DVD Review: Switchblade Sisters (A-)

Switchblade Sisters (1975)
Directed by Jack Hill
Starring Robbie Lee, Joanne Nail, Monica Gayle and Asher Brauner
MPAA: R
Grade: A-

Review by Bobby Nashville

One of my favorite girl groups is a rock band called The Donnas. Imagine the music of The Ramones but played by sexy young girls in pink T-shirts and leather pants. That's The Donnas. Someone once described the Donnas as the kind of chicks that steal another gal's boyfriend, and then just for kicks, kick her ass as well.

Why do I bring up the Donnas here? Well, if the Ramones got to star in Rock and Roll High School (one of my all time favorites), then perhaps its time to give The Donnas their shot at celluloid stardom. They've had a couple cameos (most notably Jawbreakers) but have yet to land a feature film deal. I can't think of a better film vehicle for The Donnas to debut in than a remake of the 1975 girl gang flick Switchblade Sisters.

Stupid, hilarious and mesmerizing at the same time, Switchblade Sisters tells the story of a tough talking girl gang fighting for survival on the streets. They are led by Lacey, a pint sized gal that sneers every line through gritted teeth. Her second in command, Patch (she wears an eye patch) gets nervous when a new gal (Maggie) enters the gang and quickly upstages her. The gang (known as the Dagger Debs) hang out with their boyfriends (a gang called The Daggers, of course), drink beer, get in fights and hassle the cops. Those are my kind of gals.

The dialogue is awesome. The Switchblade Sisters curse like crazy and they constantly badmouth each other. Lace at one point grabs Donut and forcibly makes her squeal like a pig, for no other reason than she can get away with it. Patch is constantly trying to backstab Maggie, just because Maggie beat her up once. The beautiful Maggie appears calm and collected on the outside, but when pushed, she totally goes ballistic. At one point, Maggie screams at a cop (who is arresting her, of course): "Let me give YOU some advice, cop! You can beat us, chain us, lock us up, but we're gonna be back! UNDERSTAND?! And when we do, cop, you better keep your ass off our turf! OR WE'LL BLOW IT OFF!!! You dig?!"

Directed by the legendary Jack Hill (Spider Baby, Foxy Brown), Switchblade Sisters is one of those bad movies that actually draws you in over time. The characters are so vivid (and insane) that it almost seems like a living cartoon. Jack Hill wisely packed lots of action into the wacky script, and the fight scenes help move the film along. By the time the Dagger Debs launch a full out war, you actually find yourself pulling for Lace, Donut and Maggie.

Tough talking, street fighting, guy stealing and beer drinking, the Switchblade Sisters ARE the Donnas, minus the guitars. If you are a fan of girl gang exploitation films, the Donnas, or cult director Jack Hill, you have to give this movie a shot. Rock on.

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