THE CURBSIDE CRITERION: BOUND
(Here at Hammer to Nail, we are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week, Brad Cook gets tied up with the Criterion 4k Blu-Ray release of the Wachowski’s neo-noir classic, Bound.)
While watching Bound again for the first time in 20-plus years, I was struck by the multiple ways the title resonates throughout the story.
Sure, we have the literal binding of lovers Corky (Gina Gershon) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly), when the latter’s boyfriend, Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), discovers not only their affair but also that they’ve tried to screw him over.
And, yes, Corky and Violet are bound to each other metaphorically, but other characters are too. Violet bound herself to Caesar for a lavish lifestyle that she now wants to escape, with help from Corky.
Corky bound herself to a life of crime that she’s trying to leave behind, having been released from prison and taking a job as a painter and plumber for the owner of the apartment next door.
Caesar has bound himself to mob lieutenant Mickey Malnato (John Ryan), who is in turn beholden to the Marzzone crime family.
This stylish film noir’s narrative picks up steam when Caesar comes home with over two million dollars in cash retrieved from mob associate Shelly (Barry Kivel), who had been embezzling from his employer. Violet tells Corky about the money, and Corky concocts a scheme that involves switching the cash for a stack of newspapers.
Corky’s assumption is that once Caesar realizes the money is gone, with mob boss Gino Marzzone (Richard C. Sarafian) on the way to pick it up, he’ll panic and flee. Then the two of them will simply have to retrieve the money from its hiding place and embark on a new life together.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by noting that the plan goes awry, of course. Caesar is furious with Violet, but the fact that he clearly still cares about her forces him to keep her alive, and he can’t kill Corky until she coughs up the location of the money. The way the story wraps up is satisfying and makes perfect sense.
This new edition of Bound from Criterion features a restored print that is the pinnacle of the film’s presentation on home video. Sure, you might be pining for an 8K disc if you have a projector capable of throwing a huge image on the screen, but 4K Ultra HD is the end of the line for 99% of us, and it’s up to the task here.
The only extra on the 4K platter is an archival commentary track with the Wachowskis, who wrote and directed the film; Tilly, Gershon, and Pantaliano; editor Zach Staenberg; and sex writer Susie Bright, who consulted on the film and has a small cameo in it. As you might imagine, it’s a solid, informative track that has plenty to share for fans of the film.
Criterion also tossed in a Blu-ray disc that also contains the movie, the commentary track, and the rest of the extras. The only new one commissioned for this release is Pipeline to Seduction, a video essay that runs 17 minutes and features Christina Newland discussing not only the film’s symbolism but also the slight differences between the unrated and R-rated versions. (For the record, we get the unrated version here.)
The rest of the extras are of the archival variety. We have Gershon and Tilly talking about the film in a 27-minute interview where, yes, they talk about that infamous sex scene that had to be ever-so-slightly trimmed to get an R rating. Yes, the rationale behind the ratings board’s comments on that scene is still sexist.
Moving on, Pantoliano (Joey Pants!) talks about his character for 15 minutes, and Christopher Meloni of Law & Order fame shows up for a 10-minute discussion about his role, Johnnie Marzzone, who is Caesar’s nemesis.
Everything else found here lives up to Criterion’s “film class on a disc” mantra. We have cinematographer Bill Pope, editor Zach Staenberg, and composer Don Davis talking about their areas of expertise that they brought to the film in Modern Noir, while Playing with Expectations gives us professors B. Ruby Rich and Jennifer Moorman discussing the way Bound goes against film noir expectations in some ways while also helping lay the groundwork for modern noir.
And leave it to Criterion to make sure to include seven minutes with title designer Patti Podesta, who covers her career, her work with the Wachowskis, and the memorable title sequence she created for Bound.
A pair of trailer round out the disc while the obligatory printed material features an essay by film scholar McKenzie Wark.
– Brad Cook (@BradCWriter)
Criterion 4k Blu ray;Wachowskis; Bound movie review