Noirvember: "Bound" (1996)
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at 10:31PM 
by Chris Feil
It's worth remembering that while the Wachowski's career has been defined by The Matrix and to a lesser extent their following sci-fi films, they actually started their careers in another genre entirely. Bound, their 1996 queer crime thriller starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly, launched them onto the scene as audacious visual stylists and smart thrillmakers. If noir has basically died in our current film landscape, this film represents one of its great final moments.
The Matrix may have changed the game for science fiction in a multitude of ways, but Bound is more singular in how it shakes up genre. Gershon and Tilly play to archetype, but Gershon's Corky follows traits traditionally prescribed to a male hero. Corky is even mistaken as a man by Joe Pantoliano's (also archetypal) gangster - the look of her even recalls a James Dean-type matinee idol after a prison stint. Tilly's Violet remains the underestimated femme fatale in maybe her very best performance. The magic though is in their smoldering chemistry, giving the kind of connection you can feel even in scenes they don't share.
By making its central love story between two women, it provides a heightened but natural context for noir's thematic staples of gender, trust, and societal fringes. Considering the social climate of when Bound was released, the lesbian love story is inherently political, their sexual desire still dangerous without being presented with judgment. The actual depiction of sex is tasteful but breathlessly sexy, just on the moody side of salacious. Nevertheless, turning what could have been an otherwise standard heteronormative tryst into the sapphic contributes to the urgency of the dynamic even if the story beats aren't revolutionary.
Which isn't to say that the film is without a stylized charge - can it really be noir without a distinct visual experience? The Wachowski's drew on Frank Miller's aesthetic of harsh angles and lurid monochrome, which would carry over into The Matrix (Tilly's first look feels like Trinity's daywear collection). Peter Greenaway's use of color as metaphor also feels like an influence here, blood reds and midnight blues conveying as much about the danger and longing as Gershon and Tilly's performances. Its some of the most expressive and inquisitive work of cinematographer Bill Pope's career.
But Bound is still fascinatingly displaced in time. Gershon is 50s greaser to Tilly's mid-90s bared midriff, Pantoliano in ill-fitting early-80s doublebreasted suit in his art deco-tinged apartment while 60s soul hums on the soundtrack. Without many cultural markers bleeding into the narrative, it could almost exist in any era since noir has existed. The thought given to these disparate influences complement the timelessness of noir's common themes - games of trust and hidden truth, the struggle to escape treacherous social environments unscathed. That the Wachowski's were able to tie it to a queer narrative is simple elegance.
Reader Comments (11)
I just recently saw this for the first time and it's SO GREAT! I really love how much Tilly's performance evolves as the movie goes on.
Gershon is a BOMB here, as she was in SHOWGIRLS the year before. Yes, this is the best from Tilly and Pantoliano
Mirko - much love, but are you high? She's fabulous here and SHOWGIRLS! They could've had anyone: LaToya, Paula Abdul - they chose Gina
In most years I would have nominated Tilly for Best Actress for this (she's just greatgreatgreat in it - and sly and funny and sexy and surprising) but this year is so overflowing with great female leads.
Tilly's not a real actress to me. What she's doing doesn't involve technique. Everything is hinged on her personality and physicality. You cast her to type and she's fine performance wise but nothing of note to be competing for year end prizes.
/3rtful: Have you seen Bound, though? I love her in Bullets Over Broadway, but I wouldn't argue that her performance there is personality + physicality (not that there's anything wrong with that.) In Bound, though, she's serving a lot of depth, plus the way she's able to use and modulate her voice (THAT voice) to serve this character and story is really impressive, and a strong example (to me) of actorly technique.
I love Bound. But I have no delusions about Tilly the actress. Her dialogue (I know who I am) describing the legitimacy of her lesbianism made me think the brothers were gay turns out they're just trans.
Love this movie as well. Both Gershon and Tilly turned in great performances -- also their chemistry (crucial in films all the time) was so real, so haptic, I can almost feel it. I love what Gershon said to Tilly the reason why she is doing what's doing. It's so unaffected. Like real life only, not really.
Sexy as hell.
The only problem I had, I saw it first in german dub and Tilly had the german voice of... Bart Simpson. *lol*
But now it's really fine.
@Sonja. That´s certainly true but it´s not like Jennifer Tilly actually sounds like Bart Simpson in this. Viola Davis, Eva Mendes and Hilary Swank are all dubbed by the same actress.
Anke Engelke on the oher hand dubs Marge Simpson and Dory at the same time and I mean you would also never guess that Fran Drescher and Sissy Spacek share the same dubbing voice in Germany.
@therealmike
I know of course. But for my first time watch (NOT on DVD), it was kind of... just strange.
And I quite dislike Anke Engelke's take of Marge (wherelse she's PERFECT for Dory!) just to be closer to the original which I dislike as well. I reallyy miss Volkmann... *sigh* *gonebutnotforgotten*
Anyway I'm a huge supporter of german voice actors. It's not something people should take for granted. It's quite an effort.