Bound (1996)

Gripping, violent mobster tale and a very sexy love story. What a stunning debut for the Wachowskis this film was (and I can't for the life of me understand why this film hasn't been seen by a huge audience). Amazing camera, fantastic acting and so tight there's not a single dull moment in it. Edge-of-your-seat stuff. 9 stars out of 10

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Fmovies: I can only hope the Wachowski brothers next foray into writing and directing, THE MATRIX, fulfills the promise they show here. This is a well-done example of film noir, one of my favorite genres, with a twist; it's got a lesbian romance at the center. Yet the film is smart enough not to depend on the novelty of it being a "lesbian" film, but takes time to develop both the story and the romance, so we're caught up. I also liked how Violet (the Jennifer Tilly) character turned out; she at first seemed like a pushover but turned out to be the strongest character in the movie.

If I had a quibble, it's that Corky (Gina Gershon, who is very good), is inactive for a crucial, and lengthy, part of the film, which slows things down a little. Also, the way we first see Corky in the film sort of promises a twist that the story doesn't deliver. Still, this is a gripping film, to be sought out by fans of this genre. Oh yeah, and Joe Pantoliano was quite good too.

I watched this because I'm a big fan of the Wachowskies, and after watching their first movie(Assassins, which they only wrote) I hoped to see another masterpiece from the makers of The Matrix that had nothing to do with it. It's no wonder the producers let them direct aforementioned sci-fi/action masterpiece after they did this. For such a little amount of money, they really made the most of it. Few characters, sets and occasionally limited camera-work is easy to look past(hard to notice, in fact). The movie is breathtaking. For the entirety of the last half I was literally at the edge of my seat, extremely excited and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The first half is mostly a setup for the last half, but it isn't boring, and is well worth watching, as it makes the second half near-perfect in suspense. The lesbian subplot might throw some people off, and will definitely offend some people, but if you're aren't one of them, then you most likely will enjoy it, if you're into thrillers. The plot is very well-written, and with twists and turns thrown in every so often, it keeps you watching closely. The acting is mostly good, especially from the three leads. The characters are great... diverse, interesting and credible. The cinematography contains several of the same things later made famous in The Matrix... anyone who's seen both movies can tell that it's the same people behind the cameras. The action is really well-done. The story-telling is just slightly experimental... reminiscent of various heist flicks. This also contains some quite stylish visuals, though not as many as the brothers' later works. All in all, just works really well and keeps you entertained throughout. I recommend this to any fan of the Wachowski brothers, thrillers and/or the actors in it. 8/10

Bound fmovies. In my personal opinion, Bound is one of the most intelligent and erotic films ever made. It's not often that you see both of those words describing the same work of art.

I don't feel that the relationship between Corky and Violet is something that you should have to "get past" being that the tone of the film is that of escape (hence the title "Bound") and the very nature of their relationship upholds that idea. However if you are less open-minded regarding your own sexuality or completely homophobic, the scattered and brief exchanges between the two leading characters may not settle well with you. One of the best things about the film is the cinematic detail, all the little disturbing and intriguing things that the Wachowskis chose to hone in on...If you are a fan of The Matrix films, you'll really get to see where it all started with Bound.

I could rattle on forever about the pure genius of the film and that of the Wachowski Brothers but I won't. Just see the film for yourself, you'll either hate it or love it.

Bound is a film for which I have mixed feelings: it looks and feels amazing, the cinematography, acting, directing, costumes, wardrobe, props, colors, moods, etc. feel like a graphic novel brought to life. Yet on the other hand there is something that smacks of "aren't we cool for doing x?" - I guess the lesbian scenes and camera work were what did this so as to give it a punk/hip feel (then again, this is not long after Pulp Fiction came out so everyone was doing it).

Having seen the Matrix 1-3 I can understand and appreciate the camera work on second viewing, but it feels like the Wachowski brothers were pushing the lesbian eroticism for the sake of shock and males in the audience. It definitely seems to be directed by males insofar as the sex scenes go (the female body is both fetishist and problematized as a threat to men throughout the film too, but that's a different subject altogether), but these are more artsy than "Skinemax" night flicks in that there is very little nudity, it was tastefully shown for the most part and a lot was told with sounds and shadows. (Personally, I think the lesbians were there for shock since a male lover would have worked just as well, but in general I think some more subtlety could have been used in the sex scenes myself since imagining it is sexier IMHO).

That said, the first half, which establishes character, does seem to drag quite a bit, but once the caper gets going it never stops. You also feel for all of the characters - surprisingly, I felt the most for Cesar, the "villain" of the piece (perhaps because of an amazing shot when he opens the briefcase and then the world seems out of whack as we look up at him).

I can't really find anything "wrong" with this film per se and it is a good film although I could have easily fast forwarded the first half and got roughly the same effect. Still I could watch this film over and over again for the way it was shot since it is amazing and there are a lot of techniques and style one can learn from it, plus the story is great too. So for this I give the film

8 out of 10 stars. Definitely worth a watch, although some of you more conservative folks might be a little put off by the lesbian scenes.

I cannot think of a film that creates a more elaborate and intelligent sequence of events than Bound. This leads to that and that leads to something else and that leads to this and so on. What is special about this film, is that everything is connected. This is not Tarantino nonsense, that has no point and simply tries to rely on gimmicks and witty dialog. This is a clever thriller. The story centers around Corky, Violet and Caesar, who in one way or another, are involved in a plan to scam the mob. Of course, scamming the mob is never a good idea. Issues of trust, loyalty, love, violence and everything else are covered. There are very arousing sex scenes and scenes of disturbing violence, utilizing pruning shears. All of it choreographed beautifully by two very talented brothers. However,it is Joe Pantoliano who steals the show. He plays a wiseguy that gets caught in a downward spiral that can only finish one way, but he does his best to delay it. How he was omitted by the Academy is beyond me. To the pompous nitwits that peck away at this film, I have one question. What Hollywood films in the last ten years can you reel off that were nearly as clever as this film? Yeah, I thought so. **** out of ****, a simply brilliant motion picture.