Sharon Stone, Lana Turner, Angelina Jolie, and Eva Green portrayed some of the most iconic femmes fatales in the history of cinema. And making her way into that illustrious list is Monica Bellucci, the sultry and curvy Italian actress and model with lustrous brown curls and almond-shaped eyes, who has been gracing the screen since the age of 16, when she landed her first modeling gig in luxury fashion.
Born in 1964, she made her film debut in Francesco Laudadio’s La Riffa, in 1991, before appearing a year later as one of Dracula’s brides in Francis Ford Coppola’s horror blockbuster Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Since then, she has mostly been associated with the mysterious, often deadly siren with the angelic face. Audiences might know her as Persephone in the science-fiction sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as Soraya in Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, or as Lucia Sciarra in Spectre, wherein she made history as the oldest Bond girl at the age of 50.
In 2017, the actress won the European Silver Ribbon Award for Emir Kusturica’s anthology On the Milky Road, and more recently, she was cast as Beetlejuice’s wife in the much-anticipated comedy horror Beetlejuice 2, opposite Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, Willem Dafoe, and Michael Keaton.
Bellucci has landed many memorable roles, not only due to her beauty and talent, but also because of her fluency in Italian, French, English, and Spanish. From The Apartment to Irreversible to The Whistleblower, these are her 10 best movie appearances.
10 Under Suspicion (2000)
Garde à vue is a French film that was remade in English as Under Suspicion, starring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman, under the direction of Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2, Lost in Space). It’s a psychological thriller centering on Henry Hearst (Hackman), a wealthy attorney and philanthropist in Puerto Rico who, following an inconsistent witness report, becomes a suspect of pedophilia, rape, and murder.
Chantal Hearst, the Young Wife
The actress portrays Chantal Hearst, the suspect’s much younger wife who is bravely trying to stay poised as she is grilled by the police about intimate issues, such as why they sleep in separate rooms. Bit by bit, she starts conveying more emotions as she accuses her husband of cheating with prostitutes and coming on to her own 13-year-old niece. With her range of shock, vindictiveness, sadness, guilt, and despair, Hearst is a reminder of how miscommunication, secrecy, paranoia, and jealousy can destroy a marriage.
Rent Under Suspicion on Apple TV
9 Tears of the Sun (2003)
In Antoine Fuqua’s violent action thriller Tears of the Sun, Bruce Willis plays Lieutenant A.K. Waters, the determined and fearless leader of a U.S. Navy SEAL team who is tasked with rescuing a Christian mission’s American citizen, a foreign priest and nuns in war-torn Nigeria.
Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks, Leading a Christian Mission
The actress portrays Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks, a U.S. citizen by marriage to another doctor who was killed in Sierra Leone. Compassionate and stubborn, Kendricks stands up against Waters and refuses to be extracted without also rescuing the local group of men, women, and children under her care at the mission. Bellucci was nominated for Choice Breakout Movie Actress for both Tears of the Sun and The Matrix Reloaded at the Teen Choice Awards.
Stream Tears of the Sun on Max
8 Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
Written and directed by Michael Davis, Shoot 'Em Up is an over-the-top action dramedy starring Clive Owens as Smith, a military veteran and drifter who finds himself forced to deliver the baby of a woman targeted by a group of assassins led by Hertz (Paul Giamatti). He then rescues the newborn and sets out to find out why his pursuers are trying to kill a baby.
Donna Quintano, Caring for a Baby
Smith tries to leave the baby with a lactating sex worker Donna Quintano, and then rescues her from being tortured by Hertz. The reluctant hero finds himself on the run with her, and the movie’s most memorable scene is when they engage in intercourse at a motel while he is gunning down assassins. Bellucci delivers a compelling performance as the maternal, kindhearted, and pragmatic sex worker who becomes the baby’s surrogate mother and coolly delivers lines like, “A bulletproof vest is better than a crib.”
Rent Shoot 'Em Up on Apple TV
7 The Whistleblower (2010)
Based on the real story of a United Nations peacekeeper from Nebraska who is assigned to serve in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999, The Whistleblower, directed by Larysa Kondracki,is a Canadian biographical drama that follows Rachel Weisz as Kathryn Bolkovac, an activist who uncovers a sex-trafficking ring involving corrupt multinational companies under the eye of the Human Rights Commission.
The Whistleblower
- Release Date
- September 13, 2010
- Director
- Larysa Kondracki
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 112
Laura Leviani, Cold Leader of an NGO
The actress plays Laura Leviani, the icy and stubborn head of an NGO who has the power to help repatriate and therefore save victims of trafficking and domestic abuse, but chooses not to because their passports have been seized by their kidnappers. For once, Bellucci is cast in an unattractive, unlikable, bureaucratic light, and her chilling performance is on-point, especially against Weisz’s gutsy and fierce character.
Rent The Whistleblower on Apple TV
6 Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)
Miramax
Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre is a French/Italian fantasy comedy blockbuster written and directed by Alain Chabat and adapted from the famous comic book series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. The plot pits Queen Cleopatra against Julius Caesar; she asks him to recognize Egypt’s supremacy if she manages to erect a bigger palace in Alexandria than the one he has in Rome in less than three months. The panicked architect then seeks the help of the only village in Gaul who has escaped Roman rule, thanks to their intelligence, unity, and magic potions.
