The Wachowskis’ first film as writer-directors is a low-key, hard-boiled crime thriller. The twist (since, you know, there’s always a twist with these two) is that the femme fatale and the moll are lesbians and plot to do in the male bad guys and make a run for it. That’s a pretty good twist, right? Even today the film feels quietly revolutionary, from its nonbinary depiction of the two female leads (Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon) to its willingness to be kinky but never exploitative. And at the same time there’s something almost classical about their relationship and romance. Seeing what they were able to accomplish, the level of stylization and ability to color outside the lines, on such a small budget undoubtedly made Hollywood very curious about what the siblings would do next. What they delivered would rewire cinema for the next decade and beyond.
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