Reviews in Retrograde: Bang

Critical Outcast isn't my first attempt at a website, I had a few stutter steps in the late 1990's and early 2000's. These attempts generated a whole bunch of poorly written, often very short and spoilerific reviews. I recently stumbled upon them in my archives and thought you may be interested in seeing some of these early attempts at writing. They are as they were then, I make no apologies for how bad or how short they are. Feel free to have at them with reckless abandon! I present to you: Reviews in Retrograde.



A young woman in L.A. is having a bad day: she's evicted, an audition ends with a producer furious she won't trade sex for the part, and a policeman nabs her for something she didn't do, demanding fellatio to release her. She snaps, grabs his gun, takes his uniform, and leaves him cuffed to a tree where he's soon having a defenseless chat with a homeless man. She takes off on the cop's motorcycle and, for an afternoon, experiences a cop's life. She talks a young man out of suicide and then is plunged into violence after a friendly encounter with two "vatos." She is torn between self-protection and others' expectations. Is there any resolution for her torrent of feelings?

Decent film, not great by any stretch, but it does try hard. This film is an example of guerilla filmmaking, that is, it was shot without getting the required permits, in other words, it was made illegally on the streets in and around Los Angeles. This in part gives it a rushed feel, and the actors are not really comfortable.

It is the story of an unnamed actress who is evicted from her apartment, taken advantage of by a casting agent during an audition, and finally stopped by a cop. She turns the table on the cop and takes his uniform, thus adopting his identity as a police officer. She proceeds to cruise LA getting involved in various incidents and feeling a new sense of power after seeing the respect afforded to the police.

Not a horrible film, but one whose idea doesn't seem to be fully realized. It may have to do with the rushed production, or the inexperience of those involved, or anything. It is entertaining at moments but too disjointed to really come together as one.

If you are a fan of independent films, this is one to check out, if not you probably would be bored by it. Mild recommendation to see.