Review of Bloody Mama (1970) by Stephanie W — 29 Mar 2014

Produced and directed by Roger Corman, this crime exploitation film was based on the life of Kate Barker, who along with her family was part of a violent crime spree in the American mid-west in the 1930's.

Corman's version was shot fast and cheap on location in Arkansas, and it's a spirited and graphically violent caper film, but Corman has a good cast to work with here. Kate 'Ma' Barker (Shelley Winters) had a troubled upbringing where she was beaten by her brothers and father, but what didn't kill her made her stronger, and by the 1930's, she has 4 sons, Arthur (Clint Kimbrough), Herman (Don Stroud), Fred (Robert Walden) and Lloyd (Robert De Niro).

After she leaves her husband George (Alex Nicol), Ma decides to make her fortune by robbing banks, with her sons carrying out the crime. After Fred and Herman are jailed for a robbery gone awry, Ma recruits experienced gunman Kevin (Bruce Dern) to help get them out of jail, and continue their crime spree.

But the lawmen are closing in, and Ma is living on borrowed time. Corman states Bloody Mama to have been his finest film, and it has some good moments of action. Think of this one as a Grindhouse version of Public Enemies, and you're just about there.

It's worth seeing De Niro as Ma's heroin addicted younger son, a role he lost 30 pounds in weight for, but Winters is amazing.