Femme Fatale Movie Review:


Brian De Palma is a talented filmmaker that I really don't understand. He has made very solid films that I adore, such as Carrie (1976), Scarface (1983), Carlito's Way (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), and The Untouchables (1987). On the other hand, he has also made films that just misfire terribly like The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Mission to Mars (2000), and Snake Eyes (1998). He is an inspirator of the great Alfred Hitchcock, and honestly De Palma directly copies a lot of his methods in his films. Now De Palma unleashes his new erotic thriller Femme Fatale, in which I understood what he was doing and where he was going with the film, but it is still a terrible movie. It is a sexy tale of voyeurism that is one of the worst films of the year.

The film opens with a jewel heist at the Cannes Film Festival. The target for a few thieves is to steal 10 million-dollar diamonds that hardly cover the top half of a supermodel at the festival. After the model is seduced in the bathroom by the beautiful thief named Laure Ash (Romijn-Stamos), which is where her diamonds are swapped for glass replicates during a sexual encounter. Laure then double-crosses the rest of her theft crew and barely escapes. Next, she finds herself being mistaken for a look-a-like widow and is eventually on her way from France to America in the arms of a sharp American named Watts (Coyote). The film then flashes forward seven years with Laure now married to Watts and moving back to France because he is the new U.S. Ambassador. Not wanting the remaining thieves that she double-crossed knowing her identity, the media is left without a single photo of the new Ambassador's wife. In steps Nicolas Bardo (Banderas), who is a paparazzo that luckily gets a photo of Laure and sells it to the local media for some quick cash. Nicolas is next drawn into Laure's web of seduction and evilness to be a pawn in her ultimate plan.

As you can see with the problems that I had discussing a synopsis of this film, it is really lost, overstylized, and overall dumb. Femme Fatale has a weak plot and an even more annoying cop-out of twists in the world of erotic voyeurism.

De Palma uses all kind of technical tricks (mostly invented by Hitchcock or Orson Welles) to supposedly lure the audience into this noir-twisted thriller. Examples in the film are many split-screens, slow motion, continuous panes and point of view shots. A lot of De Palma's camera work is very reminiscent of Vertigo (1958) and Rear Window (1954) in my opinion. Over the years, De Palma has always used camera tricks through trial and error with some decisions succeeding, while others failing. Though his directional style is noticeably here, it has a nostalgia to it that has been seen before by others directors, as well as De Palma with his previous work.

De Palma's script of the film is more riddled with problems. The big secret of the story will catch audiences off guard, but I myself knew that something was going on from all of De Palma's early clues. I didn't know what exactly was going to happen, but I sensed something twisted would arise by the conclusion of the film. The plot, if you want to say the film has one, is somewhat of a character's voyeuristic journey with her changing her life for the worst or the better. The characters are stiff, with no depth whatsoever and nobody cares about what will happen to each of them by the end of the film. The dialogue is even worse, which seemed to stride for some comedy in the story, but I hardly chuckled at all. The overall script for the film is dreadful.

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is a stunning and beautiful model-actress, but she is awful in her role as Laurie. Romijn-Stamos' delivery is flat and her range is off as well. Hopefully she will bounce back in X-Men 2 (2003) next summer. Not much else can be said for Antonio Banderas, who plays the photographer Nicolas. This is one of Banderas' weakest roles. I like Antonio Banderas as actor, I believe he has incredible eyes and the presence to hold a film together. However, if he has bad material to begin with, what else can he do to make it work. I don't really want to say this, but I hope that Banderas' choices lately of erotic thrillers like Original Sin (2001) and Femme Fatale doesn't start a trend for his acting choices. He is a lot better than the material he is given in Femme Fatale.

This film really didn't have much going for it from the start. I found Femme Fatale to be like another horrendous movie that also keeps you shaking your head called Eye of the Beholder (1999). Fans of De Palma might be intrigued to go see this one, as well as adult audiences, but there is nothing really good to recommend about this film. As for my not understanding De Palma, it is just mind boggling to see a director that's work is so awesome in some films, also be so lost with others.

Report Card Grade: F

11/07/02

Joseph C. Tucker

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