Barb Wire
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Movie Reviews of Barb Wire
Movie Review: Everything I wanted to see
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie in the theater when it came and I thought it was great then. It's everything I wanted to see--Pammy in a new sexy outfit in every scene.Movie Review: Pam Anderson
Summary: 5 Stars
To me this is a clasic. Pam looks stunning and is probably in her best acting role ever. She's bad and beautiful in this one, so it's a keeper.Movie Review: Pam Anderson at her best
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a big Pam anderson fan and she looks great in this series of moviesMovie Review: Acceptable Science Fiction Actioner
Summary: 4 Stars
The 1996 Pamela Anderson vehicle "Barb Wire," her supposedly logical transition to superstardom on the silver screen, bombed at the box office. The vivacious blonde bounced back, of course, but the verbal jabs directed at this vanity picture must have hurt on some level. What I don't understand after I recently viewed this film is why so many people bashed it. Perhaps it concerned one of those overexposed celebrity issues, that people wanted to see her fail after seeing her so often in the tabloids and on television. I know I cannot stand the sycophantic blather about celebrities, so seeing one of the anointed crash and burn every now and then provides some comfort. But in the case of "Barb Wire," I think a reassessment is at hand. This movie is far from objectionable when viewed within the context of its genre: "Barb Wire" essentially falls into the post-apocalyptic genre, a cinematic category in which most entries are extremely low budget potboilers that appeal to a male fan base. The emphasis in these types of movies is on special effects, quirky ideas, and beautiful women. "Barb Wire" meets all of these criteria quite nicely. It looks like director David Hogan had a hefty budget to play around with, and he certainly put the money in the right places as well: "Barb Wire" sports lots of big explosions and copious gunplay.Pamela Anderson plays Barbara Kopetski, known as Barb Wire to her clientele at the Hammerhead Inn in Steel Harbor, who is a former soldier working as a bar owner when she isn't out bounty hunting. The year is 2017 and America is in the throes of a second civil war, with Steel Harbor the only "free city" left in the United States. The warring factions in this conflict, although never elaborated on as much as I would have liked, seems to be a fascist, right wing dictatorship called the Congressional Directorate and a more populist faction called the United Front. Barb once fought against the Congressionals until an event in the battle for Seattle soured her on the idea of morals and choosing sides. She now spends her days playing hardball at her bar, bantering with her headwaiter, and caring for her blind brother. Just keeping up with payments to the corrupt chief of police and his thugs keeps Barb endlessly busy, along with her frequent encounters with the sleazy bail bondsman Schmitz. Life in war torn America is tough.
Unbeknownst to Barb, problems back in the ruins of Washington, D.C. threaten to upset her lucrative business. The Congressional Directorate initiated a virus program called Red Ribbon with the help of a female scientist named Corrina Devonshire. This weapon, derived from the HIV virus, can wipe out the United Front areas in less than twelve hours. Unfortunately for the fascists, their doctor defected to the resistance, changed her appearance through plastic surgery, and is now headed to Steel Harbor with some type of special contact lenses that can hide resistance fighters from identification scans. Barb wants nothing to do with this rogue scientist, her resistance friends, or anyone else who wants something for nothing from her. Predictably, Barb soon finds herself in the middle of a conflict between Congressional thugs headed by the notorious thug Colonel Pryzer and the local resistance fighters who still maintain an ideological hold on her brother. The whole thing boils down to massive amounts of gunfire, big booming explosions, and lots of shots of Pam strutting around in skintight outfits. For a post-apocalyptic movie, "Barb Wire" works overall despite failing on a few critical levels.
"Barb Wire" hinges on whether you accept the idea of Pamela Anderson as a ruthless bounty hunter capable of beating even the toughest guys into submission. This is a tough call. Sometimes Anderson pulls it off, but more often than not she doesn't and this hurts the film the most. Put a Sigourney Weaver in this role and it would have been a winner, but a rail thin woman with a big blonde coif and a waist you could wrap one hand around? Nope. Fortunately, we do see Udo Kier in a minor role, along with Steve Railsback as the unbalanced Pryzer and the ever-reliable Clint Howard as the smarmy Schmitz. Ultimately, the acting isn't nearly as bad as many entries in this film genre.
Another problem with "Barb Wire" concerns the plot. The people behind this film tried to do too much with it. There are so many subplots going on at once that it becomes slightly irritating trying to follow the various threads. Plot holes abound, for example Devonshire's claim that she developed Red Ribbon and wiped out Topeka, Kansas with it. If the virus worked and the Congressionals tested it, why not simply use the virus to destroy Steel Harbor and the rest of the United States? Why waste time tracking down this scientist if you could simply use the virus and solve the problem? Moreover, Barb constantly claims she wants nothing to do with anyone unless it is on her own terms. It is because Barb doesn't give anyone what they want that leads to the trouble in the first place. A smarter person would do a small favor just to keep problems away.
Despite a few difficulties, "Barb Wire" does exactly what this type of film should do: blow stuff up, show some pretty women, and sport a high body count. Fans of the genre who can look past its myriad flaws will find plenty to like with this movie. The DVD includes a trailer, cast bios, and expanded footage of the risqué introductory scenes (you will know which scenes when you see it).
Movie Review: "Don't Call Me Babe!"
Summary: 4 Stars
Pamela Anderson stars in this fast-paced and sexy movie about a gorgeous bounty hunter trying to survive during the second American Civil War.
Anderson stars as Barb Wire, a former freedom fighter for the United Front, a group of guerrillas who are fighting against the Congressional Directorate, located in Washington, D.C. Barb has given up her freedom-fighter days, instead retreating to Steel Harbor, the last free city in America. There, she has set up a bar/nightclub called Hammerhead, which caters to everyone, regardless of political affiliation. On the side, she also moonlights as a high-priced bounty hunter, earning money to pay off local cop Alexander Willis (Xander Berkeley). She also has frequent run-ins with a bail bondsman named Schmitz (Clint Howard).
Back in Washington, events have transpired which could upset Barb's tidy little business. The Directorate began a virus program called Red Ribbon, with the help of scientist Dr. Corrina "Cora D." Devonshire (Victoria Rowell). Derived from the HIV virus, this weapon can knock out any area in the United States in under 12 hours. Cora D. ended up defecting to the United Front, changed her appearance through plastic surgery, and is now headed to Steel Harbor along with fellow fighter Axel Hood (Temuera Morrison). Hood happens to be an old flame of Barb's. They are in search of a special contact lens which can hide freedom fighters from identification scans. Barb wants nothing to do with Cora D., Axel, or anyone who wants something for free. However, she soon finds herself in the middle of a conflict between the United Front and the Congressional Directorate, who have sent the notorious Col. Pryzer (Steve Railsback) to Steel Harbor to find the lenses. Pryzer begins investigating everyone in Steel Harbor, including Barb, her blind brother, and Alexander. Will Barb succeed in delivering the lenses to Cora D. before Col. Pryzer finds them first?
This is a first-rate post-holocaust movie. There is massive amounts of gunfire, huge explosions, and many scenes of Pam Anderson and her very revealing little black dress. For a post-apocalyptic movie, Barb Wire is very good. Be sure to watch the "sexy outtakes"; you won't want to miss them!