The Top Three Modern Femme Fatales

By Elena Ognivtseva

Everyone knows that for a good, sexy noir movie you need a woman as beautiful as she is deadly. We present our three favourite ladies who turn the leading man’s head while double-crossing him and leaving him helpless.

KATHLEEN TURNER IN BODY HEAT (1981)

Turner’s performance as the smoky Matty Walker in Body Heat is legendary. She wafts into sleazy lawyer Ned Racine’s (William Hurt) life by resisting his fairly feeble come-on, before seducing him and twisting him around his little finger. It’s a classic noir plot, as Matty claims that her husband is abusive as well as wealthy. She and Ned plan on murdering her fella and making off with the fortune, but does she have a plan of her own? Well of course she does, and it’s obvious to us, but she’s got Ned exactly where she wants him. Turner is wonderfully manipulative and incredibly sexy; Body Heat more than lives up to its name.

LINDA FIORENTINO IN THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994)

While most films are told from the point of view of the poor sucker who gets roped into the femme fatale’s wicked schemes, The Last Seduction turns this stereotype on its head by making Fiorentino’s Bridget Gregory the main character. She’s skipped town after double-crossing her husband and quickly finds a way to stay busy by informing a depressed local guy (Peter Berg) that he’s her “designated fuck” for the night as she plans her next movie. Beautiful and unapologetically heartless, you won’t forget Fiorentino’s performance.

JENNIFER TILLY IN BOUND (1996)

While the Wachowski brother are best known for The Matrix movies, they made their name with this smart neo-noir that puts a nice spin on the classic formula by making the leading guy a girl. Gina Gershon plays Violet, a tough ex-con who moves into the same building as a mobster and his beautiful moll Corky (Jennifer Tilly). Violet’s drawn to Corky, who claims that they can steal her man’s cash without being caught. It’s best-known for its memorable love-making scenes between Gershon and Tilly, but there are some great performances and excellent twists and turns.