Bound

Rating:
Summary: Unique film with many twists and turns.
Review: The Wachowski Brothers mix a charming plot with subtle cinematography and a perfect cast to create the classic film noir in "Bound".

There are enough twists and turns in this Maffia thriller to raise a Scorssese eyebrow. Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and Corky (Gina Gershon)plot to steal $1 million of boyfriend Caesar's recently recovered Maffia money, and frame him in the process.

The directors' choice of bold, dark colors and clean, crisp camera shots set the mood for the film. Not to mention the clever segment where Violet calls Corky and the camera follows the ringing phone from the pressed buttons of Violet's phone, through the cord, and to the receiver of Corky's phone.

Jennifer Tilly gives the performance of her life in "Bound". As Violet, she proves she can play a role other than her typical "Bimbo". And what can be said for Gina Gershon but "WOW". Gershon showed some range going from the ambitious, domineering Show Girl in "Show Girls" to paroled tough girl, Corky, in "Bound".

In this day and age of Hollywood mediocrity, "Bound" is a breath of fresh air.

Rating:
Summary: Keeping you "Bound" to the screen
Review: Not your run of the mill thriller, Bound grabs you from the moment it starts and pulls you along to the end, with both elements of suspense, seduction, and comedy as well. Gina and Jennifer make a fantastic team as a couple thrown into a torrid affair that pulls them into the middle of mobster money. A must see for fans of the genre or of either Gina or Jennifer. END

Rating:
Summary: BOUND is one of the great thrillers of the 90s
Review: This film is one of the best thrillers of the 1990s. Playing with the concepts and cliches of film noir, it keeps viewers on the edge of the seats. It's the old story of bad girl vamping a poor sucker to do her dirty work; this time a Mob moll seduces an ex-con to steal two million from her Mob money-launderer boyfriend. The ex-con falls for it, but will there be a knife in the back when the scam is pulled? Jennifer Tilly gives a clever performance as the still centre of will and brains, Joe Pantoliano is the boyfriend who has the survival instincts of a true predator, and Gina Gershon plays the ex-con. Any fears that the lesbian passion is merely thrown in as a unique selling point is countered by the senstitive and witty depiction of the growing relationship between the two women. My only cavil is that Gershon's character disappears for too long during the second part of the film, wasting the build-up of the relationship. Other than that, it is a funny, beautifully shot, and gripping film. END

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining movie
Review: for what it is: a decent caper film with a great performance by Joe P., one of his best. Tilly isn't bad either, but it's hard to take her seriously with that voice, I have to admit. But it's still holds your attention. BTW, don't buy this if the lesbian scene between Tilly and Gershon is all that interests you. Yes, it's steamy, but we're talking maybe 30 seconds on screen. That's it. Buy this because it's an enjoyable movie.

Rating:
Summary: Great DVD Experience!
Review: In "Bound", I'm sure that you're already well-aware that Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly play two lesbians (Gina being 'the butch' and Jen playing 'the femme') trying to steal two-million dollars from the mob. It's an edge-of-your-seat thriller where you're wanting them to be together and to get away with the two-mill.

The DVD edition has cool commentary with the directors, an extra, and the three main stars. Suffice to say, it is a little boring until Jennifer arrives and livens things up. She's really a funny woman. And then Gina arrives with about thirty minutes left. But you can tell just by listening to them that they had a chemistry among them, which helped make this movie work.

You also get the trailer, and scene selection. The only reason I'm giving this movie four stars is because I think the mob guys in the movie do tend to grate on one's nerves after awhile. I mean, Gina Gershon is in the movie...could it have hurt to have her in it more? *LOL* Oh well...it's a very cool movie, and the DVD experience only makes it more worth your money!

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: Before 'The Matrix,' there was 'Bound'
Review: When Andy and Larry Wachowski conceived of 'The Matrix' while writing the screenplay for 'Assassins,' the studio created an exercise for them to prove their chops. Thus, 'Bound' was born as a strictly low-budget exercise to show the bigs that the brothers could skillfully helm a picture.

Game, set and match to the Wachowskis. Despite grossing about $4M at the domestic box office, 'Bound' has been a treasure trove for its owners due to its little to no marketing budget, its high DVS/VHS rental and ownership (the film has quickly attained cult status), and repeated showings on cable.

'Bound' is probably the high point of Gina Gershon's career - she's terrific here. All the more so when you see on IMDB that she was originally offered Jennifer Tilly's role, but decided to go with the decidedly less glamorous role of Corky. A quick Internet search will tell you she made the right decision: that role has made her the object of some fairly fanatical devotion by a number of this film's fans.

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: 1 0f 5 people who saw this before the matrix
Review: I actualy saw this movie way before the matrix. The first time I saw it, it blew me away.A lot of the camera angles and tricks in the matrix started in this movie. There are also scenes with the same phone you see in the matrix movies which resemble scenes out of those movies. The story is awesome!!. Twists and turns and you don't know who to trust. A must see!!!

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!!!