Brian De Palma’s sleazy, slick, and super-sexy neo-noir Passion from 2012 has all the director’s trademark ingredients: murder, deceit, jealousy, split-screens, Pino Donaggio, sapphic tendencies, stedicam shots that go on forever, dreams, twins, kink, 70’s, 80’s, and so much more. Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace absolutely killed it and clearly had lots of fun playing two highly sexualized women; they were both delectable pawns for De Palma to playfully mess around with. The film is a sort-of-remake of Alain Corneau’s 2010 thriller Love Crime, but with De Palma drastically changing the ending to his film. José Luis Alcaine’s shimmery cinematography took maximum advantage of the stylish production design and the gorgeous faces and bodies on display; his superb work with Pedro Almodovar no doubt left a strong impression on De Palma, as Alcaine’s innate understanding of how to light women is in full effect all throughout Passion, which was shot on 35mm film and mostly on location in Berlin. While not a masterpiece like Femme Fatale, Passion is an extremely fun and self-reflexive effort from the master of the macabre that shows that when provided the chance, he can still deliver over the top thrills with elegant visual panache.
Podcasting Them Softly 