A Sexy and Regal Cleopatra
This is a particularly sexy, radiant, and regal portrayal of Queen Cleopatra, the legendary Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, and the actress holds it dear to her heart. As she told Grazia, “We laughed so hard on set that we could barely finish our scenes on time. This movie means a lot to me, and my daughters know all the lines by heart.”
Deva Cassel is Belluci's daughter who she had with the French actor Vincent Cassel, her husband from 1999 to 2013. Following in her mother's footsteps, Deva made her acting debut in Laura Luchetti’s sensual drama The Beautiful Summer.
Stream Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra on Prime Video
5 The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Co-written, produced, and directed by Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ is a controversial and graphic biblical epic starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, Christo Jivkov as John, and Francesco De Vito as Peter. It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Achievement in Cinematography, Makeup, and Music.
The Follower of Jesus, Mary Magdalene
The actress was nominated for a Nastro d’Argento (Silver Ribbon) for her supporting role of Mary Magdalene, the shunned sex worker who finds redemption, becoming a devout and humble follower of Christ, and is heartbroken at his crucifixion.
“I did all I could to get an audition. I wanted to play her because she moves me. She was just a sinner, like you and me. Her humanity and weakness touched me. She finds spirituality through Jesus; we all must try to find our spiritual side.” – Bellucci to The Standard
Stream The Passion of the Christ on Prime Video
4 The Apartment (1996)
L'Appartement is a French romantic thriller directed by Gilles Mimouni and starring Vincent Cassel as Max, a writer who comes back home to Paris after a two-year absence in New York, gets engaged to his girlfriend, Muriel (Sandrine Kiberlain), then has an affair with Alice (Romane Bohringer), a woman who looks disturbingly like his former lover Lisa (Bellucci), and now lives in her apartment. The movie was never released in the United States but was remade as Wicker Park, with Josh Hartnett and Diane Kruger.
Lisa, the Mysterious Ex-Girlfriend
The Apartment is full of twists and turns and won a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. Bellucci plays the role of Max’s mysterious ex-girlfriend Lisa, a stage actress whose neighbor Alice becomes so obsessed with her that she secretly causes their breakup. Lisa also inspires the lust of an older, dangerous married man while on a cruise ship, and because she wants to avoid his creepy advances, she allows Alice to stay at her place. Bellucci and Cassel’s chemistry was so on-point that they fell in love for real and married three years later.
Stream The Apartment on Plex
3 Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Directed by Christophe Gans, Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) is a multi-genre French movie starring Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel, and Émilie Dequenne. The plot is inspired by the actual 18th-century mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan, when 100 people were gruesomely killed in rural France, apparently by a wolf-like creature. The naturalist Grégoire de Fronsac is sent by the King to investigate and catch the monster and possibly his human master, and he gets entangled with a secret society while falling for a lady from the local gentry.
Sylvia, the Ultimate Femme Fatale
Dressed in sexy corsets and donning veiled hats, lace fans, powdered wigs, and daggers, Bellucci is the ultimate femme fatale as the mysterious Italian courtesan Sylvia, who seduces Fronsac. She turns out to be a spy sent by the Vatican to oversee his investigation and eliminate the leader of the occult Brotherhood society. With her stunning turn as Sylvia, t is no wonder Bellucci was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2002 Saturn Awards.
"She is wildly intelligent, straightforwardly sexual, and seems to be operating at all times on some other level of humanity; her wry smiles suggesting a cat playing with a mouse, biding her time until she can strike." - Reel Honey
Stream Brotherhood of the Wolf on AMC+
2 Irreversible (2002)
Irréversible is a graphic French experimental art thriller film written and helmed by Gaspar Noé. Set in Paris, the story is told in reverse order and follows two men, Marcus and Pierre, who set out to avenge the rape and near-murder of Alex, the woman they love. The shocking nine-minute-long rape scene left audiences and critics divided and triggered many walk-outs from the Cannes Film Festival.
Irreversible
- Release Date
- May 22, 2002
- Rating
- NC-17
- Runtime
- 97
Alex, a Victim of a Horrible Crime
The actress plays the victim Alex, who is Marcus’ girlfriend and Pierre’s ex. After leaving a party by herself to return home, she gets savagely battered and raped by a pimp as she is crossing a pedestrian underpass. Noé left the direction of that scene into the hands of the actors, and Bellucci wasn’t satisfied until the sixth take, two days later. He told The Guardian, “I really admire her for having taken that scene so far,” and described her as “a mix of Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale.”
Stream Irreversible on Tubi
1 Malèna (2000)
Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, Malèna is an erotic dramedy set in a small Sicilian town during World War II. The plot follows a teenage boy named Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro) who, like all the surrounding men, young and old, is fascinated by the enigmatic local beauty, Maddalena “Malèna” Bonsignore Scordìa. The women, on the other hand, scorn and badmouth her while her husband is away at war.
Malèna, the Elegant and Enigmatic Local Beauty
Bellucci's turn as Malèna is the best of her career. She manages to be both elusive and captivating, sympathetic and utterly desirous. Such grace and mystery comes naturally to Bellucci, and when she was able to add a touch of loneliness and sadness to the impeccably dressed titular lead, Bellucci earned a nomination at the European Film Awards. As for the nostalgic soundtrack, it was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Rent Malena on Apple TV
Comments
Post a Comment