‘Femme Fatale’ Blu-Ray Review – A Twisty, Steamy Tale Of Uncertain Reality From Brian De Palma

A $10-million diamond rip-off, a stolen identity, a new life married to a diplomat. Laure Ash has risked big, won big. But then a tabloid shutterbug snaps her picture in Paris, and suddenly, enemies from Laure’s secret past know who and where she is. And they all want their share of the diamond heist. Or her life. Or both.

Brian De Palma shows again why he’s an erotic thriller master with this edgy, mind-blowing film that’s both a gripping stunner and a twisting display of virtuoso filmmaking. Rebecca Romijn plays Laure, a self-admitted “bad girl” … who’s about to get worse as she ensnares the paparazzo (Antonio Banderas) in her web of self-preservation. An irresistible mix of style and story, Femme Fatale will utterly seduce you.

For thoughts on Femme Fatale, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Femme Fatale debuted on Blu-Ray in 2022 courtesy of Shout! Studios with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive. Colors are amazingly saturated with vibrant hues transporting audiences to the brilliant locales. Skin tones are natural, detailed, and consistent across the ensemble. Black levels are deep and hold up well with crush not emerging as a significant issue. Highlights seem to be intentionally blown out at points during the Cannes heist sequence, but everything seems to be accurate and controlled otherwise. Print damage has been eradicated without any notable blemishes and only a few lingering specks making it through the remaster. 

Clarity and detail are of the highest caliber with the sleek clothing and the first-class production design making a big impression. Every Brian De Palma film is a visual feast, and every frame of this one is filled with textures to delight in. This is complemented by the retention of the natural film grain of the source that has thankfully not been digitally manipulated to obliterate the details. The grain is organic rather than overly noisy or clumpy, allowing for rich texture to emerge from the image. Shout! Studios has made De Palma fans very happy. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in its original English audio which represents the soundscape confidently. One of our favorite aspects of the movie is the sultry score from Ryûichi Sakamoto which adds such personality to the picture. Every note flows out with ideal fidelity for a rewarding listening experience. Dialogue comes through clearly without being clipped by competing information. Every unique turn of phrase is resolute with no crackling or sibilance. While this is not action-forward, there are thrilling moments that hold up well with environmental sounds emerging from the appropriate spots. This presentation appears to be in great shape. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

• De Palma Repertory Player – An Interview With Actor Gregg Henry: A great new 14-minute interview with the performer who recounts his relationship with Brian De Palma from his one line in Scarface to his breakout in Body Double until Femme Fatale. Henry discusses fleshing out his character on the film, his favorite collaborations with De Palma, and more. 

• Shaping De Palma – An Interview With Editor Bill Pankow: A new 20-minute interview with the editor who discusses learning how to edit for De Palma on his early films, memorable collaborations with the filmmaker, how the original script for Femme Fatale differed from the final film, the keys hidden throughout the film, the performances, and more. 

• From Dream To Reality: A nearly 12-minute archival featurette with the cast and creative team in which they discuss the classic femme fatale archetype, finding the right actress to lead the film, conceiving the Cannes heist, and more. 

• Dream Within A Dream: A 24-minute archival featurette that largely delves into the filming of the Cannes heist along with the twisty developments that make up the remainder of the film. 

• Femme Fatale – Behind The Scenes Featurette: A nearly five-minute EPK that delivers brief interview snippets with the cast and creative team. 

• Femme Fatale – Dressed To Kill Montage Featurette: A two-minute reel of violent and steamy snippets from the film. 

• Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (2:19) and the French Trailer (2:04).

Final Thoughts

Femme Fatale is a very stylish movie from Brian De Palma that touches on many of the themes that are known hallmarks within his career. Where the film becomes a bit too opaque for its own good is the exploration of dream logic and questioning of reality. The film represents this state of consciousness very well, but divining any logic out of it is difficult – at least on an initial viewing. The performers do a nice job with the unhinged material, but this one is better suited for full Brian De Palma sickos rather than neophytes stumbling into unknown territory. Shout! Studios has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a nice balance of new and archival special features. If you don’t have this in your collection yet, this disc is a good one. Recommended

Femme Fatale is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Studios has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.