Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Bound Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 22, 2018

"Bound" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; vintage audio commentary with the Wachowskis, Jennifer Tilly, actors Gina Gershon, and Joe Pantoliano, editor Zach Staenberg, and consultant Susie Bright; featurette with director of photography Bill Pope, editor Zach Staenberg, and composer Don Davis; video program with Gena Gershon and Jennifer Tilly; and more. The release also arrives with an 8-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Guinevere Turner. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You've got to behave now

The text below was first used for our review of the French Blu-ray release of Bound in 2009.

A good friend of mine, who writes for a popular French magazine, once told me: "Bound is so sexy, if it was filmed fifty years ago, it would have become an instant noir classic.” Having just revisited the Wachowski’s film on Blu-ray, I have to agree. Bound has not lost its sex appeal one bit.

The story that is told in it is simple. Corky (Gina Gershon, Picture Claire) is a beautiful female ex-con who makes ends meet as a plumber. She is sent to an apartment building in downtown Chicago to do a job. In the lobby of the building, Corky meets Caesar (Joe Pantoliano, Bad Boys II), a local mobster, and his girlfriend, Violet (Jennifer Tilly, Bride of Chucky). While riding the elevator together, Violet looks at Corky in a way most men look at women. The three get off on the same floor. The apartment Corky is sent to work on is right next to Caesar and Violet’s place.

Soon after, Violet comes knocking on Corky’s door. She tells her that she dropped her ring in the sink, and because Caesar has stepped out, she needs help. Corky already knows why Violet is there, but decides to play her game. She goes to her place and helps Violet get her ring. Then, she gets her.

A few hours later, Caesar comes back. He has absolutely no idea what the two women have been doing. He invites Corky to have a drink and pays her for the help. At first, Corky protests, but then accepts the money. Then, she finishes her drink and goes back to work.

When the two women meet again, Violet reveals that she is sick of living with Caesar and ready to start a new life. She also tells Corky that someone (Barry Kivel, Body and Soul) is about to bring Caesar a case with two million dollars, which he must give to Gino Marzzone (Richard C. Sarafian, Bugsy), a big mafia boss. It is a lot of money that can permanently reset one's life -- or a couple's future. Is Corky interested in helping her steal the moeny and then runnnig away with her?

Bound was the Wachowski’s debut as film directors. It was released a year after they contributed to Richard Donner’s Assassins, a high-octane action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, and Julianne Moore. It received good reviews in North America, but it disappeared into oblivion due to a surprisingly poor support from its distributor. After it was released on DVD, it became something of a cult classic.

In Bound the sex is explicit but delicious. That famous sex scene between Gershon and Tilly (fully intact on this release) remains amongst the best I have seen in contemporary American cinema. The lines the two women utter before they start making love are fantastic.

There is plenty of violence in Bound as well, and Joe Pantoliano’s character is in the middle of it all. Similar to the sex, the violence is also wonderfully shot. A lot of it is mixed with a good dose of humor as well, which keeps it fresh. During the second half, for instance, there is a rather long scene where a man is badly tortured, but his misery is hilarious. I am convinced Quentin Tarantino has studied it, as different versions of it have appeared in a couple of his films.

You would either love or hate Bound. It is that type of film. I like it because it tells a good story and has a lot of style. I also like how deliciously naughty it is. Nowadays, we rarely see an R-rated Hollywood film where the sex is exciting. Typically, it is boring and tasteless. If you decide to see Bound, you may not like it, but I guarantee you won’t be bored.

Bound Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bound arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

A couple of years ago when we reviewed the British release of Bound, I mentioned that at the very least a new 2K scan is needed so that there is a proper new remaster that can be used for a definitive Blu-ray release. I have not changed my mind one bit. The film can look really, really good on Blu-ray, but every distributor that has released the film has used an older master with very obvious limitations. This new release isn't an exception. Indeed, it offers some very small cosmetic improvements over the first North American release from 2012, but the basic characteristics remain the same. For example, while density is better -- and the encoding here is clearly superior so on a larger screen the difference will be quite easy to see -- the fine nuances that a proper 2K/4K remaster would have delivered are simply missing. Instead, there is plenty of black crush that makes plenty of the footage to look a lot thicker than it should (see examples in screencaptures #7, 8, and 16). Depth also isn't optimal, and while some enhancements have been made to freshen up the visuals, there was just not enough to work with because of the limitations that are mentioned above (see screencaptures #6 and 10). Colors are much better than those of the first release, but contrast is also elevated and as a result the black crush becomes even more prominent. Image stability is excellent. All in all, this release offers a marginal upgrade in quality over the first release, and as far as I am concerned there isn't a proper definitive release of the film yet in any region. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Bound Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

This release does not have a 5.1 track like the European releases that we have reviewed do, but I don't think that this is an issue. I even mentioned in our review of the British release that I tend to like the 2.0 track better. Clarity, depth, and balance in particular are excellent.

Bound Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - this vintage audio commentary with the Wachowskis, Jennifer Tilly, actors Gina Gershon, and Joe Pantoliano, editor Zach Staenberg, and consultant Susie Bright also appears on the French Blu-ray release of Bound. It is fantastic, and I actually consider it one of the very best done to date. It is incredibly informative and very entertaining at the same time. It can be heard on the Unrated Version of the film.

• Trailer - original trailer for Bound. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Part and Parcel - in this new video interview, titles designer Patti Podesta discusses her career and work with the Wachowskis, including her contribution to Bound. The interview was conducted exclusively for Olive Films in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (8 min 1080p).

• The Difference Between You and Me - in this new video program, professor B. Ruby Rich and professor Jennifer Moorman discuss the evolution of film noir and emergence of neo-noir as well as themes and stylistic appearance of Bound. The program was produced for Olive Films. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Here's Johnny! - in this video interview, Christopher Meloni (Johnnie Marzzone) discusses the character he plays in Bound. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Femme Fatales - in this video piece, Gena Gershon and Jennifer Tilly discuss their initial reactions to the Wachowskis' script for Bound and directing methods, the shooting of the film, the unique qualities of their characters (Corky and Violet), the lovemaking sequences, the film's cult status, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Modern Noir: The Sights & Sounds of Bound - in this featurette, director of photography Bill Pope, editor Zach Staenberg, and composer Don Davis discuss their contributions to Bound and explain what makes the film unique. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Essay - presented here is Guinevere Turner's essay "We Know How This Ends...". In text-format.

• Booklet - 8-page illustrated booklet featuring Guinevere Turner's essay "We Know How This Ends...".

Bound Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This upcoming special edition of Bound offers some improvements in quality over the first release of the film that was produced in 2012, plus an extensive selection of new and vintage bonus features. However, I think that if in the future someone does a proper 2K/4K remaster and then puts it on Blu-ray, the film will sparkle and look incredibly beautiful. To be honest, it is a bit disappointing that this transformation did not happen now. RECOMMENDED.