Bound |  | Directors: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Actors: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan, Christopher Meloni
Studio: Republic Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $9.10
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Rating:  160 reviews
Sales Rank: 6204
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 11632
UPC: 017153116328
EAN: 0017153116328
ASIN: B00005NTN5
Theatrical Release Date: October 4, 1996
Release Date: August 14, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com essential video
Destined for cult status, this provocative thriller offers a grab bag of genres (gangster movie, comedy, sexy romance, crime caper) and tops it all off with steamy passion between lesbian ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) and a not-so-ditzy gun moll named Violet (Jennifer Tilly), who meets Corky and immediately tires of her mobster boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano). Desperate to break away from the Mob's influence and live happily ever after, the daring dames hatch a plot to steal $2 million of Mafia money. Their scheme runs into a series of escalating complications, until their very survival depends on split-second timing and criminal ingenuity. Simultaneously violent, funny, and suspenseful, Bound is sure to test your tolerance for bloodshed, but the film is crafted with such undeniable skill that several critics (including Roger Ebert) placed it on their top-ten lists for 1996. --Jeff Shannon
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 160
 Edgy, spine-tingling crime drama. December 28, 2009
S. Spears (Florence, MA)
I'd never seen Bound when it came out 12 years ago. So, I recently decided to see it on DVD. As a crime drama, it really packs a punch.
The storyline centers on a gangster moll named Violet, and her plot to steal over 2 million bucks from her 'common thug' of a boyfriend, Caeser. Caeser is involved with the mob, and is laundering the huge sum of money for them. The money belongs to the mob, and Caeser must turn it over to them, after laundering it.
Their neighbor, named Corky (played with flinty perfection by Gina Gershon), is a lesbian ex-con. Corky is a plumber. She's doing some repairs in an apartment, which is right next to Violet and Caeser's place.
Tired of the violent, criminal world that she's been a part of through Caeser, Violet wants a fresh start. She soon winds-up seducing Corky, and enlists Corky's help in a scheme to steal the millions in cash from Caeser. Having fallen for Violet, Corky agrees to help her steal the cash from Caeser, then set him up to make him appear to be the culprit.
Corky tells Violet how dangerous it is to risk stealing from the mob, and that their plan has to be fool-proof. Their brilliant plan goes well-at first. But it starts to unravel, and then the thrills really begin. From then on, the film features harrowing plot-twists, and plenty of nail-biting suspense.
The acting in this film, was top-notch. Especially the performances by Gina Gershon, and Jennifer Tilly (who played Violet). When this film was made, lesbian characters were beginning to turn-up in mainstream movies, in larger numbers than ever before. And Bound was especially cutting-edge, by featuring a lesbian character as one of the main protagonists in the film, rather than as just a supporting character.
I would give Bound a higher rating. But I was a bit put-off by the excessive, gory violence contained in this film. Otherwise, Bound is an exciting, powerful crime drama, which will keep you on the edge of your seat.
A really fine modern Film Noir December 1, 2009
Daniel G. Lebryk
1996, The Wachowski brothers write and direct their first film, Bound. Their next movies are incredible landmarks in film history, The Matrix series. They also do V for Vendetta and Speed Racer. Bound is worth watching to see where these brothers started. Then add a decent film noir story line, a bit of mystery, and an amazing chemistry between the two female leads; and you have a movie that is pretty darn good.
The film is about Corky (Gina Gershon), an ex-con, rehabbing a condo next door to Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly). The film opens with a shot of Corky tied up with a cut on her forehead in the bottom of a closet. There is a jump cut to an elevator scene with a couple where Corky is not injured; clearly the film has moved back in time. The couple is flamboyant, Violet dressed in a leather jacket, short black mini-skirt, stiletto heels, and black stockings (she looks the part of a rental); and Caesar dressed in an expensive suit, and overcoat. There's a clue from the glances at Corky, there will be something sexual between the two women. The walls between the two condos are paper thin, and Corky can't help but hear the groans and pounding next door. The next day Violet apologizes to Corky for the noise, the sexual tension between the two is incredible in this scene; it is a very powerful moment. From here the film takes twists and turns and follows a good film noir path, reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice, most Bogart films, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett.
