Any time you start out a heist movie with one slinky model (Rebecca Romijn) seducing another slinky model (Rie Rasmussen) out of her diamond studded clothing so that you can sell those diamonds on the black market, and apparently have a little fun in the process, you can pretty much sign me up to watch that movie right there. And I was sold pretty much from the word go.
Now, this wasn't a cerebral thriller, but it was still an interesting flick. Although the story centers around double-crossing thief Laure (Romijn) and her overly complicated plot to steal millions of dollars under an assumed identity, it is also, surprisingly, a movie about life choices and redemption. Of course, this isn't a tale about whether or not you choose to do what's right and wrong, but rather just how wrong you're willing to act, and the ultimate consequences when you go one step too far.
A sexy little thriller, Femme Fatale is a fun movie, but not a serious film. I enjoyed it, but it certainly won't be for everyone. If someone other than Romijn had played the title role, say Tori Spelling for instance, I think the movie would have lost a lot of its appeal... so to speak. But Romijn was perfect for the role, and it served her well. Recommended? Sure, but the less you expect from the movie, the more satisfied you're going to be.
Movie to Skip: Incendiary
This is one of those bizarre dramas that has a conflicting moral message. On the one hand, this is a touching movie about the sorrow of those left behind when a senseless act of violence robs us of those we love. There was some really touching language in the film, and parts of it was very well written and very human. In particular there was a letter to Bin Laden at the end where the mother suggests that they get together to find other ways to vent their pain rather than "blowing boy sized holes in the world" that had some particularly moving phrases. While the letter was a tad preachy, there were some good elements to it that wrapped up the positive message of the movie that I liked.
On the other hand, while the main character's pain is palpable, it's kind of hard to care. At the moment her son and husband are blown up in a terrorist attack, she's having sex with the next door neighbor. The rest of the movie is then an examination of her ability to move on and enter into a new relationship (with that same neighbor, nonetheless) as well as a low key thriller as the neighbor investigates what the police knew about the bombing before it happened. It's hard to empathize with this woman when she had already turned her back on the family she was now mourning. I suppose that should have added an extra element of grief, but it also left me with a sense of, "why should I believe you really care, lady?" Perhaps if the adulterous relation had not have been consummated I would have felt differently, but I suppose that would have made it too much like a LOT of other similar films.
Ultimately this was kind of a blah film. While there were some touching moments, it was just a little too difficult for me to buy into her grief, which created an emotional chasm that I was just not able to bridge. Perhaps you'll feel differently, but I just couldn't quite get into it. Not a bad movie, and it does have a great cast, but it just wasn't for me.
