Original Sin

The film directed by Michael Cristofer tells the story of Julia Russell and Luis Vargas in the neo-noir thriller filmed in the early 2000s and released on the 3rd of August 2001. Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas take on the roles of the leads and have an engaging performance to boast of. Julia and Luis are lovers embroiled in a tale of obsession and deceit which gets out of hand. Original Sin intertwines the themes of love and betrayal, leaving the audience with a sense of aching helplessness.

In the synopsis that plays out in the 19th century, Cuba is amply positioned with a rich coffee merchant who wishes to meet a woman located half across the world, America. Miss Rassel had never crossed paths with Mr Vargas but he hopes to marry her. He is also of the belief that a companionship rather than a love filled bond is ideal for him to be. Quite greatly surprised, he meets Julia and is bewitched by her beauty.

What starts out as a romance starts off on a high note, but only for a brief period, as everything else is filled with unfortunate events. Luis is quick to understand who this woman Julia, who Julia really is. After vanishing with his assets, Julia engages Luis in a frantic hunt. He enters into an elaborate tangled web of manipulation, deceit and seduction. The couple’s distorted perception of their relationship begins to unravel with immeasurable tension, ultimate deception and constant yes or no, making it irrevocably unstable.

Cast & Crew

  • Michael Cristofer: Director
  • Michael Cristofer: Screenplay
  • Waltz into Darkness (book) – Cornell Woolrich: Based on
  • Denise Di Novi, Kate Guinzburg: Producers
  • Angelina Jolie: Julia Russell / Bonnie Castle
  • Antonio Banderas : Luis Vargas
  • Thomas Jane : Walter Downs / Billy
  • Jack Thompson: Alan Jordan

Film and Cinematic Approach

Located in Kenya, this film captures the exotic and historic feel Original Sin is located in Mexico and Cuba. Rodrigo Prieto’s brilliant cinematography holds focus on ethereal settings, graceful period dresses, and a multitude of close-ups adding complexity and mystery to the film.

We can understand why Christofer took his time to figure out the love story between Jolie and Banderas; the explicit scenes were bound to attract controversy and praise alike. In his other work, Gia, he spent most of that time working with Jolie as well, so it’s only clear why he would work on slowly adding tension to the movie’s narrative.

The film could be categorized under many themes, the two most striking ones are sexuality and duality.

The Original Sin explores concepts of deception and identity that largely go unadressed because of the beauty of obsession and self destruction. Luis’s infatuation towards Julia serves as a perfect example, he wants to be with her despite being aware of her manipulative ways because ‘love is blinding’. In fact, Luis is José. The colossal moment that alters Jose’s identity is also a characteristically driven moment with massive repercussions. Julia also uses: Jose Walters, a pseudonym masking the true her and the audiences are taken for a full ride, constantly questioning who she is.

Moral Ambiguity:

Luis and Julia have their incriminating evidence still preserved. The characters reside in a romantic world full of love and betrayal. Due to this, the sociopolitical nuance drives the audience to face the harsh reality that love can also be built on lies and violence.

Critical Reception

The film’s reviews were barely passable with slight negativity creeping in as it launched. There appears to be controversy among the critics as certain of them marked it for its erotic tone while others chastised it for sheer drama. The close of Rotten Tomatoes of 12% score from the critics paints an inferiority complex to the rage of audience who were more into the romantic steamy part of the film.

The Roger Ebert review baldly presented two stars stating that the film gets elliptical. The glamorous action was led by Angelina Jolie but the story was merely a cheap soap opera. Herian – has resumed a seat in one of the critics as well, denying the chemistry created between Jolie and Banderas in the film’s intimacy.

The challenges encountered by the romance depicted in the neo-noir were endorsed by the neo-noir film fans, even though the pace of the film wasn’t perfect. The dialogues kept the audience focused along with what would happen in the next scene.

Performances

Angelina Julie’s character Julia Russell looks vulnerable but tactful and twisted. She effectively delivers a sense of danger that is usually depicted by a femme fatale who is a victim of her past but also a moulder of other people.

Luis Vargas has described their lives as emoratin tore between their head and heart as Antonio Banderas has lent his emotional skills to his role. His transformation from a business person in control of his emotions to a client who is overly attached has been exhibited and placed accurately.

In the performance by Thomas Jane who plays the part of archetypal Julia’s past, adds another twist to the story by looking at the darker sides of her life as opposed to anger in her life.

Legacy and Controversy

There were discussions regarding the abuse of love making scenes and whether they made sense to the story or if they were included just for the sake of it. While these scenes were enjoyable to watch and created well artistically they stood out too much and as such were a large part of the positioning of the rent film.

Although Original Sin got mixed critiques, it’s sure to attract additional fans in the world of romantic thrilling movies. Movies like Basic Instinct and Body Heat are now considered classics due to the levels of lust, betrayal, and obsession they portrayed using a very intriguing angle, and Original Sin should similarly be included as a noteworthy erotic thriller.

Conclusion

Original Sin is built around the concepts of love, lies, and redemption, in a very visual sense so to speak; it is an erotic film. There’s no denying that its narrative is questionable and critics didn’t seem to like it much, but Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas’s performance surely had some weight. For a cinematic take on the Japanese proverb “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down”, it sure does capture one’s attention, as the story it tells about obsession and trusting the wrong person surely makes one introspect.

Those who enjoy watching neo-noir dramas would not regret going through Original Sin. It’s a fun movie riddled with unpeeled emotional intensity and gripping plot turns inside thrilling events.

Watch Free Movies on Fmovies

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *