puabi

It simply doesn't. I agree that the title "Wicked Wicked West" is not a good one for what this film is. It's actually a terrible title. But the film itself is a noble effort at realistically portraying something that most Westerns don't really give a crap about, the women of "easy virtue". In many movies set in this time and place, the prostitute characters (often barely qualifying as full characters) are just taken for granted: jolly, good fun, not really are they problematic, but seen more the context of innocent male back-slapping fun. No harm done, right? Well, this is more like what it really was. I visited Tombstone, Arizona a while ago and between the touristy things there was also a small exhibit about what the lives of prostitutes were like. It is the saddest thing ever. The women as in this film are on the lucky end the the spectrum, as they themselves realize and often say. There were many, many women in this line of work in the old West, and the hopelessness of their situation was just beyond belief. Diseases, abortions, laudanum abuse. And all of it is real, real, real historical documented real.

So yeah, as one reviewer commented, they make sex look boring. You know why? Because it *was* boring. Without intimacy, without love, fraught with the danger of disease and pregnancy (without modern medicine!)... given these conditions, isn't that the best it could be? The film itself was a bit boring in parts, but I liked the interactions of the characters. As far as historical fiction in film goes, there has been lots worse. And this is nowhere near the worst movie anybody has seen--- I mean it, the other reviewers are being a bit disingenuous here! To make a point, I suppose, that this is not their cup of tea. Fine, but it's still tolerably good stuff.

I am glad they tried to make a movie like this. I want there to be movies about Dark Ages Britain, and historical movies in general. But here is why I stopped watching: 1) The ridiculous inclusion of a female warrior. I am so sick of unrealistic portrayals of them. This girl looks like she weighs 110 pounds. She puts on nice eyeshadow makeup. And she whips Domenic West's ass. She has this commanding warrior badass presence that, let's be realistic, no woman would be able to have had in 117 AD, and which lots of buff dudes probably didn't have then either. I am tired of gritty, but not gritty enough. DO you want to be gritty? Show how this female warrior is beat up by a guy. That is what really would happen. Better yet, show how she uses other abilities than strength, such as cunning, trickery, and her wits, to survive. That is what real women had to do back then, in a addition maybe to a bit of opportunistic backstabbing if necessary. Well, Because they tended not to wield weapons for a reason. That reason being, they are just not as strong! N.b. I am a woman myself, but I think all this warrior girl crap is just too much cliché now. Let's make it realistic! Make the girl big and strapping at least!! 2) The makeup. I am so sick of the Picts painted blue. It just looked bad. Maybe it didn't look home-made enough.... I don't know. I know that is their characteristic but.... Also! They should have been made to speak Welsh and not Scots Gaelic.

3) The cheezy dialogue. I winced. (Interactions between the soldiers, etc) Because I heard what they were trying to do, and sometimes it seemed so nice! They were trying to give a good feel for the time. And they failed! Something was just missing. They needed me on their scriptwriting team.

4) I already said it sort of above, but this was NOT GRITTY ENOUGH. I want to feel like I am in this time period and things in this movie seemed either silly (heads splattering everywhere, much more easily than they would in real life), or halfassed. I never lost myself in this movie and felt like I was somewhere else. I always felt like I was a 21st century person watching a corny 21st century rendition of... something.... People running a lot across nice landscapes.... etc....