Bad Girls

Are the four titular lead women really all that bad in Jonathan Kaplan's 1994 Western thriller Bad Girls? Perhaps it's the nature of what they do lined up against what's expected of them that makes them so "bad", that is to say, putting their necks on the line and obliterating whatever male dominated spectrum exists within the world they occupy as they strive for independence and individualism. Perhaps that's what makes them bad, the fact that they refuse to roll over for the majority of the men in the film and act like good little whores suitable to be looked at but nary heard. The titular girls do kill people, but most certainly in self-defence; they fight and they battle away, but do so against fair degrees of sexism; they're on the run, but their running is purely a result of pent-up rage and sustained marginalisation. As it happens, Bad Girls is a guilty romp through a west you couldn't really entitle "wild" about four gals just wanting a 'straight' American dream infused life but having to fight both misogyny and false charges brought against them along the way.

The film covers the misadventures of a handful of women in pre-20th Century America, the ringleader and toughest of the lot of whom is Madeline Stowe's Cody Zamora; a woman nary afraid to stand up to men nor those lecherous and out to harm either herself or one of her kind, evident when we observe her react with violence to a patron's over exuberance at sampling the services of Drew Barrymore's Lilly Laronette. Stowe's reaction lands her in some seriously hot water, the death sentence carrying with it an air of disenchanted inevitability about it in that Zamora stands before the gallows on account of preventing the elderly man from having his way rather than defending a girl from rape. After a straight faced Zamora demands the execution party "gets on with it", her three accomplices, with whom she has been working most of her life and will spend the majority of this film with, bound out of the wilderness and save both the day and Stowe's neck before charging off with her in tow. Fugatives to the law, Zamora; Laronette; Andie MacDowell's Eileen Spenser and Mary Stuart Masterson's Anita Crown hole up out of town after a verbal demonisation from those back at the party point out they are both the enemies of the people, religion and all things righteous.

What transpires from this is effectively a weak rendition of 1992's Unforgiven, only minus Eastwood's character and Freeman's character; a tale about strong natured prostitutes maltreated but then themselves consequently being the ones whom go on the run as it's they whom are additionally stalked by a pair seeking their own brand of justice. Those men are two Pinkerton Marshals named O'Brady (Chinlund) and Graves (Beaver), men hired to track them down in this sprawling road movie of sorts and bring them to justice as the girls themselves attempt to get on with a more honourable way of living: the allure of opening a saw mill in far off anywhere appearing particularly appealing. The film has fun with placing women at the forefront of its plot, allowing its lead characters to charm; trick and seduce their way out of tight spots and usually into tighter ones when they require some money rather than to throw around weight they do not have as might have been the case had male characters driven the film.

The film isn't without flaw; its goofiness encapsulated by the fact each of these girls maintains a relatively photogenic look throughout, not once the years of abuse nor the results of their previous line of work really worming its way into either of their expressions nor overall demeanour and thus holding the film back from being the grittier tale it might have been. As time had passed and the four of them worked at that seedy tavern, each of them appeared to master the fine art of gunslinging and sharpshooting; Zamora managing to make best-friends/worst-enemies with a certain Kid Jarrett (Russo), a bandanna sporting low life thief with a small army of bandits whom waltzes around with a belt of bullets around his ribs, along the way. The chase element is surprisingly effective, a love plot to do with a young man named Josh McCoy (Mulroney) whom becomes mixed up in things, or more specifically Laronette, daft as it is good natured; a later sequence featuring this additionally consistent, in an unrealistic manner, photogenic young cowboy arriving to save his dame on horseback out of a dynamite caused cloud of smoke, suit of armour all that is missing, rather ridiculous but then spun around when it is he whom needs the collective power of the four women to save his own life.

There's a glum and rather seedy sub-plot to do with Jarrett and his past-involvement, romantically, with Zamora which doesn't quite sync up with the rest of the film's boisterous tone of romp and circumstance; while Laronette's own swiping from the rest of the crew feels a little preordained, or more obligatory than is desired, since it is she who is the youngest of the four titular bad girls and it is she whom must then where the little dress her captors have lined up for her. You additionally feel their treatment of her might have been a little more sordid than it actually is, but a ruthless sticking to the overall tone of the film demands a watered down version of whatever might have happened in the real wild west; the taking of Laronette the result of Barrymore's sexuality when compared to the other three than that of any realistic plot driven reasons or mechanics. Flaws and frustrations aside, and there are a glowing number, Bad Girls is a daft but enjoyable frolic through hazy female empowerment and both action and western genre demands but done in a relatively fetching manner.

