnny. I loved it when Johnny would find a way to irritate Caesar.

I wish movies today were as engaging and fast-paced "Bound" was. What I really liked about "Bound" is that the film didn't drag on for an eternity. It was fast paced. I thought the way the film was edited gave the film viewer a glimpse to what was to expect from the Wachowksi brothers. There were moments when I felt that the film had that same feel in cinematography that the first "Matrix" film had. Great movie. Certainly one of my favorite movies from the past decade.

Rating:
Summary: Steamy and suspenseful thriller
Review: Before the Coen brothers rocketed to fame with The Matrix they directed this little known low-budget independent film called Bound. It's a film that's undeniably well made, with such skill in creating suspense that it would make Alfred Hitchcock proud.

The film's plot centers around two women (Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly). They plan to steal 2 million dollars from a mobster (Joe Pantoliano) but not everything goes according to plan.

The suspense scenes work very well and there were many moments I was on the edge of my seat. When I was about to watch this film I thought it would be a slow paced thriller but, boy, was I wrong.

As for the lesbian sex scenes in this film, there's only one and it shouldn't offend anybody. As a matter of fact, the scene is quite steamy and erotic, certainly much better than any of the lesbian scenes in Wild Things.

The performances are solid all around. Gina Gershon is probably the best as the tough, hard as nails ex-con. The Coen brothers direct with a lot flair and style. The result is one rollicking thriller.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant, Yet, Highly Underrated Film.
Review: Before the Wachowski Brothers (errr..Siblings?) hit it big with "The Matrix Trilogy," they made a more modest, but just as exciting film called "Bound." "Bound" is a lot of things, filled to the brim with comedy, sex, action and suspense. The film works, to a lesser extent, in the way that "Pulp Fiction" did, with surreal violence and quirky characters. It's got a great cast, but the movie is really centered upon the brilliant trio of Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano, who all turn in great performances and give a lot to their characters. Tilly plays Violet, the wife of Caesar, an awkward mobster, played to a "T" by Pantoliano. When Violet gets bored of being a prize wife to Caesar, she finds herself falling for an ex-con who is painting the apartment next-door. As things turn out, this ex-con is a woman, a bona-fide lesbian by the name of Corky, played by Gershon. Corky falls for Violet as well, and the two begin a forbidden romance, which in turns makes for some rather sexy scenes between Tilly and Gershon -- yes, there is even a bit of nudity. The two eventually stage a runaway and robbery of Caesar and the two million-something dollars he is babysitting. The plot gets more complicated from here on out, as each step the characters make seems to get them into deeper trouble, and the stakes are constantly being raised. This is one of those movies where you never look at the time, you are just so engrossed by what is going on in front of you. The only disappointment here is that the ending works out just a little too easy, sort of like the Wachowski's cheated. But even still, it's a top rate thriller. While the first third of the movie is centered around lesbian lust (and is probably worth the DVD price alone), the rest of the movie is much more serious but just as entertaining. It was also pretty cool to see the Wachowski's test some of the shots and methods they used (and in turn, got famous for) in "The Matrix." This movie definitely has their mark on it, and if you are a fan, it's just another good reason to check this flick out. The DVD has some decent features, mainly a commentary track from the usually silent Wachowski's and a few castmembers, with a trailer to go along with it. All in all, a really well-done and thoroughly entertaining movie. The scenes between Gershon and Tilly alone are worth the price of admission.

Rating:
Summary: Hot, hot, hot
Review: Before the Wachowski brothers became cultural icons with their "Matrix" films, they directed this stylish film noir about two girls who fall in love and try to steal two million dollars from the Mob. Visually, the film is full of all sorts of cool camera tricks and visuals, which hint at the incredible affects they would later utilize in the Matrix trilogy. It should also be noted that the intruiging and effective mob plotline came before HBO's groundbreaking "Sopranos" series. So this movie was ahead of its time in many ways. But the best thing about this film has to be the chemistry between Corky (Gina Gershon), a tomboyish ex-con, and Violet (Jennifer Tilly), a mobster's closeted girlfriend. They generate more romantic and sexual heat than the vast majority of heterosexual Hollywood matches.