How can one describe the experience of watching Bitch Slap? It's no ordinary flick that's for sure, and, honestly, I want to proclaim it as one of the best flicks of all-time, but I guess that wouldn't be accurate in the criteria of what one may think that should be. I tell you this, though, it was one of the most unabashedly fun movies I've ever experienced, and yes that's just what it is, an experience. What this team of actors and crew have produced is a sick piece of popcorn cinema, one that laughs in the face of convention with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, and a wink and a nudge to those that get it. What's to get? Well, that's up to you, really, because there's so many ways you can view this film, so many opinions that can formulate in your mind while watching, but rest assured that this is the movie writers Eric Gruendemann and Rick Jacobson (who also directed) set out to make. I can just picture how much fun this had to be to write, a game of one-upmanship that resulted in a movie that's so ridiculous it's fantastic!
Bitch Slap is about three women (Julia Voth, Erin Cummings, America Olivo) in search of 200 million in diamonds and the wicked story of how they got there. Each of them is driven by different motivations, all of which conflict in one way or another. The film has two stories rolling, one in the present set in a desert location as the girls dig for the loot, and the other is a series of insane flashbacks that keeps moving backwards in time telling us how these three got to where they now are; revealing a bit more of the overall story as they do. And these flashbacks keep topping the previous in terms of lunacy!
The film is a homage to 60's-70's exploitation flicks, but it's way more than just that. Simply, it is an exploitation flick! Bitch Slap might have been shot on a low budget, but it uses that crutch to help sell some of the more ludicrous of scenes. It does well to amp up that aspect to an almost cartoonish level, albeit a gritty one, giving the movie a style and feel uniquely its own. Coming from a background of writing Hercules and Xena, Gruendemann and Jacobson naturally know how to make all of this work. Is it silly? Sure, but it's played that way, which makes everything deliciously digestible!
The cast does a fine job working with this material, breathing surreal life into these over-the-top characters. Michael Hurst is great as the sleazy Gage, chewing his lines with the greatest of ease, and all three of our Femme Fatales play their respective parts very well; in particular Cummings, who is simply devilish as Hel. (Yes, pun intended.) The supporting cast is also filled with zestful performances and cameos. Is this Shakespeare? Of course not, but this script doesn't call for that. It calls for buckets of water to be dumped on mega-hot women, who then beat each other up very convincingly! And, hey, you get that in spades!
That's what's great about this movie, it achieves the goals of an exploitation B-flick quick and often. The aforementioned Voth-led bucket scene just spontaneously happens, regardless of the story around it. There's so many stop and look moments like that, where the audience is just as awe-struck as Deputy Fuchs. Make no bones about it, Voth, Cummings, and Olivo look great on screen and the filmmakers knew how to get the most of that. The fights are brutal, too, and another real focal point of the movie, with super stunt-woman Zoe Bell doing the choreography honors. All of the action is seriously fun, with the ending ramped up to a level most other flicks would be jealous of. On top of that, Bitch Slap is also ridiculously comedic, and throughout the movie we're treated by one-liner after one-liner. In particular, Olivo's character's whole vocabulary is practically made up of them!
The best part about the whole thing is that you can clearly tell that everyone just had a ball filming this. The theater was rolling with laughter throughout the entire film, too, a good sign that their job was well done. So how can one describe the experience of watching Bitch Slap? How about: It's a no-holds-barred, punch-you-in-the-face, super-sexy thrill-ride that doesn't take itself seriously! This is good times at the cinema, and it has a kick-ass pay-off to boot. I loved it. It's in limited release RIGHT NOW, so if you have a chance, get out and see it. I think you may love it as well!
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