Glory Glory

"Hooded Angels" aka "Glory Glory" is a movie that should come with a warning label, something like: "caution- watching this movie is a waste of time-the ending does not deliver anything useful". When you begin watching a movie that physically looks professional (decent cinematography-good film stock) you tend to assume that its other elements (story, acting, production design) will also be professional. Inside this professionally shot package is a story about a group of aging beauty queens and models robbing banks in the American West, wearing a selection of clothes from the Neiman-Marcus Leather Shop, showcasing acting talent on the level of your local high school's senior play, and engaging in a whole lot of poorly staged violence. So it would seem reasonable to assume that there is more here than meets the eye since nothing could be unintentionally this bad.

Midway into the movie you conclude that this is some kind of ambitious "expressionistic" masterpiece (insert David Lynch here). So you watch the rest of it, waiting for director Paul Matthews to pull all these surreal qualities into a nice package of allegory and metaphor. But this does not happen because this is actually supposed to be serious (insert "realism" here), it is actually supposed to be taken literally. Its record-breaking score on the lameness meter is unintentional.

"Hooded Angels" is what would happen if someone were unwise enough to cross "Taxi" (2004) with "The Quick and the Dead" (1995) and mix in a little Sergio Leone texture. Unfortunately nothing good results, only bad and ugly.

The earlier comments give a reasonably accurate detailing of the story. This may not be the worst movie of all time but it is a strong contender.

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.

Johnny Reb comes through town raping and killing women and children. A band of women decide to seek justice in their own way.

Amanda Donohoe (Bad Girls, L.A. Law), Chantell Stander. Juliana Venter, Jenna Dover. Julie Hartley, Candice Argall, Jennifer Steyn, Ana Alexander. and Michelle Bradshaw made up a gang of women who were robbing banks and killing people while Paul Johansson (One Tree Hill) follows trying to get the "man" who killed his father.

Yes. there were a few exposed breasts, but it could have had a lot more. In that sense, it wasn't an exploitation film. A lesbian kiss, but that was it. What you would expect with eight women riding together.

It ended the only way it could.

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.

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.