Passion

 Brian DePalma is the perfect director for a English version of the French thriller, "Love Crimes".  Of course leave it to Mr. DePalma to tinker with the script and create a film that is familiar (to the original version) and yet, unique enough to stand on it's own. The film is a throwback to his early thrillers, "Dressed To Kill", "Sisters", and "Raising Cain" with a little of "Femme Fatale" thrown in for good measure.

        The story of a advertising executive and her backstabbing boss has everything that you would expect from Mr. DePalma. Kinky sex, betrayal, red herrings, and murder all add up to a lurid tale of office intrigue filmed only they way Brain DePalma can do it. Voyeuristic camera work along with a jarring score ratchet up the suspense and an altered ending from the French version keeps the viewer guessing even after the film ends. It's clear that Mr. DePalma likes to mess with his audience's head.

         The film stars Rachel McAdams as Charlotte, the self centered executive and Noomi Rapace as the innocent, yet talented underling on the rise. This is an interesting choice as you would normally expect the roles reversed to showcase each actress but instead they play against type and manage to pull it off. The film, while in English was filmed in Berlin and has a European flavor. Besides the two female stars, there are no known actors to an American audience. There allows Mr. DePalma  freedom to make his film without Hollywood interference. The thriller has it's lighter sides with some humorous scenes that may seem out of place but since Mr. DePalma also wrote the script, everything is intentional whether it works or not.

          "Passion" has already played in other parts of the world and I don't believe it has a U.S. distributor as yet so it may be awhile before you can see it here. However, if you are a fan of those previously mentioned films, seek it out and you won't be disappointed.