Barb Wire

May. 03,1996      R
Rating:
3.5
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Trailer Synopsis Cast

A sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons. Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood, who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action.

Pamela Anderson as  Barbara Kopetski / Barb Wire
Temuera Morrison as  Axel Hood
Victoria Rowell as  Dr. Corrina Devonshire
Jack Noseworthy as  Charlie Kopetski
Udo Kier as  Curly
Steve Railsback as  Colonel Pryzer
Xander Berkeley as  Alexander Willis
John Paxton as  Smooth
Joey Sagal as  Fred the Bartender
Candace Kita as  Dancer

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Reviews

Hellen
1996/05/03

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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GurlyIamBeach
1996/05/04

Instant Favorite.

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ShangLuda
1996/05/05

Admirable film.

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Arianna Moses
1996/05/06

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com
1996/05/07

Thus far in mainstream comic book related movies, only one female antihero has turned out having very little complaints and that's Black Widow from Marvel's The Avengers (2012). Then again, she also has not had any solo film but she has appeared in several films prior and so far, there really hasn't been an uproar over Scarlett Johansson's portrayal as the deadly assassin. Beyond this character however, movie studios have not been able to pinpoint the proper approach to making a worthy female heroine film. There have been several attempts, but so far none have proved to be lucrative. For Dark Horse Entertainment, which was no stranger to their comic books being adapted to film took more than one wack at making a feminine hero focused film. The year before, they also helped surface British Comic, Tank Girl (1995), which also flopped. Then came this, which by many consider being one of the worst comic book films. As an overall film, it's not even near decent but it isn't the worst.The setting takes place in 2018 where (like many other futures are described) the next all out war broke out. This time being called the "second civil war"; there's only one place among the whole land where people can live free without the strong eye of government looking over them. However even there, no one is safe. After learning a deadly secret, Dr. Cora (Victoria Rowell) and her husband Axel (Temuera Morrison) attempt to flee the country to Canada but are met with endless setbacks. It is at this point they look to find the only person who can help them escape, a local bar owner / bounty hunter known as Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson). As a story, not all of it is passe but a good portion of it is overused elements seen from multiple other films about dystopic futures. Plus cutting it off close to 2020 shot itself in the foot looking at it now. The writing for this screenplay was carried by Chuck Pfarrer (Darkman (1990) & Hard Target (1993)) and Ilene Chaiken (as her first work) did take care of properly giving the main characters' their back story but there are other parts that don't work.A subtle flaw is quick changes in character motivations. At one time in the film a character will have a certain opinion. Then, later on in the film they will declare the opposite opinion with no reasoning. That's a bit frustrating when trying to understand a character. Another matter of contention is convenient contrivances. If something is out of reach for an individual and then later on it is revealed to the viewers that they acquired it (again, with no reason how), it gets frustrating. Almost like the film is saying, "they're just that good, no sense in showing how they did it". The last poorly written component to this film is main villain Colonel Pryzer (Steve Railsback). Besides just being callous to everyone he meets, Pryzer is a very generic antagonist dressed in Nazi garb. It's nothing to point out or even worth remembering about because his character is so two dimensional. Surprisingly, the rest of the cast in some ways makes up for it. Local law enforcement Alexander Willis (Xander Berkeley) tries to add some humor to the situation as well as Charlie (Jack Noseworthy).There's also guest appearances from character actors Andre Rosey Brown (as a more eccentric villain than Pryzer), Nicholas Worth, Clint Howard, Udo Kier and Nils Allen Stewart. The relationship between Axel, Dr. Cora and Barb Wire isn't the most believable but it isn't unlikable either. Actually, although Pamela Anderson speaks many of her lines in monotone, some of her quips are funny to hear. When she curses though, the viewer will be able to tell she's not acting material. Then again, if there's one thing Anderson nails, it's her figure of Barb Wire. Of all obvious reasons to pick her, what else? Of course, another curvaceous female could've been cast but let's deal with what's here. Plus, they got the costume down pat and it sure looks good on Anderson. Surprisingly Anderson can even handle the action sequences quite well. Yes, the fact that she also had stunt doubles is understandable but not truly noticeable which is required because viewers should not be able to tell.Cinematography was shot by Rick Bota for this movie. Most of the time the camera-work is acceptable for the action scenes and dialog. The only areas where it fails to feel compelling in the story is in its tracking shots. This was specifically evident either when it was filmed in the bar that Barb Wire owned or outside in garbage dump like settings. Since the story takes place in a chaotic dystopic future, the use of dusty, beige colored, and dune infested backdrops is the ultimate cliché for this setting. At least try to make it look different than what's been normally used. It's just been seen too many times. Lastly the musical score was arranged by French composer Michel Colombier. For this round, his composition sounds a bit like Gary Chang's score from Death Warrant (1990) using occasional steel drums. However, a lot of his music is absent and is replaced by hard rock which I guess is appropriate but the sound gets very cluttered because of it and that doesn't help.Many people say it's one of the worst comic books put to film. It certainly doesn't have the most competent of storytelling (which includes the contrivances & clichés) and not every character stands out like they should. Pamela Anderson also isn't acting material but she actually gives the viewing a "so bad it's good" experience. The action does entertain and some of the other supporting cast members do help make it at least average.

