Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) 

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Russ Meyer

Starring: Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster

From: Eve Productions

It was fascinating seeing Russ Meyer's Id on screen. This was something I had watched before... many moons ago; plus, even now it's my only Russ Meyer experience. For certain it'd be one hell of a ride to take a deep dive into his filmography.

Even if this is low-budget to its core and (for example) the acting is not always good, it is still wildly entertaining. It follows a trio of incredibly tough go-go girls who after killing a young man in the desert who was racing w/ them, they-actually the leader of the gang, Varla-take his girlfriend and after hearing a rumor attempt to steal a large sum of money from a physically handicapped older man and his two drastically different two sons. As there are subsequent murders and the entire motion picture takes place in the desert, it is that type of movie.

The most obvious Meyer trope is “strong, busty women”; in this case it was led by real-life badass Tura Satana, someone who not only actually burlesque danced and once dated Elvis, but is said to have actually used martial arts (which are exhibited in Pussycat) to kick the ass of everyone who sexually assaulted her when she was just a child. She contributed much to the character, including the best lines of dialogue in a movie that has acres of memorable dialogue. You don't want to root for Varla & her psychotic acts but the handicapped fellow is a woman-hater himself; don't worry there are still several sympathetic characters.

Added to this intoxicated mix is a loud sometimes brash score; no wonder this is a cult favorite and is one of the most popular flicks from the director. It also has an amazing opening: as vertical sound waves are seen, a narrator recites some dialogue (which contains some big words) which begins w, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence” then talks about violent women. It's great. Even if the other Meyer movies I might check out in the distant future aren't as fun as this, I would be given plenty to discuss in my reviews.