Boarding Gate

Plot synopsis:
=== Paris ===
After discussing his plans for retiring by selling on the shares in his security company to his debtors with his partner, André, aging underworld entrepreneur Miles Rennberg is paid a surprise visit at his Paris office by aggressive underworld moll Sandra. Brazenly taunting him with her sexuality, she bluntly dissects their prior relationship—a nightmarish web of masochism, money, manipulation and dependency, pimping her out to dangerous clients in order to gain both a business advantage and perverse personal thrills.
She outlines her newest ambition, since their estrangement, of raising the necessary capital to run a nightclub in Beijing. Miles makes no pretense of the fact that he is less interested in the proposal than the woman, and encourages her to visit him at his apartment.
Without making any promises, Sandra leaves for her job at an import business, run by a young married couple: Lester and Sue Wong.
Sandra's own import sideline, drug running, is facilitated by her close bond of loyalty with low-ranking employee Lisa. Acting as her driver and lookout, Lisa escorts Sandra to the site of a drug deal that quickly goes sour when her buyer is revealed to be a Narcotics officer. Suspicious after Sandra's cool response to his earlier queries about a missing container in a recent shipment, Lester follows Sandra to the deal and accosts Lisa as she waits in the car. He sends Lisa away on his motorcycle and takes her place in the car.
After Sandra emerges, Lester drives her away from the scene. Expressing disappointment in her deceit, he takes her back to her apartment where it becomes clear that the two are romantically involved. After their sexual encounter, Lester receives a call from his wife and leaves.
Sandra appears to relent and arranges to visit Miles at his apartment. Goading him with recollections of their misdeeds, she reveals a deep-seated bitterness; she recalls, in particular, an incident where a group of Japanese clients she was entertaining drugged and raped her, and Miles' arousal at hearing the episode recounted in front of his girlfriend. They both drink and end up on the balcony. Sandra undresses and tries to instigate a violent sexual game, apparently of the genre they used to practice, by pinning Miles to the floor of the balcony and choking him with his own belt. Miles warns her off and leads her back inside to show her a pair of handcuffs, which he intends to use on her later in the evening. She expresses reluctance which he nonchalantly waves aside. When she tries to leave, he locks the door and pockets the keys.
After he takes a business call, she playfully restrains him with the handcuffs, then brutally shoots him in the head.
She quickly retraces her steps through the house, destroying evidence of her presence, and makes a swift exit with Miles' keys. Lester picks her up, gives her a modest sum of cash and the name of a contact in Hong Kong who will arrange her new life, promising to join her soon. Lisa first drives her to a club to establish an alibi, where the oppressive atmosphere and the noise provoke an aggressively traumatic and regretful response to her act.
=== Hong Kong ===
Hours behind Lisa, Sandra arrives in Hong Kong. She makes her way to the address of Lester's contact, who in turn sends her to a nondescript office somewhere else in the city. She is told that her contact is waiting for her in an adjacent room, but as soon as she enters the door is locked behind her. In the labyrinthine mess of the locked office she eventually discovers the bound and murdered body of Lisa in a chair facing the back wall.
A manifestly wealthy, middle-aged Western woman arrives at the office and orders the men to bring Sandra out, chastising them for Lisa's death. Eventually, one of the men in the office is sent in after Sandra. Having switched clothes and positions with the corpse of Lisa, she manages to ambush the henchman and escape onto the streets. Whilst crossing on a ferry she cries over her last souvenir of her relationship with Miles, his keys, before dropping them into the water. With little money and no recourse to her credit cards or passport, due to risk of capture and extradition for Miles' murder, Sandra resorts to repeatedly calling Lester.
She eventually manages to contact his wife, Sue, who maintains that Lester is unavailable but agrees to meet Sandra in a karaoke club. Sue is evasive and aggressive, revealing that whilst she knew of Sandra's affair with Lester, Sandra was not her husband's first infidelity and he never really planned to leave his wife to join her. The whole venture was an attempt to raise the investment capital for the Beijing club, an enterprise in which Sue was fully complicit. Whilst she attempts to take everything in, Sue spikes Sandra's drink with a sedative.
In a back room, Sandra threatens Sue with a gun and demands more information; Sue pleads her innocence until she manages to talk Sandra into succumbing to the drug's sedative effects. She leaves Sandra unconscious on the floor. Sandra wakes in the home of the wealthy Western woman whom she escaped in the offices earlier. The woman explains that she owes someone a favour and sets Sandra up with papers and well-paid employment in Shanghai.
