Ángeles enmascarados

If you ever stroll or jog down an alley, you will recognize this movie. A former treasure, left out for the junk man. This is junk-movie-making, already leftover detritus even when it is new. I liked it. It is a typical post Civil War movie- where the rules of law are broken. This is an exciting cusp for a writer to explore. Sometimes. This may be Spaghetti-western territory. This movie has no great aims. It just gets the job done, in a rough and not so artful way. Shot in South Africa, I believe. The Southerners and Northerners attack Silver City, Texas and the women and children suffer. Rape and assorted mayhem ensue. It is bad-really bad. The traumatized women of Silver City band together to wreak revenge on civilization-in general. Not on the North nor the South-but generally. The plot continues. The suddenly bad-a** bitches of Silver City rise up and take revenge. Even more bloodshed evolves into an orgy of crime and lesbianism. Lesbianism is a theme for certain characters-yet the really assertive ladies turn into heterosexuals after all. God bless 'em. This idea of a robber seducing her sworn enemy is one of the few dramatic ideas in this movie. Some guy named Wes:Paul Johansson, has to hunt down the evil bank-robbers: The Silver City robber/bitches. It all goes downhill from here-as if you didn't know that. The proto-lesbian robbers can't get a clue, and desist from robbing. No. There is one last Big Heist. All Hell breaks loose. It is clear that Amanda Donohoe is the best actress in this movie, and she glows with talent and womanliness. She easily takes on a southern/Western US accent and acts up to par in this predictable goat-roper standard Western. I suspect this is a covert Lesbian Cult Hit in the making. Honestly, why else did I, a man rent it after all? Trivia: watch for the lambswool covered boom microphone in the last big fight scene.

I have to admit that when I sat down to watch the 2002 Western movie "Glory Glory" (aka "Hooded Angels"), I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations to the movie. It was mostly because of the title "Glory Glory", which just didn't have any particular sense or wow effect to it. But I still opted to give the movie a fair chance, since I never saw it before, much less even heard of it.

Writer and director Paul Matthews put together quite an enjoyable script for the movie. I have to say that I was positively and genuinely entertained throughout the 102 minutes that the movie ran for. I liked the storyline told in the movie, because it was well-written, had interesting characters and a fair amount of action and character development.

The acting performances in the movie were quite good. And while I was only familiar with Amanda Donohoe, Paul Johansson and Gary Busey on the cast list, I have to say that they definitely had a good ensemble of talents on the cast list, because everyone put on good performances and helped to bring the characters to life on the screen.

Visually then "Glory Glory" was good, because the movie looked and felt like a Western-era based movie. They had put a lot of effort into the sets, the wardrobe and the props. And that definitely helps to flesh out a Western movie, adding to its enjoyment.

If you enjoy Western movies, then "Glory Glory" is well-worth sitting down to watch, despite of its somewhat strange title. I was genuinely entertained throughout the entire movie.

My rating of "Glory Glory" lands on a six out of ten stars.

I fast forwarded much of the "film" as it was so bad. Every negative review is supposed to say one positive thing about the movie so: There was one horse in the chase scene that could kind of act, a little bit.

No Plot.

No Script.

Third Grade Music.

First Grade Cinematography.

Should have been cast with kangaroos as the story jumps around so much.

Not unlike Chicago streets, but with pretend Cowboys and Cowgirls.

I understand that if you want to be in movies, you have to pick from what is offered to you, but abstinence is a viable option here.

Aging Western fans fondly remember the fantasy Wild West of their youth. The cowgirls of early TV and popcorn movie matinée's were perky and assertive. Dressed like Barbie dolls at the rodeo, those B Western cowgirls could be mighty appealing, but they were rarely given much to do. Most of the riding, roping, fighting and shooting was left up to the boys.

Hooded Angels(aka Glory Glory) finally shows cowgirls some respect. The women here actually populate the landscape outside of a saloon. Furthermore, these gals can ride, shoot and aren't afraid of a high noon showdown.

I would have enjoyed this would-be-Western a lot more though, if it didn't seem so surreal. This tale supposedly takes place in the American Old West, but there isn't an authentic ten gallon hat anywhere in sight. This doesn't look like the fun, stylized Old West of early Hollywood, or even the gritty, less romanticized frontier of more contemporary Westerns. Most of the characters have assorted global English accents that don't exactly sound "home on the range". Gary Busey, in a small role, is one of few that sounds reasonably authentic here. These gorgeous gals wear wardrobes that defy description, like the post-apocalypse types in a Mad Max movie. For a fantasy Western without any high-falutin' pretenses, flattering jeans and Western styled shirts would have been a lot easier on the eye and far more appropriate for an escapist Western.

The cinematography is OK, and Hooded Angels features some decently staged action sequences.

I hope some intrepid film makers attempt this kind of material again, but next time with more affection and understanding of the mythical American Old West.

A good many of the cast are from south africa and newcomers to the big screen, and a few veteran actors like johnson and busey from the usa help keep this from being a washout ... i'd suppose the reason for so much leather in the western wear is because that's what they wear in south africa ... one of the cast members is a former miss south africa, chantell stander and she shows why in this film ... it looks much like a female revenge plot rather than a plain oater ... it was watchable