Bound (1996) Dir: Lily & Lana Wachowski

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This 1996 crime thriller, directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, had been floating around on my watchlist for a little while, before I finally got around yo watching it. It holds a very respectable set of ratings and scores online, which was, of course, very encouraging, and the inclusion of Jennifer Tilly, an actress I have a soft spot for, thanks to the 'Chucky' franchise, only helped matters. The only Wachowski films I had seen to this point were 'The Matrix' films, which I imagine is the case for a lot of people, in fairness, but I was glad to finally expand my knowledge of their filmography.

It was so evident, even from the very first scene of the film, that this was a Wachowski sisters creation. The cinematography was definitely akin to that of 'The Matrix'. Everything from the lighting, the costumes, and even the set dressing to an extent, screamed Wachowski sisters. As such, you can imagine that I was very keen on the film's aesthetics, being such a keen fan of the original 'Matrix' film, which would come out just three years after this.

The film had a focused and intense narrative, which overflowed with suspense and high stakes. The film noir influences were clear to see, particularly with such a prominent and memorable femme fatale character. The twist was, of course, the sapphic nature of the story, which I thought was done excellently. The dynamics were so smoothly executed, and the juxtaposition of love and distrust was so well performed and written - the whole film was riveting.

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly absolutely nailed their characters, and the respective dynamic between them. Their on-screen chemistry was so strong that it would be very believable to suggest that they were real-life lovers. Tilly did, occasionally, get a little too dramatic, but it kind of worked with the nature of the story. Meanwhile, Gershon performed her masc character so naturally, and so charismatically, that it made every scene of hers exceedingly compelling.

Joe Pantoliano had a tough challenge to meet the levels produced by the two leading women, but he did a superb job, in my opinion. In fact, I would go so far as to call this my favourite performance of his to-date, including 'The Matrix'. I also wanted to give a quick mention to John P. Ryan, whose role was significantly smaller than the names mentioned above, but was memorable enough to make him worth talking about.

Overall, I very quickly worked out why this is such a beloved crime classic in the queer community. It's intense, it's thrilling, and it's scintillating in its presentation of sapphic romance. The final stretch of this film was so tense, and it made for absolutely riveting viewing. Now that I've seen it, and I can see how good it is, I can't believe more people haven't seen it. The Wachowski's nailed it.