Rating: 
Summary: Oneiric
Review: I actually didn't know the word "oneiric" until I read a review of this film, but it's one that fits. FF's images are stunning and eloquently articulate the drama. The underwater sequence alone is visually breathtaking. Thierry Arbogast, DePalma's cinematographer on the project, has four nominations and two wins for best cinematography from the French Academy of Cinema; and this film reflects that quality. With the amazing lack of verbal language throughout the film, one can easily believe this was a screenplay penned by a director. It is visually stunning.DePalma's classic films "Blow Out," "Dressed to Kill," "Scarface," "Carrie," & "The Untouchables" are in good artistic company with "Femme Fatale." Hopefully, the film will find a DVD audience. The DVD featurettes provide perspective on the production. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who is married to actor John Stamos, was a quick study. I found her quite believable, stylistically elegant which one would expect from a model turned actress, but also giving a diverse performance with many levels as Lily and Laure. It's hard to recognize her without blue body paint as the same actress who played Mystique in "X-Men," but easier to recognize her as the computer-generated "Simone" in the Al Pacino film. Antonio Banderas was persuaded to do the film by his wife Melanie Griffiths; and the results work well for him. As photographer Nicholas Bardo he gives a varied performance being sassy, seduced, gay, vengeful and confused. Rie Rasmussen who plays Veronica with the classic cobra top was brought to the project by Romijn. Peter Coyote who plays the ambassador says in the featurette that when his wife heard they'd get to spend a month in Paris, he couldn't turn the project down. Equally a character is the exquisite soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It profoundly orchestrates the flow of the film. DePalma said that when we get to the part where we realize the dream, he knew half the audience would groan and half would think it was cool. It worked for me. The story within a story is facinating, recalling "Sliding Doors" with Gwenneth Paltrow. I found the action riviting, the visuals stunning, the performances and direction excellent. This is a DVD that is sure to be on my shelf within the year! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Watch it in Black and White
Review: This is a good 'un. With it's intricate plot and Hitchcock-ian detail/score I was thinking that it could possibly even be a BRILLIANT film if it was shot in black and white. So I turned off the color on my TV set and what I had now was a modern film noir masterpiece. Seriously. This is an incredible film. Do as I did. You'll only appreciate it even more. The acting is sloppy and the dialogue approach seems off. I would have said that Anthonio Banderas was miscast but, in truth, his character was written a bit too comical/campy at times. That's just my two cents. Get it now.
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly confusing
Review: A story of a "bad girl" who steals some priceless diamonds & runs away & hides in Paris. She falls asleep in the tub and has a weird dream about a girl committing suicide then finally seeing herself being thrown from a bridge. She wakes up in the tub & tells the girl to not to commit suicide & prevents her own death as well. The split screen was difficult to watch. Stamos spent WAY too much time facing away from the camera when she was scantily clad. Boring.
Rating:
Summary: good movie
Review: Don't miss this one. A great plot with a strange twist kept a smile on my face the whole time. In my opinion, this one is worth your money. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: " Movie lacks something ...3 & Some Change !"
Review: I thought the movie was decent but I was a bit disappointed in how short the relationship was between Antonio & Rebecca. It seemed like it ended before it even started good. When she got sexy and really started doing things it was near the end. "The Diamond Hiest" and all that was interesting. But I was really wanting to see the relationship between the two main characters the most. The truth is I really didn't understand this film. The director felled to explain alot of things in this film. I know she had a child and was married but at the same time what exactly happend to them both? They just kept saying she was married and she lost her child. Also what was this whole deal about her seeing her self kill herself? And how she actually sat there and watched her self proceed with the suicide? "Antonio Banderas's character was quirky in this film. He basically was a complete idoit that was treated completely asinine by the Rebecca character. When his character is introduced he snaps a picture of the two women "And Shouts: Got Ya ..Run to Church to save your Soul?" Some of the lines in this film were horrible to some extent and hard to digest! Then the bad guy gets out of jail with blood on his shirt that is 7 years old and still bright red? The best part of this film was the whole bridge and Club sequence when she was making him jealious.I also thought the beginning the kissing session with the girlfriend was very sensual. So then the film takes a 360 and goes back to when she was going to shoot herself. And she prevents it because she has seen the future or what was to become of her life. You know I am a bit confused at the directors point of view. What was he trying to convey? Was she a psychic of some sort? Was he trying to say that we have alternate futures depending on the path we take? I watched this film 5 times and yet in still I just can't believe Antonio was that Niave. Also I don't understand what the necklace symbolized in the film. And if she was one person and she chose not to kill herself in the end and do the right thing? Why was she still involved in the scandle at the end? This movie was trying to hard to be complex I think. Then the fact that she kept saying "I'm a bad girl" just convined my decision that the director was obviously pressed for time to bring this forth in the character. Now "that" to me was a bit over dramatic and cheezy in my opinion. "Sharon Stone" was slick and caniving with out the theatrics! This movie was trying a bit hard