As an historical piece, the start of the Wachowski brother's career, this is an excellent film. The brothers showed amazing talent in this first film, mixing up the timeline without the title crutch (an earlier scene followed by a title that says - 'six days earlier'), using unusual camera angles and powerful framing, understanding pacing, and giving just the right clues to make the mystery work. There was also a passion in this film; the rawness between Corky and Violet was amazing. The brothers handled this relationship rather well.
The performances were surprisingly fine. Jennifer Tilly can be very annoying; she has that high voice that projects dumb. In Bound this is used to a huge advantage, she does sound not so bright, as if she is just a show piece, toy for Caesar; but yet she ends up incredibly intelligent. A little of the Edith Bunker syndrome. There is no denying Jennifer Tilly is stunningly beautiful in this film, the nude scene between her and Gina Gershwin is memorable. Gina Gershon treads the line between butch lesbian and tender woman very nicely. The only moment that doesn't work very well is the shot of her painting the ceiling - there's a bit too much hesitation in the movements, it didn't look natural enough for a real handyman. That aside, her performance was excellent. Joe Pantoliano would, 4 years later, play Ralphie in the Sopranos. He did a good job with this character, a not so bright mob guy. Caesar will seem very familiar to anyone that has seen the Sopranos.
The version I watched was unrated, it is definitely a film for mature audiences. From the director commentary, there is an explicit intimate scene with Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon that was cut from or edited for the US release of this film. Oddly the portion cut is a critical story element, and it is unfortunate that Americans had to wait for the DVD to see that moment. That is the only moment of full frontal nudity in the film. There is a strong lesbian thread to the film. Violence is handled rather nicely by the Wachowski brothers. There are some brutal moments in the film, a head slammed into a toilet, several people being shot, fingers being cut off by pruning shears, and blood splatters and spills. Interestingly, not all these moments are shown in full glory, the finger cutting was not shown, but implied. There is a ton of strong language. There was no drug use, except for people drinking liquor and beer. The cover art and descriptions might imply that this film is about bondage, it is not in the literal sense of the term. It is about bondage from a psychological standpoint. This is a mature audience only film.
This version is an hour and forty one minutes. About three quarters of the way through, I found myself doing a little bit of fast forwarding. The story kind of stalled or got a bit repetitive at this point. Maybe the film was 5 minutes too long near the end. There were a couple of scenes earlier in the film that could have been longer. The DVD is sparse; it includes the movie, chapter menu, the trailer, and an alternate audio track with director commentary (which is surprisingly good).
I was very slow to warm up to this film; in fact I thought this was going to be a really bad film. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good film. It isn't a film for everyone.
Love this Movie still! October 27, 2009
Nora (Oakland, Calif.)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Bound is one of my favorites. Thank you so much! The price was very affodable, it arrived quickly and in excellent condition! I would absolutely buy from you again. :)
Cinderella and the Princess October 11, 2009
C. F. Mullins (Springfield, OH)
This is not so much a love story as a relationship story. It is not a terribly strong relationship story. If anything it is about taking a chance on the strength of a relationship and keeping commitments with potentially lost causes ... things work out this time if you can buy into the situation out in front. It is a pure fantasy to start off with. I can imagine calling it "Cinderella and the Princess" but the obvious Cinderella doesn't have any sisters that we know of and the Princess is low man on her totem-pole, for sure. Together, not really trusting each other, they commit to each other "anyway" and, when everything falls apart in the middle of the caper they hang tight and battle individually through to their eventual reunion. There is suspense. Once things get moving it is one change after another in rapid-fire succession until the very end. About half-way through you think it is almost over and then everything starts falling apart. It goes on and on and on. There is violence. It is sudden violence. Torture is depicted. There is lots of blood. There is not so much skin but there is a lot of female sexuality expressed. This is a story about sex and a couple of very tough chicks "walking tall".
Exceptional ..... I loved it! September 19, 2009
Georgia R. Lawson (Tennessee)
This is one of the very few movies that I've watched more than once. Superb acting combined with a terrific storyline... hard to beat. One of those thrillers that kept me on the edge of my seat. Bravo!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 160
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