This is a tough one. It's not offend your intellect horrible and it's not completely boring, but it's not good either. Most of the cast seems to be having fun, but they are slapped in a laboriously paced thiller. Doesn't exactly make it thrilling. Enjoy it for what it is -- a trifle.

Empty but full-bodied exercise in cinema, far sleeker and more supple than DePalma's stylistic excesses of the late 70s and early 80s, more confident and masterly as a genre piece, and more elegant as a reshuffling of formula along new contours, and highly captivating as a splicing of noir with mysticism, this is perhaps DePalma's best since Carlito's Way, and certainly redeems his standing after the sheer inanity of Mission to Mars. Actually, both Mission and Femme show us a master in action, and both exceed the boundaries of formualic conventions by stepping into metaphysical territory; but whereas Mission inflates into New Age schlock, Femme Fatale is sinuous and lean, brutally seductive, thereby allowing for more satisfying visceral pleasure and titillating occultish speculations. It's best appreciated as a game, played by Depalma and appreciated by knowing cineastes; not so much the mystery of the story but the construction of action and suspense, and the machinations of the plot. Those who find this hollow have a point; it's not deep and perhaps even stupid and the material is tired just as the notion of the femme fatale; but DePalma's approach is fresh and his command of the medium is masterful and total, and at the very least it deserves praise as a feat of brilliant craftsmanship. Banderas is engaging, Stamos is venomously sexy, and the villains are truly menacing. … Expand

"Femme Fatale" is a film Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of. Director Brian DePalma crafts an elegant and intriguing heist thriller with more than its share of twists and turns. This is expert filmmaking: sleekly photographed, handsomely mounted, and visually stunning. It weaves a web of intrigue, danger, and seductiveness. The picture is sly and self-assured. Though Antonio Banderas receives top billing, "Femme Fatale" belongs to Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Whether or not she is a great actress is debatable. Yet she is a true Hitchcock-ian heroine: icy, deliciously duplicitous, and sexy as hell. Her performance may not be spectacular, but it is certainly one of the bravest performances of 2002. "Femme Fatale" is undeniably one of the best films of the year. It is certainly one of the most pleasurable motion picture experiences I have had in a while. See it, if for nothing else, for Rebecca Romijn-Stamos's fearless, sexually-charged performance. She will leave you stunned.… Expand

Absolute trash. Plot holes the size of craters, absolutely atrocious acting across the board, and De Palma's love of cripplingly illogical plotlines combine to make this half-baked monstrosity damn-near unwatchable. Casting supermodels in lead acting roles is a questionable tactic at the best of times; in this movie, Romijn-Stamos works extremely hard at looking good while doing nothing with what little she has to work with. Any one of the multiple plot twists that can only be characterized as childish would have ruined the movie; together, they weigh it down like stones in a sack. Being insulted by people is bad enough. But being insulted by movies...folks, that's just beneath our human dignity.… Expand

Awfull!

Had great hopes for this movie but DePalma just couldn't pull it off...too long, a waste of Peter Coyote's skills as an actor.

Sucked big time.....such a waste of a good lesbian scene.

What a huge piece of crap ! I wish that, like in the movie, I had a deja-vu preminition about what this movie was going to be like BEFORE paying for my ticket to see this load of garbage.....I would have seen something....ANYTHING else ! The ONLY saving grace about this movie was the lez scene between the two actresses in the first 10 minutes of the film. The rest is ALL crap.....absolutely stinky. Roger Ebert, and all the others that gave this thing a high rating are all smoking something pretty strong ! … Expand

Save for some parts of the ending that are a bit cliche, I really enjoyed this film. It is repleted with references to other works, subtle symbols and "clins d'oeil" to famous film directors (I kept thinking of Kiezlowski's "Rouge". The lack of dialogue is refreshing in today's "explain everything to the audience". Yes, it is an erotic film, but a very well done one at that.

Great tongue-in-cheek suspense.

It had sexy babes, the movie was ok, but the story was messed up!

Gorgeous and trashy, Femme Fatale is the most exhilarating thing you could possibly have seen in the theaters last year. Even if it doesn't completely hold up in the end, it is a beautiful exercise in style featuring a marriage of images and music that will stay with you for the rest of your life. DePalma shows his genius behind the camera here better than he ever has. Highly, highly recommended.… Expand

I am a little confused: I must have seen a different film than some of these viewers. This film was incredibly gorgeous, stylish, and sexy. It's amazing for a film to be so captivating when there is very little dialogue. One of the best examples of a film that resembles a director's pure love of movies. It's one of the very best films of 2002.

A crock, but an entertaining one for the most part. People have been comparing this to "Mulholland Drive," but Naomi Watts is a much more compelling actress than Romijn-Stamos, and I think it's her performance that keeps the film from being entirely successful. Banderas is much more interesting as a shlub, although his swishy act in the middle of the film struck me as curious. Overall, it's a beautiful film to watch, especially the opening heist sequence, but the points it seems to want to make about choices and possible futures is ultimately undercut by its heroine's lackluster acting.… Expand

Wonderful ... a "Mulholland Drive" that doesn't cheat.

Somewere someone forgot what kind of film this was going or trying to be. Other than the T&A you get from Romijn Stamos, this is one long borring film that in the end looks more like a failed attempt at a fantasy than a drama or action. The first 10 minutes I enjoyed, after that, God help me, I could have stayed at home and watched Le Femme Nikita and lez porn.

This was a loooong ass movie. So long, that I drank a friggen' Sprite at the beginning, ended up missing the best part of the movie (Rebecca's striptease and "session" with Antonio) while peeing in the bathroom, and still sat there waiting for the damn thing to end for another hour. The makeout scene in the first 10 minutes and the above scene are basically the best things about this flick. It's pretty and well-photographed, yet, like in Body Double, the story only serves as background to the director's obsession about female sexuality. He doesn't reveal much though, literally and figuratively. Yeah, women can be crazy nutcases that can bring men to their ultimate demise. Oh, and the sky is blue. Tell me something I didn't know. And don't do it for three friggen' hours only showing me the side half of Rebecca's breasts!!… Expand

Fabulous! Anyone who says otherwise is juat plain stupid.

This is probably the worst movie I've seen since Brotherhood of the Wolf, and it gives Manos: The Hands of Fate a serious run for its money. The plot is pathetically pieced together, notoriously cliche', and its attempts at art-house cinematic tricks are laughable. I've always considered Scarface overrated, and this most recent film by Brian DePalma proves him a director to be panned. I must say though, my sides were aching from laughing so hard at this pathetic attempt at film-making. If you're looking for a movie to rip on a' la MST3K, go no farther than this one.… Expand

Great meta-thriller, with the usual DePalma hijinks, choreography and tongue-in-cheek preposterousness.

The people who reviewed this probably don't like being puzzled by a film where you actually have to PUT THE PLOT together. Sure, it's hard work, but if you require logic in a movie - - don't watch this. It surely isn't for everybody (check the reviews), but for those of us who like movies as puzzles, Femme Fatale is a wild ride. It's too bad it wasn't very well-advertised.… Expand

Points for babes only. movie sucked - walked out.