Femme Fatale (2002)

A woman tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a con-woman comes back to haunt her.

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writer:

Brian De Palma

Stars:

Rebecca Romijn, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rebecca Romijn	...	Laure / Lily (as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)
Antonio Banderas	...	Nicolas Bardo
Peter Coyote	...	Watts
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Black Tie
Edouard Montoute	...	Racine
Rie Rasmussen	...	Veronica
Thierry Frémont	...	Serra (as Thierry Fremont)
Gregg Henry	...	Shiff
Fiona Curzon	...	Stanfield Phillips
Daniel Milgram	...	Pierre / Bartender
Jean-Marc Minéo	...	Seated Guard (as Jean-Marc Mineo)
Jean Chatel	...	Cannes Commentator
Stéphane Petit	...	Bodyguard One (as Stephane Petit)
Olivier Follet	...	Bodyguard Two
Éva Darlan	...	Irma (as Eva Darlan)

Storyline

The thief Laurie Ash steals the expensive diamond jewel called 'Eye of the Serpent' in an audacious heist during an exhibition in Cannes 2001 Festival. She double-crosses her partners and is mistakenly taken as Lily, a woman who lost her husband and son in an accident and is missing since then, by an ordinary family. One day, while having bath in Lily's bathtub, Lily comes back home and commits suicide. Laurie assumes definitely Lily's identity, goes to America where she marries a rich man, who becomes the Ambassador of USA in France. When Laurie returns to France, her past haunts her.

---

Plot Keywords:

breast play | full frontal female nudity | lesbian sex from behind | female protagonist | sex on a pool table | 

---

Taglines:

Nothing is more desirable or more deadly than a woman with a secret

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

France Switzerland

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

6 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Femme Fatale

Filming Locations:

11 Rue d'Eupatoria, Paris 20, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,776,248, 10 November 2002

Gross USA:

$6,630,252

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,838,910

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quinta Communications, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the trailers for this film consisted of a clip from the classic film noir Double Indemnity (1944), and then the entire span of Femme Fatale (2002), including the credits, albeit with all but a few seconds of the movie greatly speeded up to preserve its twists and to fit it into the under-three-minute span allotted for trailers.

---

Goofs

The envelope and passport change their relative positions in Laure's hand between shots during the climactic scene.

---

Quotes

Laure Ash: Hey how come you're the only man in this room who doesn't want to fuck me.

---

Connections

Featured in Femme Fatale: An Appreciation (2003)

---

Soundtracks

Punishment
From the movie Double Indemnity (1944)
Written by Miklós Rózsa
Published by Famous Music Corp. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

A Different Male Lead Would Have Made This Much Better

This was a lot better than I expected, which wasn't a lot. It turned out to be interesting thanks in part to the stylish film-making and the nice job it did in keeping the audience's attention.

It got a few extra points for at least us males gaping at Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who looked spectacular, but lost a few for some big credibility holes in the story.

The film also would have been much better with a different male lead than Antonio Bandaras, someone who could speak English so people could understand him!

With Brian De Palma directing, you get some stylish camera shots in here, so it's a good visual movie....a lot more than just girl-watching. It's a film you could enjoy multiple times, especially if you get a translator for Bandaras.