Bound

Movie Name: Bound

Year of Release: 1996

Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan, Christopher Meloni, Richard C. Sarafian, Susie Bright, Mary Mara, Ivan Kane, Margaret Smith

Genre: Crime, Romance, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis:

After a career as celebrated screenwriters, the Wachowski siblings made their directorial debut with "Bound", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival of 1996. The film follows the story of femme fatale Violet, who is tangled in a relationship with Caesar, himself a mobster. They both meet the beautiful Corky, who is working as a maintenance professional for an apartment that just became available on their building. Corky just recently got out of prison, and is immediately drawn to the seductive Violet. They both start an affair, and Violet comes up with the idea of robbing money from the mobsters, money currently being held by Caesar. Corky devises a plan, and establishes all the steps to carry out to fruition, but things take a sudden detour when Caesar goes ballistic.
Lana and Lilly Wachowski have of course made a name for themselves as the creators of "The Matrix". "Bound" was their first step in directing, and they successfully created a noir peace, filled with interesting characters, and definitely a lot more style than substance. It is a film that is nonetheless engaging, since it defines a criminal underworld, married with a style and aesthetic that makes it more stylized and definitely more compelling. The bend on gender dynamics also adds a lot more interest to the story, since it provides a more interesting motivation to both central characters. It's a film that is entertaining, anchored on the beautiful cinematography of Bill Pope, and the trio of performances, from the always reliable Jennifer Tilly, to Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano (who the directors would cast in "The Matrix"). An entertaining film from two interesting directors.