Written & directed by Olivier Assayas
Produced by Françcois Margolin
Director of Photography, Yorick Le Saux
Edited by Luc Barnier
Released by Magnet Releasing
Language: English, French, & Cantonese with English subtitles
France. 93 min. Not Rated
Cast: Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Carl Ng, Kelly Lin, Joana Preiss, Alex Descas, & Kim Gordon
[Article originally appeared: http://www.film-forward.com/boarding.html]
Boarding Gate, a B-style movie but not quite a film noir, looks slick on the surface but just beneath is an awfully slimy mess. It stars the young Italian actress Asia Argento (the upcoming Go Go Tales) as an ex-prostitute-turned-reluctant action hero, Sandra, and the usually reliable Michael Madsen as down-on-his-luck entrepreneur Miles, her ex-lover/ex-employer. The two have been estranged for some time but circumstances bring them back together. Their history suggests a combination of S/M as well as actual romantic love.
During their time apart, Sandra has seemingly turned her life around and been working at a legitimate job for a Chinese couple running an import/export company. She has also embarked on a passionate affair with the husband, played by the model/actor Carl Ng. Madsen, always a compelling actor and one who seems to further resemble Nick Nolte with each passing role, has very little to do with his character and, mercifully for him, he disappears reasonably soon. Read more