Bang

Ash definitely has talent.. a clever script.. you must watch to the end to fully appreciate his talent..of course there were limitations being a low budget movie.. i didn't particularly like the filming style, the hand held camera going back and forth to the different characters.. but the story, a struggling actress, kicked out of her apartment and thrown into a 'real' acting part by bad circumstances, is very interesting and thought provoking and scary. The lead actress is particularly good. like i said before.. don't give up.. see it all the way through.

Ever seen a movie with an unbelievable opening plot device, yet the grim urban reality that it is set in allows you to buy it, in some strange way? Well, I think that describes 'Bang' pretty well. The idea of an actress assuming the role of a cop for a day is outlandish (and that stolen uniform fits pretty nicely). But it works if you let it. Don't expect reality in the plot, but you'll find it in the details of this one. A movie that makes you think about the assumption of identity, about who has power in society, and how that shifts depending on the circumstances.

The only memorable things about "Bang" is that it features a female Asian protagonist in a non-stereotypical role and its use of cinema verite techniques. That said, the movie meanders about without any sort of coherent plot or message. At times, I felt as if the filmmaker was making the story up as he was filming it.

Essentially "Bang" is all flash and no substance.

This 1995 film by Ash (Ashley Baron-Cohen related to the comedic actor, Sacha Baron-Cohen) was pioneering in light of today's climate of police accountability. This filmic production almost unseen by the mainstream media since it before social media hyping and as an indie film.

The film was bold, although it used art house tropes it definitely flips the perspective on LA cops. It indirectly looks at LA's gender, race and gang divisions. The pace and humor of story was before full-feature films by his contemporary peer, Guy Ricthie and later films like 2006's "Crank".

It's film that runs on speed and the power of this film relies on having non stars that make characters credible. It earned a 1998 Independent Spirit Award for the main debut actor: Darling Narita but also the film has an early appeareance by then unknown, Lucy Liu! Peter Greene is also a small but supporting character.

It should be said that this came before the critically acclaimed "Traffic". This film which may be hard to find, it a hidden gem if you are into indie styled stories of urban culture!

Highly recommended!

An entertaining if not so plausible tale, of a young lady who resorts to impersonating a police officer (to escape being sexually assaulted by a L.A motorbike cop. if you do not think too much of the indecent proposition (that probably happens quite often), the rest of the fantastic plot falls nicely into place. A side part to the chief actress, is the very wonderful Peter Greene and here seen as a derelict, tramp like character. He's one of those few actors like Keitel, or Nick Cage, where a director can let him sort of free-wheel through a performance:; delivering such unique lines and facial expressions. Here lifting the movie with his charged persona.