Nonetheless, Sandra eschews the easy escape and tracks Lester down in a Hong Kong shopping mall. She follows him up the staircase with an unsheathed knife, but as she prepares to stab him she is interrupted by a group of women coming the other way. Lester enters an expensive restaurant, meets with Miles' business partner, André, and leaves with a sports bag full of cash—possibly a payment for Miles' murder, which ensured that his shares did not pass to his unscrupulous creditors. Sandra follows Lester down to the doorway out to the car park, where he hesitates at the threshold as if aware of her presence. At the last moment, however, she finds herself unwilling to either kill or confront him. He drives away with the money.

Tags: murder

Review:
The first part plays like an emotional upskirt peek at the tormented soul of this woman, who loved at the hands of a man who tossed and toyed her around for pleasure.
She's played by Asia Argento who so effortlessly can channel sex mixed with pain - one of her early film roles after all was back in Italy for father Dario, where she falls victim to a serial rapist.
Aptly enough, this second part is about self-discovery then; she's vulnerable for the first time, no more games or roles, conceding to flow where it may.It is film noir as far as world dynamics go, make no mistake.
The final image is one of poignant beauty, as blurry, out-of-focus for the world of plotting and machinations that we felt as the film, she ascends out of view liberated.
So, it's filmed in a syncopated manner that is associated with TV, which makes sense in context because the camera is meant to be a frantic eye searching for things as she is, but which probably threw a curveball at those who usually expect a character study in long painterly sweeps and would be otherwise rewarded here.It didn't help that it came out in the same year as No Country, another post-noir, much more overtly cinematic, and a host of other well-received films.
Two things are interesting about the film.The first and most discussed is the actress, Asia Argento.
The film goes from one dialog into another, sounding hollow, never achieving depth, never creating the illusion that you really are inside a cobweb of conspiracy, and the everybody-has-an-affair-with-everybody is just a boring excuse to show the main actress in nice underwear.
(which, combined with her rusty voice certainly is nice, but nothing to base a movie on) The high point for me is the opening scene, and the film just degraded from there to a point where I just wanted to quit the film about 45 minutes into the story.
Not For The Average Joe. If you're an average guy like me and enjoy good acting, good plot, good scripts, novel ideas, or being entertained, you might want to skip this one.
I was honestly bored from the opening credits to the very end, but tried to give the film a chance, and watched it all the way through -- only to be disappointed at every turn.The acting was unbelievably sub par, but I'm not sure if the actors themselves are to blame or if it was the ridiculously wooden and horrible dialog coupled with an even worse script.
The plot is very vague and underdeveloped and I think the audience is supposed to derive some kind of deeper meaning from it, or be able to look past it in some way, but honestly to do so would be a waste of time.The film has a kind of crude sexuality to it which doesn't serve any purpose other than to show off some tattoos and lingerie.
This is a good movie to watch if you like dark action dramas.
I particularly like how the film shows a "real life" scenario where the ones involved in dirty deeds are powerful and vulnerable all at the same time.
It adds another level of sexual something and uniqueness.Not a movie for those who like happy endings that give you all the answers.
It is a tale of corporate intrigue and, frankly, even I was bored at time with the pace.But, I have to remember that I was here for Asia Argento.
One is trying to unload his shares, and the other is trying to make a lot of money.People die, there are some kinky sex scenes, and there is Asia doing an incredibly good job of trying to get through everything and stay alive.You never really know whether she will make it, and you are not sure why she does what she does at the end.
I wont go through the list of shame that is his movie career.I watched 45 minutes and still was not sure what really was going on.
The movie consisted of a love hate relationship between Madsen and Argento, Which basically was Madsen insulting her, threatening violence and generally treating her like dirt.
It did actually answer one question in the final few minutes but i am not going to share that, i will make you suffer for the full movie like i did..
Asia Argento delivered such a powerful brave performance in "Boarding Gate".
This was a very good film, great story line, great performances by the other actors and could've been very good with out Asia, but the two combined really makes something powerful and brilliant to watch.I HIGHLY recommend seeing this movie.
it's time to revisit the way music was used minimally and more effectively in the 60's and 70's) Yes there is some silliness in the sexual relationship between Masden and Argento..but there's a realism in the surrounding silence and a sense of lost souls in a bleak and empty corporate world...something Syrianna also evoked quite well - a sense of the moral vacuum that business operates above.Be deeply suspicious of the intelligence and taste of reviewers who diss this film, it has a lot of original and interesting things to offer - Argento in particular is brilliant in the main role..
I was impressed with this movie for many reasons: The talent was brilliant, taking this film from good to great.
The characters travel a lot, bringing you to many of beautiful places while watching the movie.
All the while one of her lover's wives is playing the game behind the scenes making things very suspenseful and interesting.
Asia Argento is raw and uninhibited as usual, and, like her or not, you've gotta hand it to her: there aren't many actresses out there who would tackle on the role she has here.
