Transcript note: This transcript is based on the original working script. It may contain production notes, draft wording, spelling mistakes or other material that differs from the finished video - these scripts were meant to be spoken, not read.

You could never accuse Bound of not having style, or confidence for that matter.

It knew exactly what it wanted to be.

It should have been bigger than it was - But - It never did quite break through.

It just kind of… Sat there.

Waiting for people to catch up.

Let’s take a look at what makes Bound - Cult, Actually

[intro]

It’s sort of become a myth that before the Wachowskis could make The Matrix, they had to make Bound

But it’s not true.

It was part of the same deal, but The Matrix would have happened either way.

But what is true - Is that making Bound give the Wachowskis the space to figure out exactly how they wanted to tell a story.

And you can see it - Clearly.

Not in scale, far from it - But in the control.

Every shot of Bound is a rehearsal for something bigger - the long takes, the framed doorways, the way a room can feel like a trap.

It’s small, it’s tight and very focused.

But also, deliberate.

We follow Corky, or Gina Gershon as she likes to be called in real life.

Corky has just been released from prison and manages to catch a job renovating an apartment.

Next door to the apartment she’s working on we have Violet, played by Jennifer Tilly and Caesar played by Joe Pantoliano.

And its pretty obvious from the start that they are an odd couple.

Caesar works for the Mob and - Violet?

Well, she does live with him - BUT - She’s not exactly, with him either.

And once she meets Corky, well…It doesn’t take long for the film to show its hand there.

And we’ll get that out of the way - Yes - Corky and Violet quickly get involved with each other, and it isn’t shy about it.

But - That isn’t the point of the relationship - It builds a trust between the pair quite quickly, it’s a dangerous situation for them both.

And trust, in this movie - Well it buys you a heist.

The plan is simple enough - Steal money from Caesar.

Two million dollars - Not chump change

Violet points Corky at the money - Corky does her thing and grabs it.

And, Caesar? - He takes the fall.

Simple - Right? - What could possibly go wrong?

Well - As it turns out - Everything.

And for my money - This is where it shines because Bound is built on tension.

It doesn’t need action or spectacle - It just needs pressure.

There’s rooms, there's walls and there are people listening through them.

Just - Waiting - Watching - And, trying not to get caught.

You believe that something, or someone, is going to break at any given moment.

Bound, not unironically - understands restraint - It doesn’t show you everything, but you feel it.

What really carries the film is the dynamic between Corky and Violet - Neither of them are passive and they aren’t just there to move the plot along.

Without them none of the film moves forward, it’s their decisions and actions along the way that do the heavy lifting here.

Their relationship isn’t just the gimmick it could have been.

It just, is - And that confidence in playing it that way makes it a big part of the reason it’s stuck around.

And as much as I can throw praise to Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly for their part in this, it’s Joe Pantoliano that really pulls it all together.

Caesar isn’t a calm controlled man. He’s volatile and paranoid - And, yeah - Fair to say he’s always just on the edge of losing it.

And as the plan Corky and Violet put into play unfolds, the more pressure is put on Caesar.

That’s what keeps the tension building - Heh - You’re not waiting for anything big to happen, you’re waiting for him to crack.

Now-Bound isn’t a film that failed.

But it didn’t exactly explode either.

It landed somewhere in the middle.

Got good reviews.

Built a bit of momentum.

And then… moved on.

So. What does make it Cult? I hear you ask.

Weirdly - Almost everything.

It arrived early.

In 1996, a neo-noir about two women who rob the mob and ride off together?

Hollywood didn't know what to do with it - Frankly, it made a lot of people uncomfortable. .

Too violent for rom-coms. Too romantic for action.

And too explicitly gay for... well, a lot of people

It barely made a blip at the box office despite good reviews.

But once it made it into homes? - That’s where the magic happened.

The queer audience claimed it as theirs, film students wrestled it back and demanded it be theirs too and suddenly - a film was found.

And then on top of that, it’s one of those films that gets better on every rewatch.

Watch it once, it's a heist thriller.

Twice, it's a love story.

Three times?

That’s when you realise every shot, every line, every glance - all doing double duty.

And none of that is an accident. That's architecture.

The sex isn't for the male gaze. The violence isn't glamorous. The ending doesn't punish the women for wanting more.

In 1996, that was quietly radical.

Today?

It still is - And that’s exactly why it still feels dangerous.

Bound didn't change to fit the audience.

The audience eventually caught up.

And that's about as Cult, Actually as it gets.

Anyways.

I’ve been Paul and Bound is Cult, Actually.

If you’ve liked this video then do me a favour and drop me a like.

Subscribe as well if you want while you’re there.

Or don’t.

I’ll be here either way.

And hopefully-I’ll see you on the next Rewind.

Thanks for watching.