Passion (2012)

Directed by: Brian De Palma
Country: Germany / France

Review: “Passion” is Brian De Palma’s remake of Alain Corneau’s “Love Crime”, that tries to mix sensuality, business, and murder, in a pseudo-stylish thriller that was not able to add anything relevant to the original version. The story begins with a love triangle formed by the subversive and whimsical Christine (Rachel McAdams), talented and secretive Isabelle (Noomi Rapace), and their unscrupulous lover Dirk (Paul Anderson). Later, they are joined by calculative Dani (Karoline Herfurth), in the last attempt to recover a movie that was always boring throughout the way. De Palma tried to give some fancy airs with a disconcerting ending, but it didn’t work as expected, failing to cause any involvement. The hidebound plot was set up with a few disjointed scenes that became totally unconvincing, especially those involving the work environment and little personal revenges. De Palma’s questionable options in direction, especially the split screens composed with unrelated frames of crime and ballet, were not favorable. Moreover, the performances didn’t stood out, making “Passion” a manipulative murder story that is placed miles away from other thrilling works from the filmmaker’s past. Revealing to be ineffective and disappointing, I would skip this unnecessary remake.