Whatever else it is or isn't, Femme Fatale is pure filmmaking of a kind we don't see much of these days. It's vintage De Palma and I, at least, am glad to have him back in form.
Femme Fatale (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:133
Fresh:64
Rotten:69
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: The thriller Femme Fatale is overheated, nonsensical, and silly.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong sexuality, violence and language
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Nov 6, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $6,543,347
Synopsis: Director Brian De Palma returns to familiar terrain with FEMME FATALE, a loopy, sexy thriller that plays like a "greatest hits" of the controversial director's tics, tricks, and obsessions. Here... Director Brian De Palma returns to familiar terrain with FEMME FATALE, a loopy, sexy thriller that plays like a "greatest hits" of the controversial director's tics, tricks, and obsessions. Here the story follows a beautiful seductress (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos) who betrays her cohorts during an elaborate diamond heist at the Cannes Film Festival, then disappears to America under the stolen identity of a dead French girl to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Seven years later she returns to Paris when her American husband (Peter Coyote) accepts a position as French ambassador. That's when Antonio Banderas, as a goofy photographer, enters the picture and becomes her lover and dupe in another elaborate scheme. Along the way there's steamy lesbianism, misogynistic violence, split-screens, double-crosses, time loops, VERTIGO-style stalking, a hot striptease, and plenty of dark comedy and sly homage to other films, all in the classic De Palma tradition. His fans should be thrilled, as this harkens back to the director's DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT, and BODY DOUBLE days. Novices should prepare to throw credibility to the wind and just enjoy the stylistic bravado, the twists and turns, and the ravishing Stamos--who backs up her beauty with a captivating, enigmatic performance. [More]
Starring: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote, Gregg Henry
Starring: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote, Gregg Henry, Rie Rasmussen, Eriq Ebouaney
Director: Brian De Palma
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Brian De Palma
Producer: Tarak Ben Ammar, Marina Gefter
Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Studio: Warner Bros.
Get This Movie
Reviews for Femme Fatale
Brian De Palma keeps the possibilities of the plot flailing throughout; but as his jagged puzzle pieces fail to align over the course of progression, his neutrality and failure to commit to a definitive stream of thought leads to his cop out.
Stripping film art down to its most purely visual roots, Brian De Palma's almost silent thriller is a stylish exploration of movies (and dreams) as our efforts to fabricate reality.
I think it should be called "Film Fatale" since the movie nearly bored me to death.
the film opens with a clip from 'Double Indemnity'... Clearly, DePalma is positioning Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as a modern-day Barbara Stanwyck; perhaps in his next movie, he'll try to sell us Christina Aguilera as the new Doris Day.
an exercise in cinematic excess whose faults almost add to its charms
Vertigo at the heart of Femme Fatale. Only in this case the woman is remaking herself.
De Palma's new thriller almost ends up as a parody -- largely because of a miscast female lead.
Femme Fatale is not the director's best work ever, but it is as good as we've seen him be in much too long a time.
It's hard to imagine that a movie starring the leggy Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as its Femme Fatale could be boring.
De Palma has provided enough ripe flesh, split-screen mayhem, and dreamlike imagery to power six films noir.
Like an elaborate game, cleverly assembled and played, but leaving very little impression when it's over.
Latest News for Femme Fatale
July 28, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: Hartnett, Scarlett & Swank in De Palma's "Black Dahlia"
Master of suspense / veteran storyteller / admirer of Hitchcock / Brian De Palma has a new film on the horizon, his first since 2002's "Femme Fatale," and it looks to... More...
July 20, 2005:
Get Your First Beautifully Gruesome Peek at "Slither"
Chalk it up to a relatively slow news week, but the crew over at CHUD.com just got an exclusive peek at this crazy gory freaked-out monster from an upcoming horror flick called... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Femme Fatale at Rotten Tomatoes
- Femme Fatale at IGN
- Femme Fatale at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


