Bonnie's Kids

It may be a bit hard to fathom why this is called "Bonnie's Kids" when the mother character "Bonnie" is dead before the movie even starts and does not appear at all, even in flashbacks. But this is no doubt a reference to the movie "Bonnie and Clyde" which this film at times certainly resembles. Two sisters are living with their drunken, brutish stepfather after the death of their prostitute mother. The older sister (Tiffany Bolling) catches the stepfather trying to molest the younger sister(Robin Mattson) and shoots him dead. The two go on the lam and end up at the home of an uncle, who owns a fashion magazine, but (rather incongruously) is also a vicious gangster on the side. The older sister goes to pick up a "package" for the uncle from a dimwitted private detective. They fall for each other and when they discover the "package" is a large amount of cash, they flee with it with two of the uncle's dangerous associate (Alex Rocco, Timothy Brown ) in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, the younger sister is seducing practically everyone in her uncle's household from his studly gardener to his lonely lesbian wife. The ending makes the finale of "Bonnie and Clyde" seem positively cheery by comparison.

This movie has a real early 70's atmosphere of bleak pessimism to it, much like "The Candy Snatchers", another cult film of that era starring Bolling. It isn't just the downbeat ending though, but the fact that ALL the characters are totally amoral and unsympathetic, even the supposed heroines. The two sisters are more than willing to use their sexy bodies to get what they want and they seem completely untroubled by morals or basic human feelings. After convincing him to steal the money, the older sister is perfectly willing to betray her private detective beau and run off with a lecherous traveling salesman to save her own skin. The younger sister, meanwhile, is even more callous: she drives one of her lovers to suicide and then just laughs when she discovers the body. In the end, she doesn't even seem to care about the fate of her older sister.

These sexy but totally unsympathetic heroine roles were pretty much the specialty of Tiffany Bolling. So, not surprisingly, she's pretty good here. This is one of Mattson's first movies, but she would go on to a brief exploitation career (i.e. "Candy Stripe Nurses"), and a much longer career in American television. In way she almost manages to "out-Bolling" Bolling here. She was still pretty young when she did this role, but nevertheless men (and lesbians) everywhere will no doubt be thankful that they don't have a malicious temptress like THIS for a stepdaughter. Director Arthur Marks, who also produced "The Candy Snatcher" would go on to do a couple influential "blaxploitation" movies ("Detroit 9000", "J.D.s Revenge"). I can't say this movie will fit everyone's taste, but one things for sure--they don't make 'em like this anymore.

This is a thoroughly entertaining 1970's sleazy crime film - where desperate people do desperate things for sex and money. The clothes, the music, the lingo, the hair styles - a great time capsule of the early 70's. The curious thing is the movie has some real interesting quirks to it - one being a "salt and pepper" hit team - white guy, black guy who spend a lot of time walking hallways, sitting in a car, sitting in diners and talking about this and that - very much like Travolta and Jackson in "Pulp Fiction". Now, is THIS film the first to have such a hit team - probably not. But in the theatre midnight movie showing I saw it at - many people were shouting out the "Pulp Fiction" similarities. Hmmmm. Just like many people bring up the jewel robbery in the powerful Asian crime film "City On Fire" as the "inspiration" for the jewel robbery in "Reservoir Dogs". Hmmmm. Anyway, the movie of "Bonnie's Kids" is a blast - good and gritty and Alex Rocco (Moe Green in the Godfather and the Emmy-winning sleazy agent in the short-lived comedy Famous Teddy Z) is the white guy assassin.

Family bonds were meant to last a lifetime. But in the movie "Bonnie's Kids", it's a whole new story. Two sisters Ellie(Tiffany Bolling) and Myra(Robin Mattson) are stuck in a town where nothing exciting goes. They lost their mother, Bonnie. They have a stepfather who's a total jerk. He crossed the line with Myra when she was on the phone, and tried to rape her. Kellie comes home in time, and blitzes him with a shotgun. They would later travel to Texas, find their uncle who works for a fashion company, and takes the two under his wing. Unbeknownst to them, he's involved in shady business. If you think that's bad, the uncle's wife Diana(Lenore Stevens) goes through enough abuse from him, she takes a liking towards Myra, while Ellie is away on business. Ellie meets the private detective, and falls for him. Then the sister bonding begins to break slowly between them. When Diana began to comfort Myra, she takes it to a whole new level. And in that case, Myra wasn't cool with it. She berates and exploits her hard and fast. It was funny when she said, "You're Disgusting!" after Diana shot herself. Ellie wanted to have a better life, but her greed just got the better of her. A very classic movie, with a lot of humor to go along with. A little exploitive to say the least. 2 out of 5 stars

I've been watching quite a lot of arty-farty foreign flicks of late... so what better way to chill out and take out a break from all the pretentious posturing, than to take on the sort of movie that would have had the drive ins packed 40 years ago. You have a couple of gorgeous babes, senseless violence throughout, casual racism, rampant homophobia, a ramshackle story which goes in every direction and gratuitous nudity as a given. What more could you ask for?

Well, perhaps an ending which will p*ss a lot of people off... GUARANTEED. And maybe they could play the one tune they have on the soundtrack slightly less than every other scene. Other than that, you'll get what you expect. A passable time waster, but don't expect it to be too distracting when y'all smooching with ya babe in the front seat. Don't forget to brush your teeth!! Or at least chew minty gum...... 5/10

In the world of B cinema, they don't come much better than BONNIE'S KIDS...the few unavoidable shortcomings of its low budget are equalized by a seamy pulp narrative which is briskly paced and sexy as hell. Ambitiously played by a cast of highly capable lower-tier performers, all of whom should have been better utilized in Hollywood, this unassuming little offering stands as one of the crown jewels of 70s drive-in fodder.

Noir-ish story involves two young sisters who ice their lecherous stepfather and beeline to the Los Angeles home of their wealthy mob-boss uncle. Indurated by their difficult upbringing, but fiercely determined to get ahead, the girls are quick to realize the prepotency of their supple young bodies. One of them seduces their closet-lesbian aunt, while the other ropes-in a hard-luck private dick who's been hired by some shady suits to intercede the transit of a "special package". What ensues is a gritty, violent crime story with more flurried excitation, concupiscent titillation, and shifty maneuvers than a Crisco coated Naked Twister marathon.

On a scale of 1-10, BONNIE'S KIDS gets a solid 8.5...right up there with its theatrical release co-feature THE CANDY SNATCHERS. Both films are B classics which approach dispiriting subject matter with an edgy, sardonic tongue-in-cheek. Recommended.