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With The
Black Dahlia hitting theaters on September 15th, I am going to be
reviewing a few of Brian De Palma's films including The Untouchables,
The Fury, Femme Fatale, Mission: Impossible and Dressed To Kill. I am
starting with Femme Fatale for the sole reason that it just happens to
be the only De Palma film I own. So most of these reviews will be a
fresh look at the films.
A
complicated diamond heist, a double cross by a beautiful jewel thief
(Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), a photographer (Antonio Banderas), and a case
of mistaken identity set the stage in this interesting story of one
womans plot to get away with her life. Or is everything not as it seems?
An erotic
thriller written and directed by Brian De Palma starring Rebecca
Romijn-Stamos, Antonio Banderas and Peter Coyote in a supporting role,
Femme Fatale lays out a twisting and turning plot that may keep you
guessing till the end. De Palma uses such tricks as longer than usual
takes, simultaneous panning split-screens, slow motion, and subtle clues
that hint to what is actually going on to tell this noir tale of bad
girl Laure Ash.
Rebecca
Romijn-Stamos performs admirably here. Having only seen her as Mystique
in the X-Men films, I was kind of surprised to see that this model
turned actress can actually act. The lesbian make-out scene and strip
tease didn't hurt either. Antonio Banderas plays second fiddle to
Romijn-Stamos but does very well, his performance as Nicolas grounds the
movie in a way that I just can't explain. And he must've learned a thing
or two from Hank Azaria's character in The Birdcage. Trust me it's the
best scene in the movie besides the aforementioned strip tease and
make-out session. Peter Coyote adds another bit of realism and strength
in the small role of Bruce Watts. And don't forget to listen for John
Stamos's cameo!
The DVD is
kind of lacking in special features. Three featurettes and a short
making of documentary are basically all you get. I would've really liked
to see a commentary on this one.
I really
can't recommend this as a De Palma fan. Not because it's not as good as
his other films, just because I haven't seen many and the ones I have
seen, I haven't seen in a while. But, I can recommend this as a film
lover who likes movies with twists and turns, and bad girl movies.
Mitch
Emerson
Best Lines:
Nicolas
Bardo: I'm sorry... You look so familiar. Haven't we met before,
somewhere?
Laure Ash:
Only in my dreams.
Laure Ash:
I'm a bad girl Nicolas. Real bad. Rotten to the heart.
Laure Ash:
C'mon, Nicolas. You don't have to lick my a**. Just f**k me!
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