Bound (1996) - Look past the lesbian angle

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!).

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one