Passion (2012)
Cast includes: Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes), Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version)), Karoline Herfurth (The Reader), Paul Anderson (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)
Writer/Director: Brian De Palma (Femme Fatale, Scarface)
Genre: Drama | Mystery | Thriller (102 minutes)
“These are terrible.” Christine and Isabelle are working late at Christine’s house, looking at commercials for the Panasonic phone. “Our smart phone has to be the smartest,” says Christine. So far she and her protégée haven’t come up with a winning concept. When Christine goes to get something to drink, Isabelle has a chance to admire her boss’s house. “It’s so beautiful here.” (Wow. That’s an understatement!) “That’s what I like about you,” purrs Christine. “You’re smart and driven… just like me.” Isabelle is flattered by her boss’s attention, even though she knows she’s not like Christine. “Am I disturbing you?” It’s Dirk, Christine’s lover. It’s obviously time for Isabelle to go home. Christine kisses her protégée goodbye as she wraps a lovely scarf around her neck… a gift. “I think we make a really good team.” “I’ll work on this at home,” says Isabella.
While Christine and Dirk are acting out sexual fantasies, Isabelle does in fact come up with a brilliant idea and enlists her assistant’s help to develop it. The next day, Christine is so impressed that she sends Isabella to London to present it. It’s thumbs up all the way around the room, but Isabelle is reluctant to socialize with the clients after work. “I just got this brainstorm in the middle of the night.” It’s not Isabelle saying that. It’s Christine, on the phone, taking credit for Isabelle’s idea. “It’s not back stabbing,” she says to Isabelle. “You would have done the same thing. It’s just business.” Instead of leaving her to sulk, Christine takes Isabelle shopping to buy a pair of killer red shoes… and then on to a stylish party where she instructs Isabelle to win the attention of their most important client… “He likes to see some skin.” “I’m not like you,” says Isabelle. “You’re more like me than you think,” says Christine as she pushes Isabelle into the fray. Isabelle’s not unattractive, but she’s quite plain next to the gorgeous Christine. And Christine knows how to use all her assets to get what she wants. She says she wants to teach Isabelle, but Isabelle’s not sure if she’s being played.
When Isabelle does learn how to play the same game… that’s when Christine raises the stakes. That’s when all of those innocent details… the scarf, the lover, the assistant, the sexual fantasies… become part of the dangerous game, too. Passion is a remake of the 2011 French thriller, called Love Crime. It’s a sensuous, beautifully styled erotic psycho-thriller. If you enjoy a bit of sadomasochistic intrigue, you’re likely to enjoy the early part of this movie. As the mystery deepens, however, there are many unexpected twists and turns… some that might go beyond your tolerance for tricky twists and turns. It’s an enjoyable bit of fun… shot in some of the most chic parts of Berlin. If you tend to get hung up on plot details that don’t entirely make sense, you’re liable to find this one a bit frustrating. Don’t take it too seriously, and you’ll find it just a bit of twisted, stylish fun. “It’s not back stabbing. It’s just business.”
2 popped kernels
A deadly rivalry develops when the protégée learns to play the same game as her manipulative boss
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Violence, Sexual Content, Crime)
Audience: Young adults
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: Cruises comfortably
Visual Style: Nicely varnished realism
Primary Driver: Plot development
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
