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 & 4 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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of the casting of Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in the title role, producer Tarak Ben Ammar said: "While casting for 'Femme Fatale', I met John McTiernan, who had just directed Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in 'Rollerball' [2002]. John thought she was incredibly talented and would be great for the role, so I called Brian, and we agreed that Rebecca should do a test audition in Paris. After Rebecca's audition, the entire crew, from the director of photography to the sound engineer, were all swept off our feet."

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Goofs

The blood on Black Tie's shirt in the woman's bathroom doesn't match the shirt when he is released from prison.

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Quotes

Lily: Isn't sugar better than vinegar?

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Connections

Referenced in Femme Fatale: From Dream to Reality (2003)

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Soundtracks

Sexe
(2002)
Performed by Damien Saez (as Saez)
Written by Damien Saez, Franck Phan and Martin Jenkins
Published by De Fil En Aiguille / Franck Phan
© 2002 Island Records (France)
Courtesy of De Fil En Aiguille/Editions Franck Phan & Universal Music Special Projects France
Heard during the striptease segment

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.

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