Bitch Slap

 

Boobs, bullets and blood burst out of the screen in Xena alumnus Rick Jacobson’s patchy tribute to the Russ Meyer exploitation movies of yesteryear. Three ‘dames’ with dark pasts and dirty secrets join forces to find the hidden loot of a mysterious crime boss and everything quickly derails into a confusing and occasionally frustrating mess, albeit one in shiny technicolour with some directorial flair behind it. Touting itself as a new Sin City, it ignores the fact that Rodriguez was working with some strong stories to support the effects. Too many times the attention wanders, partly down to all three leads being thoroughly unlikable and the main plot often serving as a cheap excuse for girl-on-girl ‘titillation’. By far the best elements are the regular flashbacks, which showcase the crazy comic book vibe at its best and have some truly spectacular Charlies Angels-style moments. Worth seeing for these alone, it’s ultimately harmless but not nearly as fun as it thinks it is. [Scotty McKellar]