But while it is refreshing to see a movie where you don't know how everything will turn out within the first 10 minutes, there doesn't seem to be much of a point to this whole exercise, apart maybe from "becoming an amateur contract killer is not such a good idea".
This hypnotic, angular thriller about sex, murder, betrayal and money takes you on a feverish journey from nowhere to somewhere.The plot may lose you at first, but actress Asia Argento is a clear and commanding force throughout.This film plays with various genre codes and conventions very differently than most run-of-the-mill modern thrillers.
Argento's character is relate-albe and hate-able at the same time.Good flick..
It is true Boarding Gate is overall not worth the experience (with way too much foreign dialogue not subtitled), but like said..
I went into the theater knowing I would be happy with the movie, but I didn't realize I would like it as much as I did.
I feel like I should mention the soundtrack as well, although I don't know any of the songs or artists by name, it was very well done and went well with the movie..
The credit for my enjoyment of this film could possibly be entirely due to the brilliant performance of the leading actress Asia Argento.
This story of crazy love and relationships takes you to beautiful places and leaves you thinking.
I recommend this film to any movie lover who is looking for a new favorite!.
i loved the vibe and mood of this movie....the first 45 minutes of the movie seemed too modern-American-drama-like, with no sex scenes and just a couple apparent bigwigs talking about their business problems, with a little relationship stuff mixed in...mostly dialog and I was getting real disappointed and wanted to leave...but after the first shooting, it got REAL good, it reminded me of 70s and 80s cop shows but at a faster pace, with cool transitions between scenes and cool chasing, without the real-life aspect of American drama...also there were enough scenes with Asia naked or in her underwear to keep me happy, she was hot!!...the acting was very cool, the characters were movie-like, and I loved the chasing among different countries, it made for good suspense and good fantasy for traveling abroad...i give this a 10 out of 10!!!...see this movie!...once again, a European film rules over American film!!!.
Pretty cool movie if your into twisted love stories/suspense.
However, it's only after she's lured into committing murder and forced to go on the lam to Hong Kong that the movie becomes an intriguing, multi-layered look at infidelity and betrayal.Italian actress Asia Argento, who's a dead-ringer for Uma Thurman, commands the screen with her pouting eroticism and natural charisma, and she gets strong support from Michael Madsen and Carl Ng as the two main men in her life, as well as from Kelly Lin as a romantic rival who reluctantly helps Argento out in the end.
The direction by Olivier Assayas - in the second half at least - is crisp, focused and exciting, and the visuals alone are enough to compensate for some of the gaping holes in the storyline.One caveat, however: while technically a French movie, most of the dialogue is actually in English.
However, there are times when the movie unaccountably lapses into un-subtitled French and Chinese, leaving the audience in the dark as to a few, possibly crucial, details in the story - proving yet again that a picture is not necessarily always worth a thousand words..
Madsen is good at the start and helps get things going but it is Asia Argento that really holds this together with a most compelling performance.
So, in summary, you might not always know what's going on but if you've half a yen for Ms Argento and like things tough and speedy, this is for you..
So it was that I picked up Boarding Gate, since it stars the great Asia Argento.
Acting wise only Argento stands out, mixing tough and sizzling with shades of vulnerability she does pretty well, especially in scenes with Michael Madsen as her ex lover, who comes off with some dignity by playing the same way he seems to in most of his work.
Asia Argento looks great indeed but, i would not call her a "talented" actress here as more as a feminist pervert(coming to this, another reviewermade me laugh with his views on what talent is...
I don't know why the film is called Boarding Gate; the plot is thin and confusing; Michael Madsen can whisper and grunt all he wants and nobody is going to mistake it for good dramatic acting; the film seems to meander along in prologue mode for about forty-five minutes and then, BANG!
somebody dies with great surprise; despite the fact that the location moves to a new country, the film doesn't seem to go anywhere; and not understanding the story won't prevent me from saying with confidence that the ending is lame.Ms. Argento doesn't need to act.
It's not clear why she is attracted so deeply to either of her love interests with the net result that she appears twisted, courting danger and abuse to feel alive.Contrary to what the movie posters might lead one to believe, Argento doesn't parade around the entire film in her underwear.
There's one quick shot of her being thrown to a bed by her lover where upon she delivers the most authentic and erotic response I've seen in a movie, and there's an extended scene in Madsen's apartment where she's in and out of her dress a couple times.
The latter is the best scene in the film, not for its limited display of flesh but for the warped cruelty in their battle of witsmirrored in stop/start kinky sex they never manage to get very far along with for one reason or another.Boarding Gate is billed as a thriller and, given its writer/director's resumé, is supposedly about how selfishly cruel and inhuman the world of contemporary multi-national capitalists can be.
The action parts of the film, the parts where people run around and shoot guns and stuff, aren't interesting at all.
