★ 6 / 10
** Contains spoilers ** Lower tier movie from
JPV852
** Contains spoilers ** Lower tier movie from De Palma that has some good direction and acting was... okay, but the ending still never quite worked even after…
** Contains spoilers **
Lower tier movie from De Palma that has some good direction and acting was... okay, but the ending still never quite worked even after seeing this again (third time if I recall). The whole it was all a dream felt like a cheat. On the other hand, as mainstream erotic-thrillers go, it's worth a watch if you're interested in that subgenre, it's not a bad way to spend 2 hours. **3.0/5**
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★ 8 / 10
Isn't sugar better than vinegar? **SPOILER ALERT
John Chard
Isn't sugar better than vinegar? **SPOILER ALERT - The last paragraph makes reference to a 1940s film that constitutes a spoiler. ** There rarely seems to be…
Isn't sugar better than vinegar?
**SPOILER ALERT - The last paragraph makes reference to a 1940s film that constitutes a spoiler. **
There rarely seems to be anything in between where Brian De Palma films are concerned, cinematic lovers of all kinds by and large either trash or laud his films. Femme Fatale is no different, one critic - both professional or amateur - will have it as a 1/10 movie, another will have it at the maximum rate available. Femme Fatale is high grade stuff if one is either a De Palma fan or a lover of film noir. Conversely if these two things don't tick your film loving boxes then the law of averages suggests you should have - or should - stayed/stay away from it.
De Palma opens up the doors to his fun house and invites noir lovers to come on in and enjoy. It's difficult to write about the plot because it holds many twists and turns, it's a veritable supply of uppers and downers, twisters and benders, all sexed up and pumped full of De Palma's trademark tricks and devilish rug pulls. In truth the story and set-up is predictable, but the journey is what makes the pic ooze quality and bare faced cheek, with the director giggling away like a schoolgirl in the background.
Opening up with a sequence that sees our titular fatale (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) watching famed noir classic Double Indemnity, De Palma proceeds to homage and love the film noir world. As he uses split-screens, canted angles, up-tilt shots, shadow plays etc, the narrative pulses with eroticism and impending cruelty, this really is a femme fatale based movie of the grandest kind. As events unfurl, with hapless photographer Nicola Bardo (a fun packed Antonio Banderas) caught in the web, Ryuichi Sakamoto's magnificent classical based score swirls around like some sort of peeping tom. The latter of which finds a shifty accomplice in Thierry Arbogast's noir photography.
It's a picture awash with dupes, dopes and vengeful criminals, where the themes of identity, duality, sexuality and distorted perceptions gnaw away at those investing fully in the viewing experience. Some critics (prof and amat) have lazily likened the film to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, as if De Palma in 6 short months watched Lynch's movie and then knocked this film out! The copy-cat charge as funny as the rug-pull that De Palma pulls here. Besides, as any film noir lover will tell you, this has more in keeping with Fritz Lang's 1944 noirer "The Woman in the Window" than Lynch's film, which is no bad thing at all, and De Palma knew that. 8/10
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★ 6 / 10
A movie for the De Palma's fans
bernieno
As I've always supported Brain's work, I guess I'm not very objective in my opinion. This film is a kind of "best of" of this brilliant director. The fans or…
As I've always supported Brain's work, I guess I'm not very objective in my opinion. This film is a kind of "best of" of this brilliant director. The fans or the people who loves a certain kind of formal achievement can be hooked by this movie. But the others... The screenplay is the real wickness of this movie: too many non-senses can "hurt" most of the audiance (at the end, I've also heard some laughts!). Even for me, I've sometimes had hard-time because the story seems to have no logical ("why did she do this?" "and him, why is he there?", etc...) But when you see the Key of the movie, I mean the real theme, you can accept most of the things you've seen. Or not... Forget the screenplay and watch! That's the only way to appreciate this movie.
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49%
TOMATOMETER
· 138 reviews
49%
AUDIENCE
· 10K ratings
6.2/10
39.9K
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Rebecca Romijn at her "best"! If you know what I mean... :-P And another AVI release I had being replaced by a YTS and 720p MP4 one! Thanks! ;-)