Originally posted by Lenny Nero
Ahem. *Braces himself* Alright, here we go.
Whoa! Dude, did you see, and then, tadada, all of that, and wham, and he, whoosh, and then kaching, and you ooooh, and then she, aha, and then everything and everyone wheeew, and you go, damn!
Right then. This is Brian de Palma's newest film. If you want to find out more, I suggest you go see it in theaters as soon as it's released.
[/end European trailer rip-off in the excited pre-pubescent 12-year old American style]
So, once in a while there comes a movie that makes you realize just how bad the crap you enjoyed actually was, all for the lack of anything better. Femme Fatale is that movie. In the previous months I've watched bad to average forgetable stuff like The Tuxedo, Transporter, I Spy, Truth About Charlie, Ghost Ship, etc, and I've waited for my "next fix" after Ecks vs Sever, hoping Femme Fatale would finally be it. There are some similarities, both of them have Antonio Banderas getting his ass whipped "by a girl" and the great Gregg Henry as a shady character, as well as a beautiful, dominating title female. But similarities, aside from enjoyment, end there.
This is a superbly crafted movie, anything you shake at it, you won't find a plot hole here. The whole film is made up of de Palma's signatures, lots and lots of long takes with an always moving, gliding camera covering intricately detailed scenes, where every bit matters, long split screens, long POVs, all not merely tricks, but a part of, the essense of the movie and its story, driving it forward in a masterfuly edited together film.
If you like that, this is your movie. If you like time gaps, loopbacks full circle, where nothing is what it seems, then this is your movie. If you'd like to see Rebecca Romijn-Stamos be a bad, cunning, decieving, gun toting, cold, manipulative, half-naked lapdancing, vicious b... um girl, then this is your movie.
I had a big smile throughout the whole film out of pure enjoyment, so much so that my cheek muscles got tired of being so happy all the time. Within the first 15 minutes of an awesome opening montage, I knew this is something special, and half-way in, I started thinking in the back of my mind which movie to kick out of my Top 10 to make space for this masterpiece. Yes, some say my taste is bad, but I actually think it's just very intricate, very broad, yet particular in what I like, and following my recommendations, if people don't hate the movie, they love it, there is no middle ground. Femme Fatale is not something to be missed, I promise.
BTW, I wish they used that great European trailer in US, much better at representing the movie than the US version.
Anyway, I'd love to talk about my favorite scenes, of which there are many, how explicit , "ammoral", mischievously great they are, in detail, but that would just spoil it, better go find out for yourself!
******/5
Yes, that's 6 out 5. Time to move another out of Top10 in anticipation of the DVD :thumbs:
To prove my point further, here are a bunch of quotes about the movie:
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"An exciting cinematic ravishment
with mind-bending style"
Glen Kenny, Premiere Magazine
"An eye-popping
shriek-at-every-turn
thriller for movie buffs.
Brian De Palma's cleverest,
most entertaining film in years."
Rex Reed, The New York Observer
"Plots within plots,
and payoffs after payoffs."
Roger Ebert, Chicago-Sun Times
"Ingeniously twisty and audaciously
twisted. It's worth seeing twice."
Joe Leydon, San Francisco Examiner
"It's his sexiest, most suspenseful
thriller since 'Body Double'."
Dave Itzkoff, Spin Magazine
"Its sheer visual ingenuity is
as breathtaking as anything
you'll see on screen anywhere.
Gourmet eye candy."
Geoff Pevere, The Toronto Star
"A stunningly conducted visual symphony"
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
"It's filled with moments when you think
'De Palma wouldn't dare, would he?'
after which, sure enough, he dares."
Glenn Kenny, Premiere
"When a neo-noir virtuoso such as Brian
De Palma calls a movie Femme Fatale,
you know he means business"
David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
"An extravagant suspense cocktail of
wacky and lascivious ingredients"
Variety
"...a film of relentless sex, spectacular
sequences without dialogue, plots within
plots, and payoffs after payoffs.
De Palma is in form."
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"[De Palma's] playfulness is infectious..."
Stephen Farber, Movieline
"Ingeniously twisty
and audaciously twisted...
It's likely worth seeing twice, just to
fully appreciate how De Palma hides
everything in plain sight"
Joe Leydon, San Francisco Examiner
"...has a vitality and verve that hasn't
been seen in [De Palma's] films since the
days of Dressed to Kill and Body Double"
Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
"De Palma's best film since Carrie..."
"Femme Fatale provided several sequences
that still haunt my dreams..."
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is the 2002 Cannes
Film Festival's "only incomparable object"
Amy Taubin
"...one of the most interesting
female characters to hit the screen
since John Dahl?s The Last Seduction."
David Nusair, Exclaim!
"...the greatest, most stirring
gratuitous ***** sex scene ever"
Rolling Stone
"The absolute best bisexual jewel
thief who performs extended
stripteases while seducing a potentially
crooked paparazzo movie ever."
Maxim
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