Femme Fatale

FEMME FATALE (2002) * Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote, Ariq Ebouaney, Edouard Montoute, Rie Rasmussen, Thierry Fremont, Gregg Henry. Filmmaker Brian DePalma once again goes to the Hitchcockian well one time too often in this dreadfully listless and incredibly pedestrian ‘thriller' about a bad French girl (Romijn-Stamos doing a killer Sharon Stone cum Grace Kelly turn) whose identity as a criminal threatens to be usurped when she attempts a change in life by marrying a wealthy American diplomat and photographer Banderas (in one of his worst displays of acting) as the patsy she becomes embroiled with involving murder, blackmail and mistaken identity. Too much of a thinly veiled attempt by DePalma to breathe fresh life into a long-gone corpse: the erotic mystery via travelogue despite his pulling out all the stops (vertigo inducing cinematography, split-screens, etc.) that he has been notorious for. Boring and tedious in its theatricality; a real shame from a master auteur.

Brian De Palma's 'Femme Fatale' is pure movie-making. In fact, it is done so well you almost forget it is all close to nonsense. But who cares, 'Femme Fatale' is an exercise in style drenched in twists and turns. Instead of cheating De Palma gives us a lot of little hints, easily missed the first time you see it. Explaining the story could ruin a lot and is probably useless anyway.

I can tell the film opens with a heist, probably one of the most erotic ones out there. Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) is the one who goes away with a very expensive artifact betraying a whole lot of people. This event is what drives her the rest of the movie, but in what way I can not reveal. I can say that we move forward to seven years later and that Laure has changed her identity, more by mistake than on purpose. Another important thing I can tell you is that we meet a photographer named Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas). He takes a picture of Laure while she is still Laure and he is the one who takes a picture of her seven years later, a photo that could spoil everything for her.

I should stop talking about the story. You have to see it for yourself, collecting clues and try to make something out of it. I love a movie like this. 'Memento', 'Mulholland Dr.' and 'Donnie Darko' are other examples. Maybe you can figure them out, if that is the filmmakers intention, maybe you can not. But it is not so much the conclusion I enjoy, it is the ride that brings us there. De Palma does it in a terrific way with a lot of love for the movies.

Since De Palma directed the debacle that was Mission Impossible, it seemed like a genius director has lost it all but this latest movie by the "new Hitchcock" is perhaps one of his strongest since "Carlito's Way" and the masterpiece "Body Double". The story itself is quite simple : during the filmfestival of Cannes is a bunch of diamonds stolen but then the fun begins...you really have to be attentive during the whole movie as every minute De Palma puts you on a wrong foot just like we're used to by the master of the black thrillers... An absolute must!!!!

As I've always supported Brain's work, I guess I'm not very objective in my opinion. This film is a kind of "best of" of this brilliant director. The fans or the people who loves a certain kind of formal achievement can be hooked by this movie. But the others... The screenplay is the real wickness of this movie: too many non-senses can "hurt" most of the audiance (at the end, I've also heard some laughts!). Even for me, I've sometimes had hard-time because the story seems to have no logical ("why did she do this?" "and him, why is he there?", etc...) But when you see the Key of the movie, I mean the real theme, you can accept most of the things you've seen. Or not... Forget the screenplay and watch! That's the only way to appreciate this movie.

This erotic action thriller starts with an exquisitely designed diamond theft set against an authentically recreated red carpet premiere at 2001 Cannes Film Festival. There mercenary thief Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn) participates in a diamond heist. The scheme is for Laure to steal a necklace of valuable diamonds from the ensemble of a female attendant named Veronica (Rie Rasmussen). Posing as a French photojournalist, Laure gains access to the festival gathering, where she lures Veronica to the ladies room and begins to seduce her in a stall, during which Laure's two accomplices "Black Tie" (Eriq Ebouaney) and Racine (Édouard Montrouge). But a Spanish paparazzo named Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas) chases her and takes her picture. Nothing is more desirable or more deadly than a woman with a secret!.

This haunting thriller flick is plenty of mystery, intrigue and suspenseful. A highly exploitative and fast-paced suspense/thriller, recognisably from the blood-spattered hands of expert cinéaste Brian De Palma. The film displays a great and catching musical score by Ryuichi Sakamoto who along with Pino Donaggio are De Palma's favorite composers, in Bernard Herrmann style and imitating former hits. There is much for De Palma buffs to savour in this thrilling and atmospheric handling of a complex story with deliberately old-fashioned treatment. This elegantly dreamy 'Femme Fatale' is as rich and rare as anything De Palma's made for a while. The cinéphile Brian De Palma is a genre unto himself these days, including his own trademarks and a plot twist which, as the writer/filmmaker admits, will alienate half the audience. The film sets luxurious scenaries and brilliant gowns at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival in France with some actual happeninings in the red carpet. The movie introduces us to Hitchcock style, adding Brian de Palma's own films from Marnie, Rear Window , Obsession, Blow-out to Dressed to kill. It can be the answer to De Palma's feminist critics , but tall willowy Rebecca Romijn makes a poised , confident heroine and the visuals are often impressive. Adding special characteristics techniques as ominous camera movements and split screen. The mechanics of suspense are worked quite well by the filmmaker and many frighten the easily scared quite adequately, but De Palma has made a habit of dwelling on their more sordid side-shoots. The result is provocative, surprising, outrageous and fun. Rebecca Romijn gives an essentially erotic acting as a woman tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a con-woman comes back to haunt her. And Antonio Banderas is pretty good as a nosy photographer who gets involved in twisted problems.

It contains colorful and glamorous cinematography by cameraman Thierry Arbogast, as well as perceptible and thrilling musical score by composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Displaying a professional and graphically mysterious direction from cinéphile Brian De Palma. ¨Femme fatale¨ is Brian De Palma's homage to Hitchcock and the reason for the chief amusement turning out to be inquire what scenes taken from Master of suspense. That's why takes parts especially from Hitchcock. The flick was well directed Brian De Palma in his usual style, but it turns out to be inferior to the other similar suspense films that he directed. This ¨Femme Fatale¨ (2002) ¨along with ¨Sisters¨, ¨Body Double¨, ¨Dressed to Kill¨, ¨Blow out¨ resulting outwardly another ode to Hitchcock with the accent on the killing, but on most occasion is really decent. Rating : 6/10. Acceptable and passable, it gets some riveting basic ideas and fascinating images .