Bound

Bound
by Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski

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DVD details

Actor: Christopher Meloni, Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Brand: Republic Pictures
Producer: Andy Wachowski
Writer: Andy Wachowski
Producer: Larry Wachowski
Writer: Larry Wachowski
Producer: Andrew Lazar
Producer: Jeffrey Sudzin
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-08-14
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Republic Pictures

DVD Reviews of Bound

DVD Review: A really fine modern Film Noir
Summary: 5 Stars

1996, The Wachowski brothers write and direct their first film, Bound. Their next movies are incredible landmarks in film history, The Matrix series. They also do V for Vendetta and Speed Racer. Bound is worth watching to see where these brothers started. Then add a decent film noir story line, a bit of mystery, and an amazing chemistry between the two female leads; and you have a movie that is pretty darn good.

The film is about Corky (Gina Gershon), an ex-con, rehabbing a condo next door to Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly). The film opens with a shot of Corky tied up with a cut on her forehead in the bottom of a closet. There is a jump cut to an elevator scene with a couple where Corky is not injured; clearly the film has moved back in time. The couple is flamboyant, Violet dressed in a leather jacket, short black mini-skirt, stiletto heels, and black stockings (she looks the part of a rental); and Caesar dressed in an expensive suit, and overcoat. There's a clue from the glances at Corky, there will be something sexual between the two women. The walls between the two condos are paper thin, and Corky can't help but hear the groans and pounding next door. The next day Violet apologizes to Corky for the noise, the sexual tension between the two is incredible in this scene; it is a very powerful moment. From here the film takes twists and turns and follows a good film noir path, reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice, most Bogart films, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett.

As an historical piece, the start of the Wachowski brother's career, this is an excellent film. The brothers showed amazing talent in this first film, mixing up the timeline without the title crutch (an earlier scene followed by a title that says - 'six days earlier'), using unusual camera angles and powerful framing, understanding pacing, and giving just the right clues to make the mystery work. There was also a passion in this film; the rawness between Corky and Violet was amazing. The brothers handled this relationship rather well.

The performances were surprisingly fine. Jennifer Tilly can be very annoying; she has that high voice that projects dumb. In Bound this is used to a huge advantage, she does sound not so bright, as if she is just a show piece, toy for Caesar; but yet she ends up incredibly intelligent. A little of the Edith Bunker syndrome. There is no denying Jennifer Tilly is stunningly beautiful in this film, the nude scene between her and Gina Gershwin is memorable. Gina Gershon treads the line between butch lesbian and tender woman very nicely. The only moment that doesn't work very well is the shot of her painting the ceiling - there's a bit too much hesitation in the movements, it didn't look natural enough for a real handyman. That aside, her performance was excellent. Joe Pantoliano would, 4 years later, play Ralphie in the Sopranos. He did a good job with this character, a not so bright mob guy. Caesar will seem very familiar to anyone that has seen the Sopranos.

The version I watched was unrated, it is definitely a film for mature audiences. From the director commentary, there is an explicit intimate scene with Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon that was cut from or edited for the US release of this film. Oddly the portion cut is a critical story element, and it is unfortunate that Americans had to wait for the DVD to see that moment. That is the only moment of full frontal nudity in the film. There is a strong lesbian thread to the film. Violence is handled rather nicely by the Wachowski brothers. There are some brutal moments in the film, a head slammed into a toilet, several people being shot, fingers being cut off by pruning shears, and blood splatters and spills. Interestingly, not all these moments are shown in full glory, the finger cutting was not shown, but implied. There is a ton of strong language. There was no drug use, except for people drinking liquor and beer. The cover art and descriptions might imply that this film is about bondage, it is not in the literal sense of the term. It is about bondage from a psychological standpoint. This is a mature audience only film.

This version is an hour and forty one minutes. About three quarters of the way through, I found myself doing a little bit of fast forwarding. The story kind of stalled or got a bit repetitive at this point. Maybe the film was 5 minutes too long near the end. There were a couple of scenes earlier in the film that could have been longer. The DVD is sparse; it includes the movie, chapter menu, the trailer, and an alternate audio track with director commentary (which is surprisingly good).

I was very slow to warm up to this film; in fact I thought this was going to be a really bad film. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good film. It isn't a film for everyone.

