Have you ever been around a smelly person who wears cologne to mask their stench? Well, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos’ beauty, presence and sexuality in “Femme Fatale” serves that purpose here. She is just plain HOT in this film and other than that…we got ourselves a stinker.
I genuinely like Brian DePalma and was so looking forward to this film. The buzz about it being a return to form for the man whose genius has apparently slipped by the wayside got me all worked up. The opening scene in which a topless Romijn-Stamos watches Billy Wilder’s Noir classic “Double Indemnity” also got me worked up. In fact, the films first 15-20 minutes are fun, sexy, erotic and fun. I was worked up! Then the smell started to drift into the theater. The smell of a bad film.
Not-so-nifty camera tricks did little to mask a downright lame script and the plot twists were crushingly heavy handed and unoriginal. I thought this flick was supposed to be a tribute to Film Noir and more importantly, to DePalma’s “obsession” with Hitchcock. DePalma stuck the landing in “Body Double” and “Dressed to Kill” but here, he falls flat halfway through his floor routine.
Basically, DePalma takes you by the hand (literally, as he over-explains EVERY plot detail) and leads you on a jewel heist that goes somewhat wrong. The heist works, but femme fatale Laure (Romijn-Stamos) gets away with the booty. Thus she goes into hiding and sets forth the chain of events that make up “Femme Fatale.” I don’t really want to get into it because well, it’s lame and I might give away too much. Also, you still might want to see it… especially if you’re a guy.
Did I mention again that Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is HOT? In fact, I would recommend this film to any red blooded man who likes women…and don’t bring a date. Strip teases, lesbian action and nudity ensue and I assure you your date won’t appreciate your maleness when they happen. Other than that, DePalma fans prepare for more heartbreak and film fans, prepare for a film you’ve seen before. Only when you saw it the first time, it was done better by Wilder and Hitchcock.
