Sunday, December 13, 2009

DVD Review: SWITCHBLADE SISTERS

I just finished up watching Jack Hill's SWITCHBLADE SISTERS. Also known as THE JEZEBELS, this 1975 films is the definition of a true Grindhouse film. For those unfamiliar with Jack Hill, he is a genre legend, directing such classics as: THE WASP WOMAN, SPIDER BABY, THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, THE BIG BIRD CAGE, COFFY, and FOXY BROWN. Some of these films are considered some of the greatest exploitation films made. SWITCHBLADE SISTERS is a great addition to these classics, and is what Quentin Tarantino says is Jack Hill's masterpiece. Quentin Tarantino released this DVD under his Rolling Thunder Pictures label. Here is the basic plot from IMDB.com:

The "Dagger Debs" are a gang of snarling girls, and Maggie is their newest member. Lace, the ever tooth-gritting leader, befriends her but soon has doubts --it seems Lace's man, Dominic, head of the "Silver Daggers" fancies the new recruit. Lace struggles to keep control of the Debs, and a handle on Nick, as they face off against the rival gang of pushers lead by Crabs.

While some of the older Grindhouse films really show there age and can actually be quite boring by today's standards, SWITCHBLADE SISTERS kept me entertained the entire time. It had a great mix of action, revenge, and wasn't overly full of un-needed gratuitous nudity that some of the films from this genre contain. The character of Maggie is one of my favorites by far. She comes across as nice and sweet, but her vengefullness really comes out at the end, and when she is finally captured by the police, she yells a tirade at the cops that would make Charlie Manson proud. The look on her face..the intensity in her eyes was great as she told the cops, "You can beat us, chain us, lock us up, but we're gonna be back..understand? And when we do cop, you better keep your ass off our turf, or we'll blow it off, ya dig! We're Jezebels cop...remember that name...We'll be back!!!" HA! Classic...they don't have that kind of dialog in movies these days!

The DVD comes packed with special features such as an introduction and a final Analysis of the film from Quentin Tarantino, along with trailers for most all of Jack Hill's classic Grindhouse films. This DVD is a must have for any fans of Grindhouse/Exploitation cinema.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for SWITCHBLADE SISTERS

CLICK HERE to watch the final scene with Maggie's rant to the cops!!

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