- Actors: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan, Christopher Meloni
- Directors: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
- Writers: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
- Producers: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Andrew Lazar, Jeffrey Sudzin
- Language English
- Classification: 18
- Studio: Pathe
- VHS Release Date: 1 Oct 1999
- Run Time: 108 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CUBM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,601 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
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, Boundis 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-10 lists for 1996. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
As they subsequently proved with 'The Matrix', the Wachowski Brothers are among the most stylistically distinctive directors currently working in Hollywood. Their talents are ideally suited to the earlier 'Bound', a modern film noir in which Violet (Jennifer Tilly), together with Corky (Gina Gershon), seeks to elope with $2 million which is in the possession of her boyfriend, Ceasar (Joe Pantoliano), who launders money for the mob.
While the plot is familiar from numerous gangster movies, what it lacks in originality is compensated for by its visual appeal. The lighting complements the image of Violet and Corky clad in black leather and sunshades; Tilly's character is reminiscent of the traditional femme fatale while Gershon's ex-con is more brash and masculine. The sharp-suited mobsters are appropriately brutal; a finger-chopping sequence is not for the squeamish. Memorable scenes are dotted throughout 'Bound', especially one in which Ceasar enters his apartment carrying the blood-soaked $2 million, washes the banknotes and hangs them up to dry before ironing them smooth.
'Bound' develops the token feminism of 'Thelma and Louise'. Whereas Ridley Scott emphasised the buddy nature of his protagonists, leaving lesbianism as a subtext, the Wachowski Brothers are far more explicit. This is made effective by the genuine chemistry that appears to exist between Corky and Violet. Their personal and professional relationship is based upon trust which is a central theme in what is one of the tensest thrillers of recent years.
51 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Bound is a sexy, stylish and suspenseful modern visitation to the film noir genre that emerged in the 1940s and 1950s. Right from the outset - where the letters of the film's name cast deep dark shadows like high-rise buildings - the viewer is inducted into a world where duplicity is the norm and where choices made result in prices being paid. And with over $2 million of Mob money at stake, the risk to life and limb is very high indeed.
Violet is a latter-day gangster's moll looking for a way out of 'the business'. Her chance comes when her boyfriend, Ceasar, brings home a fortune in cash to be sorted and collated before being passed on to the Chicago Mafia. She seduces the tough-talking ex-con who is renovating the next-door apartment (an impressively butch Gina Gershon) and together they scheme to relieve the Mob of the money. But when Ceasar doesn't react according to plan, suddenly there are dead bodies to deal with and events begin to spiral out of control. The women's trust in each other is stretched to breaking point as they are drawn into a deadly battle of wits.
Directors Larry and Andy Wachowski make judicious use of the conventions of film noir, such as extensive chiaroscuro, and some imaginative and uncomfortable extreme close-up shots. The clever cinematography is backed up by a tension-laden script and an excellent cast (particularly Joe Pantoliano as the increasingly frenzied Ceasar). Although Bound may take some viewers out of their comfort zone with its graphic lesbian sex scene and depiction of Mob torture tactics, it is a film that will reward its audience with a stylish and intelligent foray into the eternally murky confluence of good and evil.
Violet is a latter-day gangster's moll looking for a way out of 'the business'. Her chance comes when her boyfriend, Ceasar, brings home a fortune in cash to be sorted and collated before being passed on to the Chicago Mafia. She seduces the tough-talking ex-con who is renovating the next-door apartment (an impressively butch Gina Gershon) and together they scheme to relieve the Mob of the money. But when Ceasar doesn't react according to plan, suddenly there are dead bodies to deal with and events begin to spiral out of control. The women's trust in each other is stretched to breaking point as they are drawn into a deadly battle of wits.
Directors Larry and Andy Wachowski make judicious use of the conventions of film noir, such as extensive chiaroscuro, and some imaginative and uncomfortable extreme close-up shots. The clever cinematography is backed up by a tension-laden script and an excellent cast (particularly Joe Pantoliano as the increasingly frenzied Ceasar). Although Bound may take some viewers out of their comfort zone with its graphic lesbian sex scene and depiction of Mob torture tactics, it is a film that will reward its audience with a stylish and intelligent foray into the eternally murky confluence of good and evil.
