Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

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)

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...

Three beautiful female dancers are driving through the desert when they come across a young couple. They kidnap the woman and leave the man for dead. Travelling further they come across an old man living with his two sons. The old man is apparently sitting on a pile of cash and the girls do their best to separate him from it.

Knowing Russ Meyers' later movies I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. Turned out to be a much better than I expected.

It has the hallmarks of Russ Meyer movies: incredibly beautiful women as the heroes (or main characters, at least), a trashy sort of feel and mediocre performances. However, here the usual random plot is replaced by a decent one. Is an interesting, gritty adventure and the characters are quite engaging. Hardly a dull moment, is paced well and doesn't overstay its welcome. Good fun.

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!

Please, take it from one who, until tonight, foolishly and ignorantly pigeonholed Russ Meyer as a Grade-B Soft-Core cult hero. What did I know? He's so much more than that. Think really good John Waters crossed with really bad Fellini (which is good, of course, in its own way) and you have just a hint of the inspired wickedness here.

Three mean chicks in sports cars, on a road trip from hell, back in a blistering hot, black-plate California desert. The script is undisguised genius and the performances (particularly, of course, the sadistic, sneering Tura Satana) cross most known bounds. But you know what? Even with that firebrand in the lead, the others hold up incredibly well. Meanwhile, the cinematography is spot-on for the theme here, tilted and trenchant. The overall effect: bracing--blinding, almost--and more than a little surreal.

FASTER, PUSSYCAT KILL! KILL! It's hideous and hip. Nightmarish, and nasty. Scathing and scabrous. Insane, but inventive. It's not a film for everyone. Some will call it sick, some will dismiss it as camp. It's all that and more. Hardly a wrong note, and with *so* many opportunities too... I was glued to the screen from beginning to end. Wicked fun. Captivating. Can you tell I liked it?

PS: Also recommended for fans of NHB, male/female bare-knuckle boxing. You know who you are ;)