Jonathan Kaplan's Bad Girls leaves an interesting taste in my mouth. It is an energetic and fun film, offset by its ridiculous characters and plot. The believability factor in this flick is low, which encourages its audience to view it as a swirling maelstrom of metaphor and symbol. Woman, as defined by the early 90's, can overcome any impediment and still be beautiful, no need to become manly (and lose her femininity) to assert herself. The Western genre serves as a perfect tableau for this discourse because it is one traditionally dominated by men. Likewise, the men in Bad Girls each represent an institution of American culture that is dominated by men and their mentality, conveniently dispatched by the bad girls.

Four whores raise hell by killing a Colonel and running out of town, complete with unnecessary slow motion of Drew Barrymore shouting "heeyah!" and the humiliation of every man who crosses their path. The military, traditional justice, and Christianity are trampled upon, left wondering how these motivated and hard working women could escape their clutches. The film from here takes some twists and turns, and several complete circles. In short, the whores chase a dream of establishing a home for themselves around a mill that Mary Stuart Masterson's late husbands owned, countering the murderous advances of men with their own sexual flaunting. Gunfights, smarmy dialogue, pseudo-lesbianic encounters, and female flesh fill the film to to a near bursting capacity, much like Barrymore's bosom.

It is not what I would call a smart film, however it does present itself as an interesting fable about the empowerment of women by women who remain women. I would liken Bad Girls to that of the Freudian dreams of those who struggle against "the man." I feel that it deserves to be seen at least once.

The idea of making a Western with women in the leading roles was an interesting one, but the casting was not exactly ideal. Don't get me wrong, the women in "Bad Girls" look great in their Western outfits, and they do a fine acting job as well, but only Drew Barrymore really convinces as a "bad girl" - you can see the fire of intensity burning in her eyes (Madeleine Stowe is a close second - at times she is convincingly defiant). And for a "feminist" Western, the women get mistreated rather frequently. But the biggest problem with this film is an unfocused script that never really takes off. "Bad Girls" was a big commercial and critical flop, but I don't think it's such a bad movie - it's just not as good as it should have been. (**)

When the prostitute Cody Zamora (Madeleine Stowe) shoots a military man in self defense and is about to be hanged, she is rescued by her three companions (Masterson, Barrymore, MacDowell). They want to leave for Oregon, but are pursued by Pinkerton agents and their paths cross with Kid Jarrett, the local thug, and his mob.

The movie itself is pretty fine; the problem is that it appeared too late. After such landmarks as "Unforgiven", or even "Dances With Wolves" - not to mention the classic antiwesterns of the 1960s and 1970s - a western which is nothing more but a pure entertainment appears somewhat empty and unfocused. Also, it is somewhat underwritten: the good chicks are individualised, clean and smart, the bad guys are a mass of dirty, drunken, constanly sinisterly laughing, idiotically-behaving, stereotypical villains. In the 90s? please! The movie could have worked as a tribute to classic old westerns, but what worked fine in the case of "Silverado" is here neglected - sadly, because this would significantly improve the picture. All in all, not a bad movie - just nothing new and original. 5/10

Agreed, the acting could have been a bit less melodramatic but the actresses concerned did a good job when they weren't looking like supermodels.

The trick about it was "they had to look good" and they did look good. Madeleine Stowe's "Cool Cody", Andie McDowell's Elegant Eileen, Mary Stuart Masterson's "Arch Anita", and Drew Barrymore's tomboyish "Li'l Lilly", were fetching and gave rise to Girl Power credence.

I couldn't take my eyes off Barrymore who had come a long since E.T. and her drug/alcohol fuelled periods of teen angst/pain.

The fight at the end in the corral blew me away, those girls proved they could outshoot anything on two legs!!!

There should be a sequel!!!

4 out of 5