Rent Bound (1996)

hot, steamy and a great story - Bound review by SM

Some girl-on-girl action to start with, then a crime caper with growing tension leading to to an excellent ending. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Excellent Erotic Thriller - Bound review by GI

Part erotic thriller, part gangster and part film noir this is a gem of a film that you may not have come across. Written and directed by the then Wachowski Brothers (now sisters) it is a superbly scripted story that has a twist and turn plot, it's sexy and clever and is full of surprises. Gina Gershon plays ex-con Corky who is renovating an apartment as part of her parole. She meets the sexy Violet (Jennifer Tilly) from next door and very soon they begin a passionate affair. Violet's partner is Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), a money launderer for the mafia and ruthless thug. She convinces Corky she wants to escape from Caesar and together they hatch a plan to steal $2million of the Mob's money and get Caesar blamed for it. It appears a perfect plan but Caesar is cleverer and more unpredictable than they envisaged. There's some innovative camerawork that is very stylish giving the film a contemporary feel even with a plot that is reminiscent of a classic Hollywood film. It's a great little film that is excellently written and directed and delivers a story that keeps you hooked throughout with some edge of your seat bits and occasional unexpected shocks.

Trust Nobody? - Bound review by Steve

Polished neo-noir with a big switcheroo. This isn't an unexpected plot twist... But, instead of conventional lovers who conspire to eliminate an unwanted husband, there is an affair between two young women. Maybe something like this was done covertly in classic noir. But this isn't coded... 

So I suppose it invents... lesbian-noir. Jennifer Tilly is the ditzy femme fatale who lures her butch neighbour- Gina Gershon- into a scheme  to rob the mafia of $2m and leave her psycho-boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano) holding an empty bag. Which leads to unexpected complications.

It's directed with ostentatious style by the Wachowskis (on debut) who make a big impact with a small budget And they contribute a lively script loaded with irony and laconic wit. Admittedly, the plot is standard noir and the twist are nothing special. The pitch for this story is that the lovers are women.

Otherwise, this is a TVM. Except for the violence. It's not creepy, and there's no nudity but it's still tastefully hot. Tilly and Gershon have chemistry to burn, like a pair of prowling cats. Pantoliano as the male dupe barely registers. For lovers of noir or sexy thrillers this is a cult classic.