BOUND is a Tarantino-style thriller that comes to us courtesy of the Wachowski siblings. These are the two brothers (who have now transitioned to sisters) who wowed audiences with THE MATRIX but have been disappointing ever since. I quite liked this as an early step in their career, although it is quite forgettable and quite clearly a B-movie.I did get a chuckle when I read that Bogart and Eastwood were acting inspirations for the main characters, played by a game Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. Both are acceptable as the couple embarking on a torrid lesbian affair and getting involved with some violent gangsters, but to link this to classic, golden age cinema in any way, shape, or form is a joke. Gershon has done better work elsewhere while Tilly is too much of a mouth breather (similar to Renee Zellweger) to take seriously.Instead, as I said, the influence is clearly Tarantino, so expect lots of shouty moments, quick fire dialogue, and expletives. I thought the use of the single location (a grubby apartment) was handled very well, and there are some nice twists and turns as the story progresses. Joe Pantoliano (MEMENTO) gives probably the best performance as the out-of-his-head boyfriend, and it's nice to see John P. Ryan (IT'S ALIVE) on screen again, although he looks very old and isn't in it much; this was his last acting role.

Corky (Gina Gershon) is a lesbian ex-con who is working as a handywoman in an apartment building owned by criminals. Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) are the couple living next door to the room she's working on. Violet seduces Corky. Violet wants to run off and suggests stealing $2 million from Caesar who is laundering money for the mob.This has fabulous noir style. It is darkly beautiful. The Wachowskis show early on their amazing visual style. This is also very sexy due to the pairing of Gershon and Tilly. They are not only beautiful but they also have these magnetic personalities. They fit their roles so well. The Wachowskis add brutal violence to this heady mix for their impressive directorial debut.

Bound is the story of... lesbians. Or at least that's what a lot of people seem to dwell on when talking about the film. Actually, any lesbian activity is only a small part of the film. Bound is actually a tale of deception and doublecrossing where a couple of women (yes, lesbians) hatch a plan to steal money from the mob.Whereas with other gangster films, they rely on constantly witty dialogue to establish character, or various other gimmicks. Bound is simple cause and effect. What starts out as a relatively straightforward plan leads to something going wrong, which leads to something else going wrong and so on.Issues of trust, loyalty, love, violence and everything else are covered, along with a couple of sex scenes and violence utilizing pruning shears. All of this is choreographed beautifully by the Wachowski brothers. However, it's Joe Pantoliano who steals the show. He plays a wiseguy that gets caught in the downward spiral which the girls have created.If you're looking for a sexy, stylish, tense thriller, this is for you (just don't expect any 'Matrix-style' fight scenes!).

Well, I'm almost out of words to express how surprised I got with this picture. Violet and Corky are two girls that start on a date, and when we see, they are planning to rob Violet's husband in order to escape with the money. I believed this movie would center around the girls' love, but actually it's the less striking aspect of it-- male audience may disagree with me, since the few scenes involving that aspect are extremely sexy. There are lots of twists that make you feel entertained and thrilled with such good writing, with an initially simple plan that goes wrong and turns out to be a cat-and-mouse chasing. The ending is very Hollywood and let loose, making you feel like that girls rocked-- and in fact, they did. GREAT movie-- in my opinion, better than 1999's "Matrix". Don't be hateful on me.