Bound (1996)

Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caesar.

Directors:

Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers), Lilly Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)

Writers:

Lilly Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers), Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)

Stars:

Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano

8 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jennifer Tilly	...	Violet
Gina Gershon	...	Corky
Joe Pantoliano	...	Caesar
John P. Ryan	...	Micky Malnato (as John Ryan)
Christopher Meloni	...	Johnnie Marzzone
Richard C. Sarafian	...	Gino Marzzone
Mary Mara	...	Sue, Bartender
Susie Bright	...	Jesse
Margaret Smith	...	Woman Cop
Barry Kivel	...	Shelly
Peter Spellos	...	Lou
Ivan Kane	...	Cop #1
Kevin Michael Richardson	...	Cop #2 (as Kevin M. Richardson)
Gene Borkan	...	Roy

Storyline

Corky, a lesbian ex con hired to work in an apartment as a plumber, meets neighbors Caesar, who launders money for the Mafia, and his girlfriend Violet. The two women have a love affair and decide to steal $2,000,000 that Caesar has in custody before he gives them back to Mafia boss Gino Marzone. Caesar is set up by the two scheming women as a scapegoat but things start to go wrong when he reacts in an unexpected way...

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian | neo noir | money | mafia | gangster | 

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Taglines:

In their world, you can't buy freedom, but you can steal it.

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Genres:

Crime | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

4 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Business

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$900,902, 6 October 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,798,532, 22 December 1996

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company, Spelling Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 109 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main sex scene set in Corky's apartment was filmed in one long shot. The Wachowskis believed that this would look more realistic than several shots edited together. Although it should have been a closed set, there were actually many people present, moving the walls of the set in order to allow full movement of the camera around the actors.

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Goofs

When Corky is fixing the sink, Violet's legs are visible, and they change from black hose to no (or nude) hose then back between shots.

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Quotes

Violet: Shelly knows what I am. He saw me in a bar with another woman.
Corky: Yeah, I suppose he just wants to watch.

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Connections

Featured in Starz Inside: Sex and the Cinema (2009)

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Soundtracks

She's A Lady
Written by Paul Anka
Performed by Tom Jones
Courtesy of Chrysalis Copyrights, Ltd.

User Reviews

A Brilliant Thriller

I cannot think of a film that creates a more elaborate and intelligent sequence of events than Bound. This leads to that and that leads to something else and that leads to this and so on. What is special about this film, is that everything is connected. This is not Tarantino nonsense, that has no point and simply tries to rely on gimmicks and witty dialog. This is a clever thriller. The story centers around Corky, Violet and Caesar, who in one way or another, are involved in a plan to scam the mob. Of course, scamming the mob is never a good idea. Issues of trust, loyalty, love, violence and everything else are covered. There are very arousing sex scenes and scenes of disturbing violence, utilizing pruning shears. All of it choreographed beautifully by two very talented brothers. However,it is Joe Pantoliano who steals the show. He plays a wiseguy that gets caught in a downward spiral that can only finish one way, but he does his best to delay it. How he was omitted by the Academy is beyond me. To the pompous nitwits that peck away at this film, I have one question. What Hollywood films in the last ten years can you reel off that were nearly as clever as this film? Yeah, I thought so. **** out of ****, a simply brilliant motion picture.