Bound
Gramercy Pictures (I) | Release Date: October 4, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
2
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It's pure cinema, spread over several genres. It's a caper movie, a gangster movie, a sex movie and a slapstick comedy. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
It's a complex, satisfying piece of entertainment, a succession of unexpected, outrageous scenes. Read full review
90
Dallas ObserverJimmy Fowler
The writing-directing team of brothers Larry and Andi Wachowski has chosen as its filmmaking debut a tightly constructed, stylishly (but rarely self-consciously) executed, gripping little noir parable that couldn't be more firmly grounded in American movie tradition if the filmmakers created a wacky romantic farce about mismatched paramours. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
From the first scene, however, it's obvious that the writing/directing team of Andy and Larry Wachowski are aiming for something considerably higher than rudimentary titillation. And, by taking chances and twisting conventions, they have hit paydirt. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
The result is flashy -- first-time directors Larry and Andy Wachowski never miss an opportunity to show us red, red drops of blood against brilliant white -- but pretty good fun, especially if the thought of Tilly in a succession of thigh-high bandage dresses makes you sweat. Read full review
88
USA TodayMike Clark
Some caper movies build suspense, while others tweak the genre with tongue lancing cheek. But this lesbian caper pic (how's that for a rarefied subgenre?) often pulls off both feats in the same scene, even simultaneously. [04 Oct 1996 Pg.04.D]
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The true pleasures of Bound lie in the Wachowskis' inventive updated take on film noir traditions, sensuously realized by cinematographer Bill Pope ("Clueless"). Read full review
80
EmpireKim Newman
Lovingly designed in black and white, and played with a nice sense of irony, this offers the not unappealing spectacle of gorgeous, funny, clever women making fools of hard-boiled Mafia guys. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
In short, Bound is admittedly derivative, but it's such an amusing low-down entertainment it really doesn't matter. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerBarry Walters
The Wachowski brothers are to be applauded for a film that is also nearly as stylishly funny as it is sexy and fast-paced. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This gets very suspenseful (as well as fairly gruesome) in spots, and if it never adds up to anything profound, it's still a welcome change to have a lesbian couple as the chief identification figures. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Schickel
The Wachowskis have the predilection for loopy camera setups common to first-time directors, but their hearts are in the right transgressive place, and their film will tide some of us over until Quentin gets...well...unbound. Read full review
70
Washington PostRita Kempley
Bound, a diabolically clever caper, isn't nearly so deep as the genre it kids. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
What's more, they toss a few original twists into a familiar generic set-up and thereby create a thoroughly entertaining and stylish thriller. Read full review
50
Washington PostBruce Walker
Like so many other rob-the-mob movies, the plan seems pretty far-fetched, and the ending isn't much of a surprise. But if you like your films sprinkled liberally with sex, violence and humor, then you're bound to like Bound. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
The film is shot by Bill Pope with such enterprising flair that it never looks claustrophobic, but the action inevitably stalls in such close quarters. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Larry and Andy Wachowski directed this lurid, sexually explicit thriller. Read full review
10
L.A. WeeklyStaff (Not Credited)
While the women go through a few of the motions, shifting decorously under the sheets and sucking face, there's no lust in their coupling, just choreography and the conceit of two filmmakers with nothing more on their minds than fake dykes and bloodshed. Read full review
10
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Debuting writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski come off like Coen brothers wannabes with no sense of humor. Read full review
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