The Warriors II: Las Navajeras

This film is pretty much a second-rate Russ Meyer film (in fact, it was written by a F.X. Maier...coincidence??;) The dialogue isn't as clever, nor as tongue-in-cheek, and the acting is definitely second best. but on the other hand, Quentin Tarantino (who re-released it in '97 through Rolling Thunder Pictures) was right when he said in USA Today `There's more action is Sisters than in Twister…' The film is fast-paced, full of thrills (gotta love those low-budget, campy 70s films where everyone loses their shirt eventually...) and most of all, fun! Aside from the few scenes that just seem utterly pointless, and aside from Robbie Lee's incessant whining, it's a great film to watch; full of giggles and smiles.

As long as one doesn't take this film seriously, or compare it too closely to Faster Pussycat of Ultra-Vixens, it will be enjoyable to anyone looking for a cheezy laugh or three. And the prison scene is *priceless*.If I were to take it seriously it wouldn't rate higher than a five, but all things considered, 7/10.

Jack Hill's 'Switchblade Sisters' is a wild ride that will have you hooked from the get go! It's everything I hoped Ted V. Mikels disappointing 'The Doll Squad' was going to be - a trashy, campy slice of 1970s exploitation that manages to be self-parodic AND take its subject matter seriously simultaneously. Happily, 'Switchblade Sisters' is so good you'd think you'd dreamed it yourself.

Robbie Lee plays Lace the Debs' leader, and fulfills all the promise she showed in Roger Corman's 'Big Bad Mama' the previous year. She's cute but deadly, and why she never became a major star is hard to fathom. Most of the other girls, particularly gang newcomer Maggie (Joanne Nail), and Lace's former second in command Patch (Monica Gayle), are also sexy and dangerous, but none show the sheer charisma of Lee's Lace, surely up there with Tura Satana, Pam Grier or Raven de la Croix as a proto-feminist icon of the drive-in era.

'Switchblade Sister' is trash par excellence. You will both laugh at and laugh with the Dagger Debs and their rival gang, the disco-dudded Crabs, who could easily walk off this movie and straight into 'The Warriors', another surreal gang movie, directed by another Hill, Walter. Both Hill's deserve their place in psychotronic history!

The inner-city, prone to violence, crime, drugs, even sex. The top gang that rules the area are the Silver Daggers. With them are their female counterparts, the Dagger Debs lead by Lace (Robbie Lee). One day, they meet a loner name Maggie (Joanne Nail), who holds her own. After a night in juvenile hall, Maggie joins the ranks and gains the trust of Lace. However, Lace's friend Patch is suspicious of Maggie. As Maggie began to to know the ways of the Dagger Debs, she makes a move on Lace's boyfriend Dominic (Asher Brauner), who would not take the role of a father when he hears about Lace's pregnancy. More to it, Maggie would take in the reins of leading the Dagger Debs following a failed ambush at a roller rink. The men are ousted by Maggie, and they go form the Dagger Debs, to the Jezebels. They even join a militant gang to help boost the power of the group. When Lace re cooperates from her attack, she joins the group, only to suspect Maggie as a traitor. I like the scene where Lace beats up Maggie, and tortures her by sticking a cigarette butt in her bellybutton. Then came the showdown. Classic scene. The gang gains a new leader, while Patch is left behind. Goes to show there is no loyalty among gangs. Power shifts, and questionable leadership can destroy an organization. The Jezebels have not only ousted the men, but Lace as well, without her knowledge. They consider her a weak link in the gang. 4 out of 5 stars.

"Switchblade Sisters" is one of the most awesome and amusingly incompetent trash/gangsploitation movies ever made; only back in the period when it got released nobody ever intended to make a bad film, of course. Personally, I enjoyed the privilege of seeing this film in a genuine grindhouse theater and with no less than writer/director Jack Hill present there to introduce the film and answer questions from the audience. Hill explained how he always dreamed of filming his very own version of Shakespeare's "Othello", yet this story was probably the closest he ever came to realizing that project. Irrelevant info, I know, but this just to illustrate "Switchblade Sisters" once actually was a remotely ambitious film and not just a piece of lesbian trash. The recent revival of drive-in & grindhouse cinema (courtesy of Quentin Tarantino, who's also a giant fan of this particular film) enlarges the sleaze-elements and silliness of 70's movies even more, but you should always at least try and see it in its framework of time. That being said, "Switchblade Sisters" is first and foremost a delightfully absurd gang-wars movie and a thoroughly flamboyant portrait of female empowerment. This baby has it all! Stereotypical gang members that easily look over 30 but still attend high-school, big fat ugly lesbian prison wardens, romantic rivalry, jealousy, treason, roller-skating shootouts, secretly desired rape sequences and – last but not least – female Maoist guerrilla fighters. Maggie is the ravishing and potent new chick on the block and she eagerly joins Lace's Dagger Debs gang after proving herself in a knifing contest. The Debs are the girlfriends of the Silver Daggers and all together they hang out in a ramshackle hangar to play pool and sell dope. There's a gang war with the Crabs in the offing and jealous Dagger Deb Patch inflicts a dispute between best friends Maggie & Lace when she notices they both fancy the same hunk. If you can overlook (and you simply must when you're interested in this type of cinema) the sometimes atrocious performances, one-dimensional characters and the absolute lack of logic & coherence, you will find great enjoyment here! The clichéd situations inside the penitentiary (with the obese lesbian warden), out in the schoolyard (with the nervous principal) and in the skating hall (random M-16 gunfire!) are all sublime. The whole finale, from the actual virulent street war up until the main Jezebels' showdown contest, is simultaneously suspenseful, spirited and even a bit touching. The soundtrack is great, although clearly not as enchanting as the ones featuring in Jack Hill's ultimate Blaxploitation masterworks "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown". Speaking of which, this movie perhaps lacks the powerful and attention-demanding presence of a starlet like Pam Grier, but the girls here are still more than adequate. The supportive characters are actually more convincing than the main ones. Lace, played by Robbie Lee, is an often intolerable and whiny child and Maggie simply appears too cherubic to play a rough chick. I vote for Patch to be the Jezebel's unhinged leader! She's unreliable, deceitful, mean and stark raving mad. Awesome film, highly recommended to slavering sick puppies like myself.

A persons impression of a movie sometimes depends on what they're expecting before they see it. You gotta go into this one expecting a low budget poorly acted 70's action film. If you do, you'll be quite impressed! The acting isn't all that bad. Lace can get a little annoying, talking through clenched teeth like she does, but she acts pretty well during her softer parts. And the movie is funny! I was not expecting to actually laugh out loud during it, but I did in several spots. This movie is kind of like The Warriors meets Fast Times at Ridgemont High meets L7. :')

And there were even a couple touching moments to the film that I wasn't expecting. The characters are interesting too. I can see why Quentin Tarantino likes this film. If you are a fan of his, and don't mind B movies, I think you'll like this.