GOOD OLD GENRES SPECTACULARLY STYLIZED

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 1999)

Bound was a smashing debut by The Wachowski Brothers in which they took up film noire and brought it into the hip world of the '90's. It was a perfect example for the indies in that The Wachowskis had never made a feature, they were in their mid-Twenties, and they were gutsy. Above all, it was clear that Bound was a labor of love. Now, these enfants terrible pour their love and passion of movies into a sci-fi thriller and stylize the themes and genres such as the Western, film noire, Asian martial arts and epic cinema in a post-modern cyber world. An out of this would-be hodgepodge, they create a mini milestone in an explosive manner. All the innovative special effects aside, The Matrix has a plastic texture interwoven with sufficient character depth that is a delight to watch. And the eternal subject matter of our subconscious, what is Reality/Truth, that it tackles with elevates this smashing pop-art onto an intellectual level. No, we are not talking Kubrick/2001 here. The Wachowskis may not have his genius but they have a perfect cinematic vision, full commitment to each and every detail, a talent to put together an impressive cast and crew, and above all, a total devotion to the magic of movie-making. Talking about the subject matter of The Matrix and its few shortcomings is secondary at this point. It is a movie you see to devour its feel, its balance and its presentation. Go and see it. You will recall The Blade Runner, The Dark City, Terminator II, and the themes from the classics yet wonder how refreshing they are put together. Clearly Bound was no accident.