Bound-A Gripping Debut for the Wachowskis

Bound is an incredibly gripping directorial debut for the Wachowski's. The two clearly understand their female characters, crafting a story of two women who cling to each other as a means of escape but that soon spins into a genuine affection for each other. It's a film steeped in intimate close-ups and flirtatious dialogue, making the early parts of the film so gripping to me. 

But it's the story that follows that makes the film even more gripping. The Wachowski's script brilliantly puts the pieces together, crafting a heist movie style of setups that was incredibly engaging. The script then turns things on its head as things go increasingly wrong for the characters, making for one tense sequence after another. The Wachowskis makes brilliant use of Hitchcock's "Bomb under the table" technique of handling tension, building up the tension by introducing elements that they then play around with to build up the suspense more and more, be it the thin walls early on, cell phones, to the bodies hidden in the bathroom. 

All the while, the now trademark unconventional filmmaking style the Wachowskis are best known for is on full display throughout the film. The Wachowski's do some extremely unique things with the camera, all to build up the tension. They pan around small objects, be they cell lines or paint buckets, and move the camera around the characters in unconventional ways. It all makes for filmmaking that does everything it can with its relatively low amount of locations, moving the camera all around its small rooms and using closeups to ratchet up the tension in some incredibly satisfying ways. There's also an emphasis on sound design, particularly small, quiet noises, such as footsteps or liquids dripping onto the floor, which help build up the tension more and more. 

The film's writing does show clear signs that it's a debut, particularly the use of exposition. There are a few moments throughout the film where characters go on long spiels, explaining much of the plot that never feels natural and tells more than it shows. The film does alleviate this issue through the very snappy, noir-like dialogue that makes all the non-expository dialogue such a joy to watch. 

Despite some issues with its dialogue, Bound is still one of the most impressive directorial debuts I've seen. It's such a captivating crime/love story with an unconventionally taught filmmaking style that makes the film tense and gripping. The Wachowskis have always had a knack for making films with such a unique voice, and Bound shows that uniqueness was evident from their first film.

Now Streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S