Bound

Details

Written and directed by the Wachowskis, who would later go on to make The Matrix, and starring Joe Pantoliano - who also appears in that later film - Bound is a stylish crime thriller that quickly pulls you into its tightly wound plot. What begins as a simple story of attraction and opportunity soon becomes a tense game of deception and survival.

Caesar has been entrusted with laundering a large stash of mob money, currently sitting in a suitcase inside his Chicago apartment. Unfortunately for him, his girlfriend Violet and her newly acquainted neighbour - ex-con handywoman Corky - hatch a plan to steal the cash for themselves. As with most schemes of this kind, nothing goes quite to plan and the situation quickly spirals into a dangerous game of bluff, betrayal and shifting loyalties.

The majority of the film takes place within the apartment building, with much of the action centred around Caesar and Violet's apartment and the empty one next door that Corky is renovating. Rather than feeling restrictive, this confined setting actually heightens the tension as the characters circle one another and the pressure steadily builds toward a clever and satisfying finale.

Menu & Extras

Owing to the film's setting, the picture can be very dark at times but it is nothing which DVD cannot handle. However, I would expect that the video and Laserdisc versions are of a rather poor picture quality. The surround is hardly called in to action, but it is not something you'd really notice.

Overall

If you are approaching Bound purely because of the cover's promises of "uncut" thrills and whispered rumours of scandalous content then you may find yourself slightly disappointed. This is still a mainstream thriller rather than anything designed to titillate. However, dismissing the film on those grounds would be missing the point entirely. Beneath the marketing lies a very tightly constructed crime story, driven by sharp dialogue, clever plotting and a trio of excellent performances.

What makes Bound particularly enjoyable is the way it plays with the classic film-noir formula. Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly make a convincing and surprisingly likeable double act, while Joe Pantoliano steals many of the scenes as the increasingly unhinged Caesar, slowly realising that everything around him is slipping out of control.

The film may spend most of its time inside a single apartment block, but the tension never lets up and the twists keep coming right through to the finale. As debut films go for the Wachowskis, it's a confident and stylish effort - a lean, clever thriller that proves you don't need a huge budget to keep an audience hooked.

Special features

• Theatrical Trailers
• Cast & Crew Biographies
• Directors' & Actors' Commentary
• Production Featurette