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Femme Fatale
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Femme Fatale (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Femme Fatale (2002) -- A woman tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a con-woman comes back to haunt her.
Femme Fatale (2002) -- Theatrical Preview

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   14,671 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Brian De Palma
Writer (WGA):
Brian De Palma (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Femme Fatale on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 November 2002 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Thriller more
Tagline:
Nothing is more desirable or more deadly than a woman with a secret
Plot:
A woman tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a con-woman comes back to haunt her. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
ABC pilot bewitches Rebecca Romijn
 (From Hitfix. 9 March 2009, 10:01 PM, PDT)

Cannes 06: Massive Preview
 (From ioncinema. 2 March 2006)

User Comments:
[Corrected after Guidelines] Femme Fatale: A Referential Masterpiece Fated to Be Dismissed by Derivative Critics more
US TV Schedule:
Mon. July 69:00 AMMAX   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rebecca Romijn ... Laure / Lily (as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)

Antonio Banderas ... Nicolas Bardo

Peter Coyote ... Watts

Eriq Ebouaney ... Black Tie
Edouard Montoute ... Racine
Rie Rasmussen ... Veronica
Thierry Frémont ... Serra (as Thierry Fremont)

Gregg Henry ... Shiff
Fiona Curzon ... Stanfield Phillips
Daniel Milgram ... Pierre / Bartender
Jean-Marc Minéo ... Seated Guard (as Jean-Marc Mineo)
Jean Chatel ... Cannes Commentator
Stéphane Petit ... Bodyguard One (as Stephane Petit)
Olivier Follet ... Bodyguard Two
Eva Darlan ... Irma
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language.
Runtime:
114 min
Country:
France
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Uma Thurman was originally cast as Laure Ash, but cancelled when she became pregnant. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The envelope and passport change their relative positions in Laure's hand between shots during the climactic scene. more
Quotes:
Lily: Bad people read newspapers too. more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Film Geek (2005) more
Soundtrack:
My Ideal more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
[Corrected after Guidelines] Femme Fatale: A Referential Masterpiece Fated to Be Dismissed by Derivative Critics, 11 November 2002
Author: Avuncularedo

Ironic, isn't it, that so many mainstream critics should dismiss De Palma as derivative of Hitchcock without realizing their critical assessment is itself unoriginal, is derivative in the thoughtless elementary way that De Palma himself avoids in his best films. Femme Fatale happens to be one of his best. In fact, it is his best film since Raising Cain (which references Powell's Peeping Tom far more than Hitchcock's Psycho, thank you very much).

Get it right, echolaliacs of the mirrored keyboard: your criticism is derivative and De Palma's films are referential. What's the difference, you ask? I'll spell it out: De Palma references other films in obvious ways calculated to *remind the audience of the sources referenced* (not to pass them off as his own), in the same way that Ovid uses classical mythology in Metamorphoses, or Huysmans incorporates encyclopedic knowledge in A Rebours. It is De Palma's spin on that material, his retelling, that makes the difference. Whereas critics who cry *derivative* are parrot fanboys echoing deadeningly familiar voices.

If De Palma were truly derivative, then Femme Fatale's retelling of the dream of Ophelia with shades of Double Indemnity would just be that, in the sense that Killing Zoe and The Last Seduction are cramped regurgutations of classic noir. But it isn't: The structure is nothing like a retelling of either, though it takes care to reference paradigmatic images and speeches in order to twist them. De Palma's is an original story, not a retelling with an obligatory twist.

Americans seem not to know what to do with deliberately artificial fare like Femme Fatale or, for that matter, Eyes Wide Shut. They bemoan the fact that "real people don't talk that way," or "Paris/New York/[fill in the location] isn't really like that," as if that were the point. The best thing to do with good De Palma (the rare film he actually writes himself) is to revel in the artificiality and choreographed depravity. De Palma himself, scholar in a greasy raincoat, certainly does.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Femme Fatale (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
One of De Palma's most perfect films bobbed
Too many parts didn't make any sense. eYeDEF
Music during the heist - hot bathroom scene bobskea
Rie Rasmussen 's legs are hot! limenglan
Anyone noticed? nesselande157
What movie are they watching on TV in the opening scene? zoe_eclisse
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