Product description

Barb Wire [1996]

Price: £7.20
Average customer rating: 3.5

Binding : DVD
EAN : 0743215564720
Title : Barb Wire [1996]
Actor : Array
Format : PAL
Languages : Array
Original release date : 1996-05-03
Region code : 2
Running time : 98
Theatrical releaseDate : 1996-05-03

Customer reviews

review by: Author date: 2003-03-03 rating:

Smoking...
"Don't Call Me Babe!" What? Where? Who did? Indeed I'm sure many would be surprised why the plastic-fantastic bimbo would be branded anything other than ridiculous following her then-current status in the tabloids, but scriptwriter's Chuck Pfarrer & Ilene Chaiken thought differently obviously and decided to make that line the tagline... fools.

As the film opens out to the impending year of 2017, we look on to the leather-clad Barb Wire (ex-'Baywatch' beauty Pamela Anderson Lee) performing an enticing yet extremely sleazy striptease with all flesh breaking loose in her own bar & grille, the Hammerhead in Steel Harbour. Self-trained as an Assassin, biker Barb Wire makes an attractive salary collecting rewards from would-be murderers needy of delinquents and felons from the residue of the second American civil war. While doing this she is aided by two men, one who is a member of staff and another who is a drunken patron, who both help Barb Wire against the patrolling army who seem to follow the rule of the Nazi. Changing in and out of different costumes is one Pam's' specials during the hour and a half movie.

In all honesty, 'Barb Wire' is categorically a mass-marketed mess boasting the then-flagging Anderson Lee whose private life was more of a drama itself than anything else dominating the screens. Based around characters that appeared in the comic-book 'Dark Horse', David Hogans' (famed for many Music Videos) violent direction is of fairly mediocre worth that brings nothing more to viewing eye that it couldn't have not thought of instead. A highpoint in the films' composition is definitely its photography, shot with a gothic ambience by Rick Bota. Anderson Lee sports the Wire tattoo wrapped around her upper-arm that brought many imitators in its time, including an entire drove that pushed forward during the '98 Ibiza craze. Released in same month as the big-budget vampire flick 'From Dusk Till Dawn' and the much anticipated Coen project 'Fargo' plus many others including 'Kids' and 'Primal Fear', things did not bode well for the sex-siren Anderson Lee and was a critical flop as soon as the first test screenings were seen. May have worked better if some of the sexual innuendos were traded in for more gun-play. Good fun.

If you are a fan of the blond-bombshell, then stick to her much stronger, if saucier film, 'Good Cop-Bad Cop' with actors Robert Hays and David Keith.

review by: tom579 date: 2000-07-29 rating:

Good entertainment featuring Pamela. What more do you want?
It is fairly obvious that this is a futuristic action movie starring Pamela Anderson. So if you buy this movie, you're probably a fan of either genre, hopefully both. If you're a Pamela fan, like me, then watching Pam watching paint dry will excite you. If you're a fan of futuristic action movies, like me, then Barb Wire wont be the best you'll see, but it's not bad either. Weaknesses that you might grumble about would be idealistic plots and cheesy storylines perhaps. If you really want to complain, you'll be disappointed by the lack of metaphor that this genre can sometimes powerfully convey. I can't answer for Dark Horse comic fans. If you are one, unlike me, then I suspect that you will also be disappointed, and that's fair enough.

However, Bar Wire has got guns, car chases, fast bikes (with guns), death-defying fight scenes, neo-nazi bad guys, plenty of characters, futuristic mind-reading machines, a twist in the tail, and of course Pam in and out of black leather, riding fast bikes and shooting guns.

So if you are a fan of futuristic actions movies AND a fan of Pamela, like me, this will be one of your favourite films. You'll know why: it's not for Kafka-esque portrayal of the human condition. There's no shame in liking simple gun fights, car chases, explosions and Pam. Admit this and free yourself. Sure, the opening scene of Pam blue-lit and being showered with water extends the opening plotline a little bit. If you don't like it, then perhaps you were a bit naive buying this movie.

If you've got a hang up about Pamela's talent or movies that lack depth, don't buy it. But let's face it, if you came across Barb Wire in your search results, you really should already know what you're getting. Don't skip it, watch it, and then watch Tank Girl too.

review by: date: 2000-03-15 rating:
Just another Pamela Anderson film
God only knows how Temuera Morrison, who was so fantastic in 'Once Were Warriors', was persuaded to star in this trashy Pammie vehicle. Miss Anderson Lee, as she was known then, stars as the sassy heroine of the title. Adapted from a Dark Horse comic series (like the better films 'The Mask' and 'The Crow'), the film ends up like a mixture of Baywatch, Barbarella and Tank Girl. The filmmakers want to cast Pam as a gritty action hero, but they can't resist the opportunity to present the star without her clothes (as in the ridiculous slow-motion opening sequence, featuring a naked blue-lit Pamela Anderson being showered with water - which bears no relation whatsoever to the rest of the film). Skip this and see 'Tank Girl' instead - unless you want to complete your Baywatch babe video collection, that is.

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