Rebecca Romijn-Stamos plays Laure Ash, the femme fatale in question, a woman who is hired to rob $10 million in diamonds right off a model’s back at a fashion show. She pulls off the heist but then makes off with the loot herself, hoping to leave her life of crime behind. She reinvents herself as a married woman, but when a photographer (Antonio Banderas) takes a snapshot, her cover is blown.

» Plot – Spoiler warning: Plot and ending details follow

Thanks to wikipedia.org for the information

In the film, Laure Ash (Romijn) participates in a diamond heist in Cannes, double-crosses her accomplices and escapes to Paris, where she stumbles across her own doppelganger (naturally portrayed by Romijn) who commits suicide, leaving Laure the opportunity to take her identity and leave the country. Seven years later, Laure (now called Lily Watts) re-surfaces in Paris as the wife of the new American ambassador to France (Peter Coyote). At this point Spanish photographer Nicolas Bardo (Banderas) takes her picture, prompting Laure to manipulate Bardo in order to conceal her former identity and evade her ex-accomplices who are still after the stolen diamonds. A twist near the end accentuates the artificial nature of the story and brings many familiar motifs of De Palma’s into play.

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Review

Femme Fatale, Brian De Palma’s latest exercise in the erotic thriller world, is an intoxicating, utterly sexy masterpiece. This is a great example of filmmaking on the highest level, slinky yet elegant, challenging yet fun.

I found myself immensely pleased with the ever-expanding acting talent of Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (who played a sinister villain in the terrific X-Men adaptation). Romijn-Stamos is absolutely perfect in the title role of Laure Ash, an expert con artist: icy, gorgeous, and alluring. Antonio Banderas also gives a very strong performance as Nicolas Bardo, the retired photographer who is unwillingly caught in Laure’s web of crime.

If you are looking for a great time at the movies, look no further than Femme Fatale. When watching it, don’t take it seriously. Just have fun and enjoy one of the most entertaining films of the year.