I have seen most of Brian de Palma’s movies, and I tend to enjoy them all. Whether I am watching one of his mobster films, such as Scarface, The Untouchables, or Carlito’s Way, or one of his horror thrillers such as Carrie, Sisters, or Dressed to Kill, I tend to like Brian de Palma. Even his bad films are well done. Mission to Mars and Snake Eyes are terrible films, but there are still entertaining parts to them. They attempt new things and, although they may not always succeed, they’re generally interesting to watch.
In continuation of my quest to see movies by famous contemporary directors, I requested Femme Fatale (2002) from the library. It wasn’t until I actually got hold of the movie that I realized that it was that movie. You know, the one you heard about with the gratuitous sex scene between Rebecca Romjin-Stamos and some other woman. I was let down, for I had heard the film was bad, but I was also piqued that I got to watch that movie.
Like all Brian de Palma films, there are interesting things here. The sex scene, for instance, while not quite as titillating as I was hoping, err, as I had read, is still rather interesting for such an actress. The good girl Romjin-Stamos, indeed, is no good girl here. She spends the rest of the film screwing people over, both literally and figuratively. It’s weird to watch because, well, this is ex-Mrs. John Stamos! They are divorced, aren’t they? Anyway…
De Palma even includes some interesting split screen shots, as he has done in previous films, but they’re only necessary here because the shots themselves are so boring. Watching the split screen was less exciting than watching one decent single screen.
So what’s redeeming about this film? It’s certainly not the story. That part of the movie is so convoluted that I can’t begin to explain it without giving away some major part. It’s all surprise, you see, but it isn’t really, because we don’t really care as we watch it. That’s the biggest problem here. When things unfold, I sigh. I don’t scream or gasp. Nope, I sigh. Okay, I say. That kind of makes sense. De Palma doesn’t make me care about these characters enough to care what actually happens to them. And that's a sure sign of weakness. It's like when Obi-Wan's master gets killed in Episode 1 of the new Star Wars films: frankly, I just don't care. It's a strong director that makes me care about the characters, and this movie didn't feature that strength.
So have I re-evaluated de Palma? Yes, I have. I still want to see his latest project, another crime thriller, but right now, I think he’s mainly just a really good hack. Yes, his movies are all well-done, and there are good parts to each of them, but they’re not stunning. Yes, I’m including Scarface and Carrie in here, too. They’re good, sure, but they’re basically good action and horror films. And let’s face it, Scarface gets boring in some parts. (I actually think Carlito’s Way is the better gangster film.). Carrie is a great horror movie, on the level of The Shining, but isn’t its greatness in large part due to its source material? Could any other director have done these movies? Maybe not any other, but with such good source material, the movies should have been good, nonetheless.
Grade for Femme Fatale: 5
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