"For me, stealing has always been a lot like sex. The only difference is, I can fuck someone I just met. But to steal? I need to know someone like I know myself "

There's two million bucks in a suitcase on a desk in an apartment in Chicago.Ceasar's a guy who launders money for the mob. Violet's the woman he's been keeping the past five years. Corky's an ex-con who just got out of the joint.

What's the last thing that would come between a sleazy wise guy like Ceasar and all that money? A couple of women with brains to die for and bodies to match.

Corky and Violet are about to learn what it's like when you trust someone with your life. And Ceasar? He's about to learn a little something about women.

The thing is, women bound. In a way that no man can possibly understand. It's ancient and mythical, powerful and unspoken.

For Ceasar it's all about one thing: two million bucks. For Corky and Violet, it's about something else entirely. And in the end, it all comes down to one question: Who do you trust?

Bound starring Jennifer Tilly Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano is a Dino De Laurentiis Company presentation in association with Spelling films. BOUND is produced by Andrew Lazar and Stuart Boros, with Jeffrey Sudzin co-producing. The film also stars Christopher Meloni, Richard C Sarafian and John Ryan in supporting roles and was edited by Zach Staenberg with music composed by Don Davis. Bill Pope is director of photography with Eve Cauley the production designer and Lizzy Gardiner designing the costumes.

"We wrote BOUND because we wanted to direct" explain first-time directors Larry and Andy Wachowski. "We wanted to make an independent feature, something that could push the boundaries of a genre film and still remain entertaining. We like film noir, the mixture of suspense and humour, the kind of sexiness and stylishness it allows for, as well as being a genre for strong female characters. We like strong women."

Handing over the reins of a feature film to first-time directors with no previous experience behind the camera is a decision that can prove inspired or disastrous. The Wachowski's were fortunate to have in their corner a producer who, to use a gross understatement, knows something about making movies: Dino De Laurentiis.

As screenwriters, the Wachowskis wrote the action thriller "Assassins". The script went on to he directed by Richard Donner and starred Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. It was released by Warner Bros. in 1994 to solid reviews and box office. It was De Laurentiis' eye for talent and belief in the script that led the producer to give the Wachowskis their shot at directing. The brothers now have a place among some of the most renowned directors in history, from Federico Fellini to John Huston from David Lynch to Michael Cimino all of whom have directed movies for Dino De Laurentiis.

De Laurentiis, whose career has spanned 50 years and more than 600 films, enjoys the mentoring of young filmmakers. ''As an independent film company we believe in fostering upcoming talent" he explains. And so it was, with great eagerness and confidence, that De Laurentiis agreed to finance the Wachowskis' directorial debut with BOUND.

''Even though the Wachowskis are young, they are very savvy about movies and know exactly what they want. They were so specific in hoProducers Andrew Lazar and Stuart Boros both of whom were former executives at the Dino De Laurentiis Company, oversaw the production of the film.w they wanted to make BOUND that we never doubted their talent as directors. We gave them more autonomy as first-time directors than most producers because we trusted their vision of the film."With BOUND the brothers, who claim to have been a writing team since Andy, the younger of the two, was born, have taken the genre and turned it on its side. "Film noir, like other genres, is based on certainconventions. For example, Corky is traditionally a male role; the stranger or ex-con that is seduced in the story. The fun is in bending and twisting Convention."

One of the most undeniable inventions in the film is the Wachowskis' decision to write two highly appealing, smart, crafty female leads who happen to be lesbians. It was a creative choice which was a natural outgrowth of the characters as the brothers conceived the story."The character of Violet, a woman that you would see on the street and make a host of assumptions about that would all he dead wrong, was the starting point for the story,'' they explain. ''After that, the lesbian love story fell very naturally into place."

For these married, heterosexual brothers from the Midwest, writing and directing a film with two very realistic and believable gay female lead roles was not a difficult challenge. However, actually casting the roles of Violet and Corky was, not surprisingly, a much tougher proposition."No one has ever made a genre film like this with two lesbians as the protagonists," they remark." The sexual aspect of the characters did impact on our casting. People fear change''The Wachowskis search for the perfect Violet and Corky led them to two fearless and gifted actors: Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon.

Prior to her Oscar nomination for her role as Olive in Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway", Jennifer Tilly first read for the part of Corky in BOUND but decided to play Violet instead. "Larry and Andy are great writers," says Tilly. "Instead of telling you in the script that Violet is smart, they show you how smart she is by what she does. Her actions are what make that clear!'

"With the way these guys framed the shots!' she continues, "they focused on details that you wouldn't normally notice because there are so many twists in this story. It's one of the films where there isn't a real hero, you don't know what's going to happen minute to minute, and you find yourself opening up your sensibilities by trying to figure out who is going to get whom."

Gina Gershon, a classically trained New York stage actor whose most recent film role was the glitzy Vegas diva in Paul Verhoeven's controversial "Showgirls", takes a 180- turn as Corky in BOUND. "Since I played a very glamorous character in 'Showgirls'," explains Gershon, "it was a great challenge to do the complete opposite. It gave me an opportunity to play a cool, tough role that reminded me of the characters James Dean would play in his movies!'

The third element in this triangle is Ceasar, Violet' violent boyfriend. The multi-talented Joe Pantoliano, who is equally at home playing a low-life gangster such as Ceasar as he is playing a frustrated FBI agent searching for Harrison Ford in "The fugitive", has nothing but praise fo rthe writers and directors of BOUND "I have worked on many different productions and I think these Wachowski brothers are really very talented. They wrote a great script about how people think they know each other, but don't, and they also know how to use the medium of film, through inventive camera angles and terse dialogue, to tell this dark story of betrayal."

For this trio of actors, the things that draw them to the screenplay are ones which audiences will likely share when they go to see the film. 'Everyone who watches this movie will find someone they can identify with," notes Tilly. "These film noir movies are popular because the women are strong and beautiful," Gershon offers. "With BOUND, of course, there's the element of sexuality between the two women thrown into the mix. And since you don't know how things are going to end, it's fun to watch the events unfold. "Pantoliano cuts right to the chase. "The fact that you get to watch Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon kiss is enough right there to bring the audiences in."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Production began On May 15,1995 on a soundstage in Vernon California, an industrial area slightly southeast of downtown Los Angeles. There, the filmmakers constructed sets that would serve as both Corky's sparse apartment, as well as Violet and Ceasar's slickly decorated space. "The interiors of the apartments were constructed on sets because the desired feel was an old, traditional Chicago apartment." the Wachowskis note. "The sets were very important because so much of the movie was inside. The sets had to become a character. They had to almost he alive and evolve!' The exterior locations were shot in and around some of the older areas of Los Angeles, in order to capture the look and feel of Chicago, where the story takes place. The exterior scenes of Violet and Corky's building were filmed at the Talmadge, in the Wilshire corridor. "The location was perfect for our needs because it really feels like a Chicago building''

Production wrapped on July 8, 1995. About the experience of making BOUND, producers Andrew Lazar and Stuart Boros offer, "Even though this movie does not have a lot of action in the way of bombs or car chases, Larry and Andy Wachowski have put together a fun and gripping experience. We feel audencies will leave theatres totally entertained."

The Wachowskis believe they have made a compelling film and hope audiences will respond to its uniqueness. "We tried to play with people's expectations, their assumptions, and the clichés of a genre, including the sexual dynamics implied by these clichés," the brothers sum up. "If people walked out of a theatre talking about the roles of men and women in genre fiction, that would he cool. But we'd settle for, "That movie kicked butt, let's go see it again."

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