Bound review

 Number 862 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Wachowski sisters' directorial debut and neo-noir crime-thriller 'Bound.'

Violet (Jennifer Tilly) is the girlfriend to the violent and unpredictable money launderer to the mob Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) and is sick of being in the life. She starts a clandestine affair with ex-con and neighbour Corky (Gina Gershon.) The two start plotting to rip off Caesar and the mob and then cut and run.

What the Wachowskis did with Bound was take a genre that's had its heyday - noir - and injected some new life into it. They did this through Violet and Corky's lesbian relationship. Reportedly, the Wachoskis struggled in finding an interested studio and actresses, but they stuck to the guns and I'm glad they did, instead of giving the more conventional route of a straight relationship. Putting a lesbian love affair front-and-centre was a brave choice for the nineties, but it worked well. Representation in mainstream media is such a buzzword in modern cinema, but Bound, showed that when representation is done right, it's great to watch. Gay women can do everything straight men can do.

It would have been all too easy to have a man in Violet's place, convincing his lover to help him flee the mob. But this gender-bending helped to subvert a clever cliche. I also enjoyed how Violet and Corky were both equals. In the noir films of old, it would be the male hero doing all the exciting stuff, while the woman stood by and looked pretty. yet as much of a badass Corky is, Violet was every bit her equal.

It is Violet who kicks the story into gear. When things go wrong, it is she who stays calm and doesn't panic. And when Caesar figures out their plan, it is she who manipulates things to her advantage. And it is Violet, not Corky, who *spoiler alert* kills Caesar, successfully completing their heist.

Conversely, the tough-as-nails, closed-off Carly has a chance to display her more sensitive side - and all credit to Gina Gershon who took what could have been just another emotionally closed-off woman and made her a character in her own right. Jennifer Tilly was also great as a femme fatale type role.

I've been speaking at length about the female leads, but I have to mention Joe Pantoliano. In his debut lead role, he played the slimy and manipulative Caesar to a tee. Pantoliano has a penchant for playing memorable villains whether that's in on the Sopranos or Memento or the Matrix. He's a great actor. So is Christopher Meloni who gave a memorable performance as secondary villain, fellow mobster and Caesar's rival 'Johnny.' He provided a lot of dark comic relief.

I thoroughly enjoyed this neo-noir thriller. It was gripping throughout, maybe not always the most believable, but it was a hell of a ride.