and leaves alot of questions? I think the director was trying to do to many things with this script. Which shortened other focal points that could have made this film clever & alluring. Maybe this should have been a longer film? Or maybe Antonio & Rebecca should have met in an earlier point in the film? Because really they didn't have alot of chemistry if you ask me. By the time the chemistry was built between them the dream or whatever was over! This movie I believe had gotten some ideas from "Mullholland Dr" The king of dream sequence films. So yet in still, that to me wasn't a original concept. The music and the way it was filmed was pretty original. I like the whole "George Lucas" type theme they had while they were expediting the Diamond Heist! Also I thought the foreign language text made it a bit hard to catch some key factors. The lesbian scene was cool I guess, and the strip tease was sexy. I thought Rebecca was amusing in the way she conveyed her lines so cocky & sensual near the end. Her confidence made the movie somewhat alluring. But some where down the line this movie lost momentem in the middle. THis is a O.K film it is entertaining in it's on way. But it left me feeling uneasy & satified to some degree. And had alot of plot holes that really should have been explained better. Arish
Rating:
Summary: A Great Brian De Palma Piece
Review: I thought this movie was fantastic. I know that people said it was "overdone" and too contrived, but I think thye utterly missed the point and the attention to detail that De Palma put in, as well as the superb performance of Stamos in her "debut" leading role. I thought this films ONLY difficult point was the admittedly critical plot device which happens half-way to three-quarters of the way through. It is probably what killed the film for most people, because it just comes at you from nowhere, and it is jarring and it is contrived. However, if you get passed HOW the plot device is done, and ignore WHY it might have happened (two biggies), I'm telling you, it does make every single second of the entire film make perfect sense. Why are all the clocks stopped at the same time throughout most of the film? What are the pictures on the wall (both the recurring posters and the photographs)? What is the gift for? What are the choices that we make and what part do they play in our future, and of those around us. All of this is revealed in detail. This film is about choices, and the infinite number of universes (a legitimate theory of Quantum Physics) which are spawned by every action we take in the world. Our choices matter. And De Palma made a film which explores that in a very fanciful way. It is not De Palma's best film. The Untouchables, Body Double, Scarface and Dressed To Kill are certainly his masterworks in his Oeuvre. My personal favorite though, of all of his, is Phantom Of The Paradise, which is one of the most fantastic films ever made, period, in addition to being a more enjoyable Rock Opera than Tommy. But I loved Femme Fatale, despite it's flaws, and I've added to my collection of his favorites! Oh...and Rebecca is not only a great actress in this ... Expect a bumpy ride, but like a good rollercoaster, enjoy it, even if there are some spots you wished had been smoothed out.
Rating:
Summary: Sex,Lies,Deception,Games,..A Brain De Palma film.
Review: My name's Aastha and I saw this movie in theater and then also I will own it ,because I have ordered it.To tell you something ,if
you want to own probably one of the greatest movies,definitely
buy Femme Fatale (I'm a model and I've actually met the girl who
plays Veronice "Rie Rasmussen"),The sex scene between Rie and
ReBecca is amazing, on how it was shot and the movements.The movie keeps you on the edge.It's not one of these movies where
you can just predict what is going to occur next, and that's why
it should of gotten more press and more audience then it had.
It deserved allot more ,and it's a great movie, so buy it.
-Aastha
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Worth It.
Review: This movie has everything intrig, murder, deception, sex, love, and even a chance to change ones destiny. De Palma's film photagraphy is great beyond believe. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Laure) plays her roll very well and the chemistry between her and Antonio Banderas just sets the sparks on screen. In the movie Laure is a deceitful woman who is only after money. Antonio gets into the spider net by thinking Laure needs help, and in the end ends up participating in her game without even realizing it. This movie was a big hit in Europe, I almost so it in St. Petersburg, but changed my mind and decided to see it in English instead. I was a little surprised and disappointed that the movie did not have the same reviews as it did in Europe, because it really should. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece by a Master Director
Review: Quite simply, the best film of 2002.
Rating: 
Summary: Hitchcock done wrong
Review: Femme Fatale is almost two hours long but feels much longer. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos's accent goes in and out of focus, and has Antonio Baneras in a speaking role - never a good idea. The soundtrack quotes Bollero, and Vertigo as the camera swoops around trying to move the plot along. Without giving anything away (that would be too easy), this is more a film exercise than a regular movie because though things happen (people die, deals are made), the overall tone is cold and it seems that Brian DePalma is more concerned with being clever than in giving the audience something new to watch. I found the film difficult to get through because it seemed to be filled with gimmicks and visual pyrotechnics, but no real reason to be, other than to show off the director's skills at making a movie. This is pretty harsh, I know, but don't you have better things to do with your time? What bothered me most is that this could have been a good film, all the elements were there, but DePalma made choices that pushed the film further and further away from any kind of original (non-derivitative) film. And the crucial scenes were shown in slow motion, which made watching them painful if you had any idea where they were headed to.
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