Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

From the beginning, you know that this monochrome Meyerama is going to be incredible--an Outer Limits-style voice-over pontificating on the violence of women, followed by incredible shots of three luscious go-go girls doing the Watusi as the Bostweeds' wild theme song blasts from the jukebox. Then things move to the barren California desert for drag races, catfights, murders, straining blouses, and a lot of torrid action and satirically overwrought melodrama.

Tura Satana, Haji, and Lori Williams have terrific screen presence as the three tough-as-nails villainesses. They're the kind of deliciously over-the-top antagonists that you root for, especially since the nominal heroine (Sue Bernard) is a ridiculous dimwit who couldn't act her way out of a paper bra--I mean, bag. Highest honors go to the amazing Satana, shouting most of her lines and dropping sexual innuendos while resting her boobs on the dinner table.

As usual, Russ Meyer fills the screen with sharp dialogue ("Breast or thigh, darlin'?") and sharp camerawork. There is no nudity, since Meyer was trying to circumvent the censors in 1966, but there are some incredibly sexy scenes all the same. Excitement and laughs abound in this straight-faced send-up of action-flick conventions. This celebrated cult classic is one big-breasted Gothic melodrama-satire that really...um...stands out!

Expectations were very high when watching this, but its not Russ Meyers best. The superwoman are tough as nails or as a velvet glove dipped in iron as they say, almost all lines of the movie is memorable, Tura Satana and co shouts them out in the coolest fashion and this makes up for the strongest feat of the movie. I promise you'll laugh more than a few times by them..

Its cousin 'Motorpsycho' however was more accomplished than this was. The story doesn't have as much potency (no pun), the girls are good, but not all that and the absurdity reached in 'Supervixens' and 'Motorpsycho' is not reached here.

Its still a campy classic though.

FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! is Director Russ Meyer's magnum opus of tough, female awesomeness! I have always adored Tura Satana, and while she was great in ASTRO ZOMBIES and THE DOLL SQUAD, nothing matches her performance as Varla in FPKK. Her blisteringly hot, savage persona leaves me breathless!

As the leader of a thrill-seeking, criminal trio, including Rosie (Haji) and Billie (Lori Williams), Varla is a violent, exotic wonder to behold! She smokes cigars! She kicks major a__! She kills with her black-gloved hands! Varla is the genuine article, so, if you love tough chicks, then prepare to bow to their queen!

In her later years, I got a chance to correspond with Ms. Satana -no, I'm not "somebody", she was just cool like that- and she said that she had always loved this movie and working with Meyer. Her life story is as amazing as her film persona! What we see on screen is real. She never BS'ed around. Tura was one of a kind and is sorely missed...

I loved "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" from the beginning, together with its three great main actresses Haji, Lori Williams, but especially the outstanding Tura Satana. The film tells the story of three exotic dancers, who become outlaws, drive fast cars, wear provoking clothes and cheat and beat up men. The only not typical thing about this movie is, that none of the chicks has a nude scene, what is really a pity! On the first view, Russ Meyer´s flick is nothing else but a funny piece of trash from the swinging 60s. But on the second it´s a portrait about the power of female sexuality on men. The sex characteristics differ from the usual stereotypes: the male are the victims, the women are the offenders, who apply their "weapons" unscrupulous to reach their aims. Also they are physically stronger and more cunning than the naive guys in this film. Especially Varla becomes a sexy, but immense violent murder machine and that makes her being one of the most frightening women in the history of cinema! But "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" is more than that: it´s a piece of modern art, every lover of real cult movies or pop art should have seen it! (8/10)

I've got to admit, after the first ten minutes or so; I really didn't think I was going to like this film. However, it isn't long before Russ Meyer's film takes off - and before I knew it, I was watching one of the greatest pieces of trash ever to hit the silver screen! If you want a B-movie; this film has all the essential ingredients. We've got fast cars, fighting, killing, snappy dialogue and a trio of buxom beauties in the lead roles! It's quite clear that this film is made purely for entertainment value - as the plot is non-existent, and the characters don't go any deeper than the common B-movie stereotypes, but it doesn't matter - because entertain it does, and this is about as 'cult' as it gets! Shot in crisp black and white, and with all the energy of the Nouvelle Vogue cinema doing the rounds in sixties France, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (awesome trashy title) follows three women; dancers by night, and fast car riding killers by day! We follow them as they stumble upon an old farmhouse, inhabited by an old man as sick as they themselves. He's got some money hidden, and the lead chick wants it...only the old man and his sons stand in her way.

It's immediately clear that acting isn't this film's strongpoint; the dialogue sounds forced and ridiculous, and none of the cast do good jobs of making their characters real - yet in true trash fashion, it's the ensemble that is this film's main asset. The trio of women are the main players, with the busty and exotic Tura Satana taking centre stage and being backed up by Haji, and the stunning Lori Williams. These three would make any film worth watching, and the way that Russ Meyer ensures that the girls are always the strongest presence on screen gives Faster Pussycat a lot of its cult value. The film moves quickly, and the action is fast edited and cut with an imminently cool soundtrack, thus making the film amazingly watchable and an obvious influence on the likes of Quentin Tarantino. The fact that this film pokes fun of cinematic violence by having women in the leads will always make it memorable; the fact that they've got big breasts only makes that more so. This is an absolute cult classic and, I suspect, a film that I'll be seeing over and over again. This is one of those films that has to be seen to be believed - so make sure you don't miss it!