Perfectly cast, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Velma, a manipulative, power hungry, media-friendly nightclub singer and one half of the acclaimed double act, the Kelly Sisters. After she catches her sibling in a tryst with her husband, Velma kills them both and winds up on death row. She's soon joined there by Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) an aspiring performer who fatally shots her lover when it becomes clear that he had no connections in the entertainment world. Employing the services of hotshot lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) and helping him prepare an outrageous defence; Roxie finds herself the pin up girl for the rabid, sensationalist press. Meanwhile, Vera isn't too pleased that press have found a new tabloid darling and plots to get herself back in the limelight.
A lavishly produced version of Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb's musical, Chicago is a dizzy, infectious but emotionally sterile spectacle. Deeply influenced by the likes of Moulin Rouge!, Chicago may not have a director of Baz Luhrmann's visual inventiveness and classic ambition, but the musical numbers are terrific and Marshall's own choreography often slips into a heady, giddy groove. Thematically, it's old hat; sensationalism, media manipulation and the dangers of fame are all dealt with in broad strokes, but as a pure spectacle, Chicago works just fine. Which, for film featuring Richard Gere, is no mean feat.