DVD Review: Love this Movie still!
Summary: 5 Stars

Bound is one of my favorites. Thank you so much! The price was very affodable, it arrived quickly and in excellent condition! I would absolutely buy from you again. :)

DVD Review: Cinderella and the Princess
Summary: 5 Stars

This is not so much a love story as a relationship story. It is not a terribly strong relationship story. If anything it is about taking a chance on the strength of a relationship and keeping commitments with potentially lost causes ... things work out this time if you can buy into the situation out in front. It is a pure fantasy to start off with. I can imagine calling it "Cinderella and the Princess" but the obvious Cinderella doesn't have any sisters that we know of and the Princess is low man on her totem-pole, for sure. Together, not really trusting each other, they commit to each other "anyway" and, when everything falls apart in the middle of the caper they hang tight and battle individually through to their eventual reunion. There is suspense. Once things get moving it is one change after another in rapid-fire succession until the very end. About half-way through you think it is almost over and then everything starts falling apart. It goes on and on and on. There is violence. It is sudden violence. Torture is depicted. There is lots of blood. There is not so much skin but there is a lot of female sexuality expressed. This is a story about sex and a couple of very tough chicks "walking tall".

DVD Review: Exceptional ..... I loved it!
Summary: 5 Stars

This is one of the very few movies that I've watched more than once. Superb acting combined with a terrific storyline... hard to beat. One of those thrillers that kept me on the edge of my seat. Bravo!

DVD Review: NEW AGE NOIR A CULT CLASSIC
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a refreshing, overlooked noir classic by the Wachowski brothers of MATRIX fame. Glued to my seat at the theatre for this one. Simple gangster tale but different as it is done with a modern-day stroke of the brush and effrontery---two gay femmes being the smart alecks. All about a gangster and his moll, the former accountable for the pick-up and timely delivery of a huge sum of mob money to big kahuna gang boss who's flying in to make the pick-up personally. Slight problem as gangster's lady conspires with female plumber/handy-"man" working in their building to steal the cash and place the blame on gangland incompetence. Major problem as the boy[s] responsible for the loss will have to pay with their heads---Mafia style. The gangster responsible for the cash is played by an always engaging pre-SOPRANOS Joe Pantoliano [as Caesar] who gives a MEMORABLE and RIVETING performance and basically steals the show [though not the money]. His back-stabbing babe is played perturbingly well by Jennifer Tilly and the pipe-cleaner [no pun intended] is played convincingly well by Gina Gershon. Christopher Meloni as Johnnie Marzzone [pre- LAW AND ORDER and OZ] is ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS as the son of Mafia boss Gino Marzzone. Johnnie and Caesar despise each other, mainly the result of mutual envy and the fact that Johnnie has tunnel-vision for Caesar's lady. Their antagonistic banter is loads of fun. All hell breaks loose once Caesar returns home with the cash only to have it disappear. He knows this is a death sentence. Spurred on by Tilly's subterfuge Caesar goes into a paranoid frenzy as the clock ticks for Don Gino's arrival. Very tense and suspenseful action here as Caeasar cracks and starts dispatching prime suspects of the theft starting with Johnnie and ending with the purgative and unexpected execution of the Don himself---this the point of no return. With bodies starting to pile up in his bathtub the cops come knocking on his door in response to a neighbor's complaint of hearing gunfire. Got to see the rest yourself. Wince-inducing "ask-ya-ten-times" bathroom scene with a guy losing a finger each time he doesn't come up with the desired answer is brutal. The whispering femme fatale Tilly and beer-guzzling Gershon quite a pair as they heat up the tension, Pantoliano's temper and themselves. Highly recommended.

Description of Bound

Destined for cult status, this provocative thriller offers a grab bag of genres (gangster movie, comedy, sexy romance, crime caper) and tops it all off with steamy passion between lesbian ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) and a not-so-ditzy gun moll named Violet (Jennifer Tilly), who meets Corky and immediately tires of her mobster boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano). Desperate to break away from the Mob's influence and live happily ever after, the daring dames hatch a plot to steal $2 million of Mafia money. Their scheme runs into a series of escalating complications, until their very survival depends on split-second timing and criminal ingenuity. Simultaneously violent, funny, and suspenseful, Bound is sure to test your tolerance for bloodshed, but the film is crafted with such undeniable skill that several critics (including Roger Ebert) placed it on their top-ten lists for 1996. --Jeff Shannon

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