Reviewer's Rating 1 out of 5
Tank Girl (1995)
15

Sadly, the 大象传媒 does not pay out for one-word reviews. If it did, then this review would read simply: tiresome. Based on the comic book series "Tank Girl" the movie tries to emulate its style, but just delivers a frenzied mess that's dull in the extreme.

Lori Petty is the girl with the tank and an attitude to match. Every retort from her lip-glossed trash mouth is a sexual come on, as she asserts herself in a moronic manner as pathetic as the men she's supposed to dominate. Of course, every male in the movie fancies that they can take her on, especially Malcolm McDowell, who proves more resilient than most.

He plays Kesslee, a man who dominates the nuke-savaged remains of Earth with his control over both water and power. His interpretation of the role is the standard McDowell approach to playing maniacs: spiky white hair and a testy maniacal veneer that's too hammy to be even remotely scary.

No matter, we're an imaginative audience and with the plot that we're offered, we'd have to be. Tank Girl is attacked by McDowell, she gets together with some mutants led by a rat like Ice-T, and sets out for revenge. In-between we're treated to dull shoot-outs, increasingly irritating quips, and silly sub-plots.

There's the odd exchange between Petty and McDowell that amuses, plus the animated moments are fun, but otherwise it's the type of film that bores and leaves you feeling very tired by the time it ends.

Read a review of the "Tank Girl" DVD. (You might be surprised.)

End Credits

Director: Rachel Talalay

Writer: Tedi Sarafian

Stars: Ice T, Naomi Watts, Malcolm McDowell, Don Harvey, Jeff Kober, Reg E Cathey, Scott Coffey, Iggy Pop, James Hong

Genre: Action, Science Fiction

Original: 1995

DVD: 25 June 2001

Country: USA

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