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The_Film_Cricket
1996/05/08

I tried to search for a reason for this movie to exist other then as a showcase for Ms. Lee's ample bosom and I did find one. Yes, squeezed into a black leather girdle she does draw the attention of the average teenage male but I have to admit the movie makes a failed but earnest attempt at a story.We are in the year 2017 during America's Second Civil War. A dictator has taken over the country and Barbara Kopetski is a nightclub owner who steers clear of the political scene and tries to run and honest business. She gets involved with an old flame and a deal to buy free passes to Canada. If this sounds a bit like 'Casablanca' don't think you've hit on anything new. Strangely enough, the movie credits the writer of that film without using the title.The movie opens with Barb undercover as a stripper, dancing nude on a trapeze while being sprayed with a hose. She is accompanied by a rock score and a lot of strobe lights and if you sit there and wonder what the point of this scene is, then your Daddy needs to have a long talk with you.Unlike Bogie, Barb doesn't exactly stroll around in a white dinner jacket. Her dominatrix Barbie doll wardrobe consists of black leather, a form-fitting bustier and spiked heels, which come in handy when anyone calls her babe. Lee constantly sneers 'Don't Call Me Babe!' hoping it will become the next catchphrase like 'Make My Day'. Ms. Lee is not a good actress but in this film it hardly matters. No one who saw it could admit going to see the movie for its story.But what story there is, is at least a good attempt. I complain when classic movies are remade. This isn't a remake but I give it credit for at least admitting that it is stealing from a good source.

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Uriah43
1996/05/09

"Barb Wire" (Pamela Anderson) is a nightclub owner in a futuristic America where a civil war has broken out between two distinct factions. The first is known as the "Congressional Directoret" and the second as the "Resistance". Now, as it so happens Barb Wire also moonlights as a mercenary who has little sympathy for either side and operates in the only free city left which is known as "Steel Harbor". However, when a former government scientist named "Dr. Corina Devonshire" (Victoria Rowell) escapes from the Congressional Directoret and arrives in Steel Harbor carrying some special contact lenses worth $2 million—along with Barb Wire's former lover named "Axel Hood" (Temuera Morrison)—Barb Wire becomes indirectly involved. And that spells bad news for whichever side she's not on. Anyway, rather than reveal the rest of the details and possibly spoil the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this movie was widely panned by the critics when it first came out. As a matter of fact, Pamela Anderson received several Razzie Awards for her performance which included "Worst New Star" and "Worst Actress". Other Razzie Awards for the film included "Worst Picture" along with being nominated for "Worst Screenplay" and "Worst Original Song". So judging from these awards and nominations one would think that this was an extremely bad movie. However, rather than simply going with the proverbial crowd I happen to have my own opinion which is quite different. First, I didn't think her performance was that bad. As a matter of fact I kind of enjoyed it. Not only that but I have seen a lot worse movies than this particular one. Now, that's not to say that this film was great by any means because it clearly wasn't. But it was hardly the worst movie for that year. Nowhere close. Likewise, although I didn't especially care for the performance of Temuera Morrison I thought the performance of Udo Kier (as "Curly") was actually quite good. Anyway, there you have it. Again, while "Barb Wire" may not be a great film I didn't think it was necessarily that bad either. I rate it as average.

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trashgang
1996/05/10

15 years after it was made I finally bought this flick and even on Blu Ray, cheap of course. This is one of those flicks that always have got some bad reviews. I can't say anything about the script because I haven't seen the comic. But if I just have a look at the names appearing then you know that this isn't going to be a blockbuster. We have Udo Kier and Steven Railsback in it, for those into horror or exploitation those names are famous. And when I saw the name Rick Bota then I immediately must think of him being directing 3 Hellraisers. The story itself is post-apocalyptic so with those actors and the story we could add it into the grindhouse genre even as it wasn't attempt to be.Naturally the main lead was by Pamela Anderson Lee. Back then she was very hot on all aspects. Just made some nudity shots and a porn flick with her husband and of course Baywatch did the producers add her on the wanted list. But face it, she only in it as a teaser. Every time you see her, the most important things are her fake two penny worth breasts. I even has seen the unrated version and indeed, she goes naked now and then only showing tits and nipples.Did I enjoy it? Just looking towards the story and the actors and the gratuitous nudity I liked it and if it would have been made 20 years earlier or even nowadays (remember Bitch Slap also just made for the boys to watch girlies shooting around and posing) it could have been a bigger success. Naturally it was teared down due Pamela's performance. But Steve did good work as did the rest. But be honest, most flicks based on comics failed to deliver.

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