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FEMME FATALE ***1/2 out of *****
 Genres
2002
Written and directed by Brian De Palma Cast Rebecca Romijn-Stamos .... Laure Ash/Lily Antonio Banderas .... Nicolas Bardo Peter Coyote .... Bruce Watts Eriq Ebouaney .... Black Tie Edouard Montoute .... Racine Rie Rasmussen .... Veronica Thierry Frémont .... Serra Gregg Henry .... Leonard Shiff Fiona Curzon .... Stanfield Phillips Daniel Milgram .... Pierre/Bartender
 | Approximate transcirpt of Banderas'
dialogue: "Waaaahhhh!!!!" | After a two year hiatus (following Mission to Mars), Brian De Palma came back in 2002 with this sexy thriller about a jewellery heist at the Cannes Film Festival goes wrong. After a series of box office flops, critics panned him for not having made a decent film since 1993’s Carlito’s Way. De Palma took the time off and, after attending the Cannes Film Festival, got the idea for this film. Taking influence from film noir and injecting his own unique vision, De Palma set out to make the ultimate exercise in style and deception. Whether he achieved is entirely up to the viewer, as the film managed to split audiences right down the middle. Some called it a waste of time, while others praised it as a work of genius.
Femme Fatale is a contemporary film noir about an alluring seductress, Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), who is part of a team set up to execute an elaborate jewellery heist. But when she double-crosses her team she finds herself suddenly exposed to the world and her enemies by a voyeuristic photographer Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas), who becomes ensnared in her surreal quest for revenge.
 | Lady, a bath is supposed to help
you relax. | The film is paced gradually and slowly with the occasional edge-of-your-seat scene throughout until it culminates in a twist ending that will at first confuse some viewers. There’s no point in going into any detail about the end as it will no doubt spoil it for those that haven’t seen it.
The real question however is "is this is a good film?" Personally I enjoyed it all the way through. De Palma has created a very surreal Hitchcockian film that delivers on the drama and suspense. It intrigues the viewer and keeps them following the characters until the end. It’s very much an American film with a European sensibility about it. Additionally Banderas is perfectly cast as the sly photographer, and there is an amazing electricity to the scenes he shares with Romijn-Stamos who, aside from the erotic elements, delivers a fine performance quite possibly her best dramatic performance of her career.
 | Ah, the simple days of 2002. When
any man could be seduced with the
macarena. | Technically the film is a visual achievement, the photography by French cinematographer Thierry Arbogast is stunning to say the least, vivid colours and moody lighting using a lot of shadow detail lends itself comfortably to the tone of the film, and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s musical score compliments the images.
Like it or hate it, Femme Fatale is certainly a return to De Palma’s better days, For those that haven’t seen it and enjoy film noir or Hitchcock films I recommend you give this flick a shot.
Finger_Of_DOOM's reviews also appear on DVD Compare, where they include details of the DVD release. For this review click here. |
