Brian De Palma’s Passion (2012), a remake of the French thriller Love Crime, received mixed reviews upon release. Having finally seen it, and enjoying it quite a lot, I think it’ll be like his previous film, Femme Fatale – in that in ten years’ time, critics and fans will re-evaluate and appreciate it. And I am a huge fan of De Palma, so this take is incredibly biased and maybe it’s a film only a De Palma tragic could jones for – the sustained tension of his thriller set pieces, the mix of glamour and sleaze, the use of dream fake outs and doubling, etc. Swinging for the fences is why I love his films – for their unabashed style and not holding back to the point of being seen as campy or silly (which they are). Set in Germany, Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace work in an advertising firm in a sterile corporate environment, McAdams the boss to Rapace’s mentor. Yet as they vie for promotable status (and a cushy New York posting), they proceed to collaborate, undermine, flirt, tease and ultimately try and usurp one another. As the noir lightning ratchets up, a giallo style murder transpires, and then it’s twists upon twists. McAdams and Rapace were excellent, rolling with the power shifts and game playing to fine effect. Evoking the erotic thrillers of the ‘80s and ‘90s, I personally enjoyed Passion more than the De Palma influenced Netflix thriller, The Perfection; it is similarly nasty and ridiculous, but at least it carries a sense of class and craft (helped along by Pino Donaggio’s score).
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