Holy smokes! What in the world was Brian De Palma,
the maker of such acclaimed films as "Carrie" (1976) and "Scarface"
(1983) smoking really!? "Passion" (2012) which deservedly got extremely
limited release seems to lack any real passion, be it from its actors or its maker.
A
sly advertising executive Christine (Rachel McAdams), with her glossy
lipstick and over-the-top, bitchy mannerisms is as confused about her
sexuality as she is arrogant with her subordinates. So while her
employees are not facing her ire for not meeting deadlines, and while
she is not busy having a masked, kinky romp with her hen-pecked lover
Dirk (Paul Anderson), her assistant Isabelle, a horribly miscast Noomi
Rapace with a horrendous fringe hairdo and a put-on accent, becomes the
object of her lust. "Now I just want to be loved", Christine tells
Isabelle in the back of the car as she proceeds to kiss her while a
visibly confused Isabelle wonders what the hell is going on with
Christine and also with the script.
An
opportunity for Isabelle, at climbing the corporate ladder and upping
her credibility as an Ad expert, is thwarted by Christine when she
steals credit for one of Isabelle's major accomplishments. What follows
are upsets, counter-actions, rivalries, humiliations, and a bizarre
lesbian love triangle that is as half-baked as this film, with
Isabelle's assistant Dani (Karoline Herfurth) joining as the third stand
of the tripod. Poor Isabelle is at the center; lusted after by her boss
as well as her assistant! What happens later? Well, this is a De Palma
thriller. Against a "Psycho"-like soundtrack a similar knife-murder of
Christine takes place. Isabelle is the immediate suspect. She even
confesses to the killing. But what is the ultimate truth?
Well,
the film and its screenplay, a remake (read: bastardization) of the Alain Corneau French
thriller "Love Crime" aka "Crime D'Amour" (2010) is a sign of Brian De
Palma finally going senile. How else do you explain the utter dabbler
job that is "Passion", that takes much of the material from the French
thriller, but waters it down to the level of almost pure garbage, devoid
of any real thrills or logic! "Love Crime" wasn't much of a perfect film
either, far from it, but at least it delivered as a decent, watchable
thriller, with its believable performances, and events with a
culmination that didn't entirely insult your intelligence. "Passion" is
just a lackadaisical attempt at filmmaking, a real shame, coming from
someone who has given us gripping thrillers like "Blow-out" (1981) in
his heydays.
Apart from being a harebrained mystery,
that "Passion" really isn't, to begin with, it gives ample reasons
for the viewer to have fun with some laughs. Terrible dialog that is
unintentionally hilarious, almost soap-operatic and delivered in a
cheesy manner…"But you love me; you have to love me….please!" will have
you in splits. Character intentions are meaningless and unconvincing,
and the Police force more incompetent than a small child at doing their
job! Gimmicky cinematic techniques like split-screen imagery that worked
wonders in De Palma's own "Sisters"(1973), and did full justice to the
intention of showcasing POV shots of a single event, are simply
redundant here, and serve no purpose, except to give you watery eyes and
a headache as you try to squint and comprehend the image.
Leaving
out a number of key scenes and events in the original "Love Crime"
reduces "Passion" to a crippled affair, that looks like a mystery story
with gaping holes the size of craters, presumably written by a 5-year
old. And perhaps De Palma had a "Sisters" hangover; adding an
unnecessary and unaccomplished sub-plot (?) involving Christine's twin
sister. Icing on this badly baked cake is the oh-so-terrible casting
choices and fake accents that highlight the bad acting, especially from
Noomi Rapace who impressed with her razor-sharp, confident performance
in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2009). She is so awkward in this,
you'll refuse to believe that the woman playing Isabelle's part is the
same person! Rachel McAdams gets some parts right, but in the end, looks
like a deep red lipstick smeared soap-operatic drama queen and overdoes
her act, taking away the much needed realism from it. Karoline
Herfurth, the third wheel, cannot do much to salvage the picture anyway.
One wonders if it was intentional but the lighting in the film appears to
be completely out of place, with some scenes in the workplace, for
example, that are supposed to take place during work hours appear to be
happening at night, with dimly lit office spaces and an overall
appearance that there has been a power outage in the premises! Whether
De Palma intended these sequences to produce a hallucinatory, surreal
effect is unclear. Strangest choice of lighting really, and one that
still boggles the mind.
Sitting
through this film with raised eyebrows is a task in itself as you wait
for it to end, and it certainly fails to keep you at the edge of your
seat. We are eventually taken to a culmination that is laughable to say
the least. Brian De Palma's "Passion" is disappointing; a new low in
filmmaking from a filmmaker who has otherwise been dependable. The man
has fallen…hook, line and stinker!
One wonders if it was intentional but the lighting in the film appears to
be completely out of place, with some scenes in the workplace, for
example, that are supposed to take place during work hours appear to be
happening at night, with dimly lit office spaces and an overall
appearance that there has been a power outage in the premises! Whether
De Palma intended these sequences to produce a hallucinatory, surreal
effect is unclear. Strangest choice of lighting really, and one that
still boggles the mind.
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