Bound (1996)

The mistress (Jennifer Tilly) of a mafioso (Joe Pantoliano) wants out of the life. To escape it, she enters a relationship with a lesbian ex-con (Gina Gershon) and together they plot a dangerous scheme to steal two million dollars of mafia money. Written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski in their directorial debut. It's an audacious film debut, a stylish and clever neo noir that upends our expectations of the genre. The three leads give superb performances but it's Jennifer Tilly's ambiguous femme fatale that drives the movie forward. We're never sure what she's really thinking as she's a master manipulator. While much has been made of the lesbian relationship at the film's center, it's not really a "queer" film. At the time of its initial release, much ado was made about the film's violence which disturbed many film critics but today, violence in cinema has far exceeded what we see in this movie. In its own way, it's a groundbreaking film but it really is a crackerjack thriller that stands with the best of film noir. Mention must be made of Bill Pope's polished cinematography. With John Ryan, Christopher Meloni and Mary Mara.