Bound (1996) is sometimes recommended as a modern version of a classic 1940s film noir. Although the themes are similar, Bound fails miserably to make us care about the two main characters. Every film’s basic premises create challenges which must be overcome. In classic film noir, a recurring problem is how to make us sympathize with a protagonist who is dumb or ignorant or criminal or overwhelmed by events, and usually the movies succeed in some way—he’s an ordinary working Joe, he had a terrible childhood, he may be a criminal but he is fair minded, and so on. But with Bound, the two main characters . . . well, see if you empathize with them. One is a Mafia prostitute who, after witnessing yet another torture/murder, feels she’d like to steal 2M dollars from the Mob and get out. The other is a self-described dyke with a mighty pout who is hired to do reno work in the Mafia apartment block, has sex with the prostitute, and thinks she can put her robbery background to good use helping to steal the 2M from some seriously sadistic dudes. Are you worried about what might happen to the two young ladies?