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
For far too long, this film has been misunderstood and misrepresented. Yes, okay, the central characters are lesbians; and yes, they get up to some of that stuff that lesbians get up to. Gosh, how shocking. It's a pretty sad reflection on our times that this is all people seem to think happens in this film, for, in actuality, this is a superbly plotted, intensely atmospheric film noir. Lusty viewers may be drawn in by the promise of girl-on-girl action, but they'll be kept glued to their seats by the tension as the plot progresses.
Essentially, 'Bound' is a great double-cross movie, using the staple film noir format of the femme fatale in league with the drifter - who, in this instance, happens to be another woman. Setting the action almost entirely in two adjacent apartments adds a clautrophobic edge to proceedings as the gangster's moll (Jennifer Tilly) does her best to misdirect her beau (Joe Pantoliano), so that she and the ex-con handywoman next door (Gina Gershon) can elope with a horde of mob money. Of course, things don't go entirely to plan; isn't it always so...
It's a simple story, told well. Yes, it's kind of sleazy; mainstream movies don't get much more explicit than this. However, film noir always was a bit sleazy. Much like the horror genre, it explores the darker parts of human experience and imagination, allowing viewers to indulge their less socially acceptable tendencies in a safe, fantasy environment. And why not? I, for one, see absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of titillating sex and violence when it is performed in the right spirit, and 'Bound' does so admirably, and, for once, within a well written, well acted and well shot film. Hang up your hang ups, and enjoy.
Essentially, 'Bound' is a great double-cross movie, using the staple film noir format of the femme fatale in league with the drifter - who, in this instance, happens to be another woman. Setting the action almost entirely in two adjacent apartments adds a clautrophobic edge to proceedings as the gangster's moll (Jennifer Tilly) does her best to misdirect her beau (Joe Pantoliano), so that she and the ex-con handywoman next door (Gina Gershon) can elope with a horde of mob money. Of course, things don't go entirely to plan; isn't it always so...
It's a simple story, told well. Yes, it's kind of sleazy; mainstream movies don't get much more explicit than this. However, film noir always was a bit sleazy. Much like the horror genre, it explores the darker parts of human experience and imagination, allowing viewers to indulge their less socially acceptable tendencies in a safe, fantasy environment. And why not? I, for one, see absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of titillating sex and violence when it is performed in the right spirit, and 'Bound' does so admirably, and, for once, within a well written, well acted and well shot film. Hang up your hang ups, and enjoy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Where's The Money ?
After watching this with a five year gap inbetween viewings i must admit to seeing a few flaws in the film overall which i must admit to not noticing last time around. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Scott Claxton
Sexy, Stylish, Suspenseful...
If this was a Coen brothers' film, which it resembles in many ways and not a pre-Matrix erotic crime 'noir' from the Wachowski brothers that this is, then maybe this superbly... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tim Kidner
Love could mean you lose a finger.
Before the Wachowski brothers made The Matrix they made this little indie gem of a movie. What is lack's in the Matrix's special effects and kung-fu, we have nail biting tension,... Read more
Published 6 months ago by vi
tip top hot film noir fun
Extremely entertaining thriller , a little cheesey at times but so what . Gina Gershon is great and extremely sexy . A definate guilty pleasure . Read more
Published 9 months ago by cartoon
My fav film
I totaly love this, could watch it again and again. The girls are cute, the bad guys are so bad, there are some nasty bits but it ends up a happy ending. Definitly buy it!
Published 12 months ago by Sophie Lloyd
A slow starter but quite gripping at times
'Bound' is an unusual lesbian/mafia drama based on a ploy to swipe $2 million of dirty cash from the mob. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by LXIX
Violet and Corkey and The Perfect Plan
Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon are Violet and Corkey, not necessarily dangerous women - just don't want to be messed around. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2008 by DL Productions UK
SOOOOO BAD!!!!
If I could give this 0 stars I would. I seriously can't understand why anyone would give this 5 stars! Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2008 by Ayn Rand
A considerable disappointment
I found this film a major disappointment. The plot seemed hackneyed and the sexual motif contrived and unnecessary. Read more
Published on 28 April 2008 by Dr. W. Onyeama
oh my
this is one of the worst movies I ever saw. Bad actors, stupid story, predictable from the start. If there was something good, sorry I didn't get it.
Published on 25 Jan 2008 by Viktoria Veronese
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