If you are a fan of Asia Argento and like your eroticism dark and implied, or are interested in finding out what Argento is capable of as an actress, then check out Boarding Gate.
This is a review of "Demonlover" and "Boarding Gate", two films by director Olivier Assayas."Demonlover" focuses on the manoeuvres of various multinational corporations as they vie for the financial control of interactive 3-D anime pornography.
The film sees the postmodern world as an all-pervasive pornographic video game, in which every level or space is housed (like the rabbit holes in Lynch's "Inland Empire") within a seemingly infinite series of overlapping boxes and containers.
Finance is codified as rape, sodomy, sex games and murder, whilst boardrooms and corporate offices become "boarding gates" or "access points" to bondage parlours, fetish dungeons and torture chambers, their dark shows broadcast live on the Net like stock-market indices.
She moves from boarding gate to boarding gate, passed and traded around like virtual capital while other people prosper.The film ends with Argento contemplating killing her handlers.
The point is the crazy Italian girl (Sandra, played by Asia Argento), and what she endures at the hands of the Golden Eagle corporation and its evil minions.
Asia Argento is obviously a serious person, not spoiled by random relativism like the rest of us.
When Miles meets the former prostitute Sandra (Asia Argento), she recalls her love for him and their kinky sex.
Then she meets Lester, who had a contract to kill Miles, and he gives the tickets and directions to Sandra to travel to Hong Kong and meet his friend Mr. Ho (Boss Mok).
"Boarding Gate" is a film with a good story of betrayal but unfortunately with a terrible screenplay.
The plot is a complete mess but Asia Argento saves the film, at least for fans of this actress like me.
The film also makes a confused tour and in the beginning is very difficult to understand that the story takes place in Paris.
Olivier Assayas' film stars Asia Argento as a woman who had a relationship with Michael Madsen.
As Madsen begins his moves away from his company Asia Argento returns to his life.
Actually I was quite bored as the film seems to go from pillar to post for much of the first hour during which I kept wondering what the point was other than to provide a meaty role for Argento.
Asia Argento has never done a film (so far as I know, and this includes ones directed by her own father, Dario) where she fails to show all of her anatomy at some point.
The DVD box, packaging, makes this look like a femme fatale film so you keep waiting to see her turn into a sleek and minimalist killer..
The screenplay seems to be oriented by letting everyone talk a lot about the same things over and over (I was expecting to see the worst acting on this appear as a producer who dumped money in it just to have some screen time) - there is nothing going on sub the obvious flaws of Asia's character that at any point in the movie delivers what the DVD cover promises.
yeah, we know Asia lost the baby fat of her first born but really, a whole movie trying to pretend like that's interesting enough to drive a film about a passive-aggressive chick is not worth your while.
:D So here is the reason why movie piracy is a good thing!
Asia Argento is a sexy beautiful woman who likes to run around naked which isn't a bad thing in it's self, but, when her character talks about all the guys she serviced, and to see her with Michael Madsen and an Asian guy in the present tense of the movie, it made me feel like I needed a condom over my eyes to watch this movie, like a disease was going to rub off on me or something.The movie felt like it was going for a love triangle/drama/action/???
Most of the film isn't really that bad, but it never gives you a reason to care what happens to any of characters or wonder how the story will turn out.Sandra (Asia Argento) used to be a prostitute in love with rich and screwed up investment banker Miles (Michael Madsen).
That so-called relationship ended and now Sandra works for Lester and Sue Wang (Carl Ng and Kelly Lin), helping manage their import/export business.
After one of Sandra's drug deals goes bad, Lester inexplicably shows up to help her out, somebody ends up dead and Sandra flees to Singapore, where someone else ends up dead and people try to kill her until a blonde (Kim Gordon) playing the part of Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction shows up to solve all of Sandra's immediate problems.This is an excruciatingly boring movie.
But Boarding Gate isn't boring because the acting is flat or the plot is lame or anything like that.
However, nothing that happens in this movie to any of the characters matters at all, because you don't care if they succeed or fail, live or die.Sandra is the star of this story.
The film doesn't even seem to care if Sandra is good or bad.
I can see fine, though, and Argento's nothing special.That applies to the other characters in the film as well.
These scenes tell us nothing about Sandra, Miles or Sue that isn't readily apparent from the moment we encounter them.Argento goes topless at one point and rubs her crotch at another.
Those moments make you think Boarding Gate is going to be one of those exploitive, sex-and-guns, late-night-cable thrillers.
She kills two would-be assassins, then goes on the run.Sandra talks to Sue, who is also in Hong Kong.
That was even worse.Acting: 6/10 I liked the performances of Kelly Lin and Michael Madsen, but Asia Argento was more bizarre than interesting.Screenplay: 4/10 This is a nice 10 minute short done in 106 minutes.