Bad Girls (1994)

good

this was a very good movie even if your not a fan of westerns, believe me I normally don't watch westerns but this was good. June 19, 2008

Bad Girls, Bad Tape

I purchased this VHS movie and was very disappointed. The beginning of the tape was schriveled and unplayable. I'm sure this was its condition at shipment and not the fault of the shipper. I just wish the previous owner would have looked more closely at the tape before shipping it. June 3, 2008

A Pleasantly Unique Western

Bad Girls is a refreshing and unique western. Had seen parts of it on TV, and wanted to own it. Well cast and directed. October 11, 2007

Sometimes it's good to be bad!

Boy, I sure do love this movie! That's quite a statement as I generally don't care a whole lot for westerns. This one is a bit of a different sort of western, however. We get to see Madeline Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson AND Andie McDowell all in one film! I've never cared much for Drew Barrymore, but I concede she does a pretty good job in this movie.

Madeline Stowe still looks good today, but this movie was made in 1993, when she was @ the very apex of her beauty. On top of being gorgeous & having a "mystery" about her (which intoxicates me so!) she is also a bona-fide accomplished actress. It's great to see her go from a naieve woman in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS to being a tough-as-nails, no nonsense cowgirl in the present flick. She is a much more diverse actress than most women in Hollywood. Now if only she'd agree to a candlelight dinner with me.....

Anyway, this DVD has often been thought of as a female version of YOUNG GUNS. Well, perhaps. However, in my mind, BAD GIRLS is the far more entertaining of the two (I found YOUNG GUNS rather boring). Also, one nice thing about the film is that it is NOT a film that's just set about to glorify male-bashing. While it does set about to accurately depict examples of unfair treatment of 19th century women, it never becomes "preachy." Moreover, our cowgirls stumble across some nice fellas who help them out.

If you like westerns, you may or may not like this one. If you like un-conventional westerns where the main characters are pretty girls (not too many other movies can compete in this category), then this movie is a must. It was filmed in Texas and California & some of the screen shots had gorgeous scenery and a few of the sets really made me feel like I was back in the old west. February 25, 2007

This movie could of been way better.

I've seen this movie a couple of times over the years and thought it was decent. Like Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, Bad Girls begins with the abuse of a prostitute whose vengeance sets the whole plot in motion. But in Bad Girls, plot development is synonymous with costume changes. Chaps, corsets, silks and flannel -- for women on the run who carry no baggage other than their historical baggage as former prostitutes, these four desperadoes scam more new outfits than a bevy of runway models. And at least one of them had to be packing a curling iron. But, okay, this is Hollywood after all, and what's the point of having four women starring in a movie if they don't at least look good, albeit illogical.

The really grievous problems with Bad Girls are its lack of plot and undeveloped characters. On the lam after the most trigger-happy of the bunch, Madeleine Stowe, kills a customer who's roughing up one of the other girls in the brothel, they have very little sense of purpose once they're on their own. With a vague plan of heading toward the Oregon Territory to run a sawmill, Bad Girls moves forward in episodic fashion as they encounter one difficulty (or love interest) after another. You can practically picture it as a weekly TV series that poses hour-long detours on the road to the elusive Oregon Territory. The barrenness of the plot would be less noticeable; however, if there were at least some solid characters to hang the story on. Stowe nicely plays the sternness of her character against the delicacy of her features but even her tough-gal posture is belittled when she is whipped by one man and rescued by another. Masterson, considering her range as an actress of intelligence and physical dexterity, is given surprisingly little to do. As for the others, MacDowell flirts and Barrymore pouts, though each does what she does very well.

The Cinematography is respectable, as is the directing for what the shooting schedule allowed. Not an extraordinary film, but one that entertains on one level. That and the sexual component really didn't need the exposure it received in this film. In other words it couldve been handled more tastefully, or axed altogether.
February 16, 2007

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