Britney premiered the highly anticipated video for her fourth single 'Criminal' off her seventh studio album 'Femme Fatale' Tuesday morning.  The video, directed by Chris Marrs Piliero (who also directed 'I Wanna Go'), is hands down my favorite Britney video ever.  The first few seconds had me hooked and sold.  In the song, Britney sings about falling in love with a criminal, and she knows he's "a bad boy with a tainted heart" but she loves him.  This is a theme that I'm sure a lot of women can relate to, and Britney uses the video in particular as a platform to show that women don't need to be trapped in loveless and abusive relationships; they can escape and be strong even if they are in love with someone who is not seen by society as a "good" guy.  She defines what it means to be a femme fatale in this video.  Love is all that matters.
The video is a mini-movie in itself, and so it begins with a fancy dinner party with Britney all dolled up and, frankly, looking the most beautiful that I have ever seen her.  Her beau is very physical with her and telling her to smile so she runs off to the bathroom to zen out for a moment.  When she comes back she sees her boyfriend flirting with another woman, and Britney says "So you're not working the street corner tonight I see?" and delivers a hilarious line with comedic genius.  What can't this woman do?  Her boyfriend is obviously very embarrassed so he takes her outside and slaps her.  That's when the "criminal" (played by Britney's real life boyfriend, Jason Trawick) steps in and delivers a blow to the man.  Britney even gets a crotch shot in and the two begin their love affair.