Review of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) by David L — 05 Aug 2008

This is my favorite film from Russ Meyer ("Vixen" and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" get honorable mention), it is the most representative of his oeuvre. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is the quintessential drive-in film. It has everything a good exploitation film needs. Campy dialog, slight surrealism, quick pace, over-the-top performances, violence, and cleavage! What more can you ask for? There's no actual nudity, but I think that suggestion and subtlety are always sexier.

The three lead performances are terrific by camp standards. Tura Satana is one of the best screen villains ever, a truly heartless yet sexy woman (and she knows karate too). Haji is cool, quiet, tough, and intimidating, with more than a few hints of lesbianism. Lori Williams is the most likable and compassionate of the trio, but for some reason she comes off as being the sexiest in my mind. Stuart Lancaster is pretty good as the old man, but the rest of the cast is pretty mediocre. Thats okay however, when you have such memorable leads.

Russ Meyer was always an interesting director. Its difficult to tell by watching his films if he's serious or not. He just sometimes seemed a bit too consistent with the dementia of the films to actually be self-aware (despite numerous reports to the contrary). Anyways, this is the definitive drive-in film and one of the greatest of all cult films.