I caught a screening of Brtian De Palma's 'Femme Fatale'...if you remember, this is the Director who brought us the deplorable 'Mission to Mars' and ' Snake Eyes'...yet, he also brought us the masterful 'Scarface' and my favorite - 'The Untouchables'...while it ain't the greatest...its' plot twists will keep you seated, uf you are atechnical freak like myself, his imagery will compel you...if that fails...Rebecca Romijn- Stamos' body will surely keep you happy!
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There is no other modern-day Feature Film Director who can single handedly build suspense in an elegant and exciting manner as Brian De Palma can. To many this can come as an overstatement, and this critic is aware that the proponents of Hitchcock and M. Night Shymalan will rise and criticize. But allow me to reiterate, De Palma is the master of modern day suspense.
After a string of simply awful films starting with the immensely disappointing ‘Mission: Impossible’, he then went on to direct the experimental ‘Snake Eyes’ and failed once again with ‘Mission to Mars’. This trilogy of films, which featured truly deplorable cinema, tarnished De Palma’s status and as a result, he seemed to be an outcast for quite some time (Please bear in mind; this is the same Director who brought to the world ‘Carlito’s Way’, ‘Body Double’, ‘Scarface’ and the masterful ‘ The Untouchables’. A lower class of film is unacceptable when such masterpieces were brought forward).
And while the 80’s were kind to De Palma, the 90’s were not – yet, it can be noted every time he did not deliver, he returned with a truly surreal experience, as was the case with the 1990 fiasco ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’. After being hailed as one of the worst films of the year, he fired back with ‘Raising Cain’. A psychological journey, which proved he had the prerequisites to helm a crafty film.
Here is Mr. De Palma again in the year 2002 with a personal ‘F-You’ to the Hollywood elite as he silences those who criticized him before. Please note, I am an avid follower of De Palma’s work and as such have always extrapolated some cinematic ‘avant-garde ness’ with even his worst films. But with his newest film ‘Femme Fatale’, it is a moviegoer’s dream to view a wave of technical craftsmanship on this film.
‘Femme Fatale’ is quite the eye opener, not only for Rebecca Romijn-Stamos’ lusty scenes, but also for its’ technical merit. Not only can De Palma build suspense like no other, but he can also make effective use of the split-screen shot in a truly auspicious manner. All this being said, ‘Femme Fatale’ is nowhere near to being a masterpiece, but it is indeed a step in the right direction for our newly rediscovered Director.
De Palma wrote and lensed ‘Femme Fatale’ in a no-holds barred manner. There are enough plot twists and turns to outdo a roller coaster and while the acting is a tad on the shady side, De Palma compensates with some stunning visuals courtesy of Cinematographer Thierry Arbogast (The Professional, The Fifth Element) and a visceral score by Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Last Emperor, Snake Eyes).
Starring Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in a cataclysmic career turn and the generic Antonio Banderas who always strokes his hair to the back of his head, De Palma’s script manages to make these two tepid characters actually watchable as he unravels a crafty and witty film filled with plot holes and irregularities. Yet, despite these flaws, De Palma engineers a truly refreshing film that will have many pondering over the film after its’ run time of 1hr and 50mins.
Romijn-Stamos stars as the sultry and seductive Laure Ash, a simply stunning thief who wishes to escape her crooked past after she nabs a 10$ Million diamond bustier at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. The film opens with one of the most invigorating scenes in recent memory as De Palma displays his technical prowess by amalgamating all the characteristics, which allow for great cinema. The introductory sequence opens with images from the Billy Wilder classic ‘Double Indemnity’ and slowly combines the art of editing, music and Direction as we are whisked away to the Film Festival where one of the biggest heists is about to take place.
De Palma uses his crew well as he creates a ubiquitous introductory sequence that will have the discerning viewer salivating due to its’ rich techniques. From there, the double crosses and the ‘I saw that coming’ sequences surmount as the film turns in every which direction except that of a bad film. One only has to study the dialogue (watch for Romijn-Stamos’ dialogue with Banderas when they are about to have anal sex) and they will know De Palma was going for a different type of film noir. Surely influenced by David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive’ the film is quite exciting and is sincerely worth a look for its’ merit, skill and clout as a film.
In this type of film, it is fairly simple to run into the pratfall of a typical Hollywood ending, yet here, the script calls for much symbolism and metaphoric references (the necklace results in ‘divine justice’?) as this Hollywood piece seems like a foreign film. Filmed in France and using much French talent behind the camera, it retains a sense of foreignness as De Palma presents another memorable opening sequence. The first 20 minutes of the film are mostly all in the Parisian language and subtitles guide the viewer as the ride ensues. De Palma even inserts true French talent such as Sandrine Bonnaire and Henri Ernst at the Cannes Film Festival to lend the film some authenticity.
In a nutshell, the film is worth a look due to its’ elevated filmmaking from De Palma and any movie that stars a generic Banderas that is actually watchable must be well made. De Palma displays hints of untapped and rejuvenated brilliance and while it is not the greatest film, it s definitely a solid film.
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