Wuchak Released in 1965 and conceived & directed by Russ Meyer, "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" is a campy melodrama/crime thriller starring Tura Satana as a sneering vixen who, along with her two go-go dancing pals (Haji & Lori Williams), entertain themselves in their spare time by hot rodding in the desert. After a mishap wherein the trio apprehend a winsome bikini girl (Susan Bernard) they smell easy money at a remote ranch in the desert, inhabited by a rich old man (Stuart Lancaster) and his two sons (Dennis Busch & Paul Trinka). Ray Barlow plays a "nice boy" desert racer while Michael Finn is on hand as a gabby gas station attendant.The movie has a big reputation as a cult flick and Meyer's definitive film, along with 1970's "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," so I was very interested in finally viewing it. The first 20 minutes or so are fun and entertaining in a swingin' 60s kind of way, highlighted by the voluptuous female cast in which Meyer takes full advantage in illustrating their beauty (no nudity). The music, cars, apparel and thrills are additional highpoints.Unfortunately, once the women happen upon the ranch with the mad "Ben Cartwright" and "Hoss" & "Adam" (sorry, no "Little Joe") the lousy writing and corresponding eye-rolling histrionics manifest. It's as if Meyer and fellow writer Jackie Moran were attempting to make a mid-60s desert version of one of Tennessee Williams melodramas, but didn't have the writing expertise or professional cast to pull it off. As such, the story loses the viewer's interest and you're left to laughing at the exaggerated antics and trying to enjoy the attractions noted above. Being shot in B&W doesn't help matters.For a better movie that treads similar terrain (albeit with a wholly different plot) I suggest the contemporaneous "Village of the Giants," which was released a mere 2½ months after "Faster" and is in glorious color. The women are just as good, if not better, and the music is superior, not to mention it lacks an utterly scornful one-dimensional she-devil (don't get me wrong, Tura's great, but her character is so one-note disdainful it gets old after 25 minutes and you just want someone, ANYONE, male or female, to knock her silly). "Village" also doesn't pretentiously try to be a serious 60's tragedy à la "A Streetcar Named Desire" in the desert.The movie runs 83 minutes and was shot in the Mojave Desert (Lake Isabella, Lake Cunniback, Johannesburg, Randsburg & Ollie Pesch's Musical Wells Ranch) and Van Nuys (The Pussycat Club), California.GRADE: C+

patchesalseier I was surprised to see just how awful this movie was after all the buzz: "ultra-violent," "raunchy," "lots of booty," "savage," and many more superlatives are used to describe "Faster Pussycat." In reality it's dumb, dull, and docile. Yes, there are some buxom-y ladies (but no nudity--not even ni---ple-bumps, and no sex, etc.), and some people do die--or I guess they do, as there's almost no blood when it happens (even after a "brutal" stabbing--and we have to watch that from behind the stabber so nothing is seen. The victim falls bloodless to the ground, but I guess there's a little redness on the knife?).I think Faster Pussycat might really have been meant as a straight comedy instead of an exploitation thriller; the "fight" scenes are laughable (such as a large woman "karate-chopping" a guy hard enough to give him a slight massage--but it kills him anyway), and the dialogue is inane.The story is slight, the scenery is humdrum (arid landscape for most of it) and the acting is horrible. It's not bad enough to rise to a "good, bad" movie, and it's not good enough for a cult classic. I have no idea why this thing even rates a look. Frankly I was shocked to find the lowest stars this movie gets--besides my rating--is like only four or five. I'm giving this tripe a "2" just because it has some notoriety. My advice . . . don't see it, and above all don't pull this out for you and all your friends to enjoy--they won't.

Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) Who would know that the 60's could produce a movie so intense, that it will be a gemstone of a lifetime. In "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", it's a high octane thriller, that combines fast cars, fast moving women, and action that is non-stop. You have these three go-go dancers: Varla (Tura Santana), Rosie(Haji), and Billie(Lori Williams). They go out in the desert to unwind, until a couple appeared and they started to have a race. Well, the original three were racing their cars earlier in the scene, then Billie decides to have a swim. When the couple joined the scene, things began to get ugly. After the race, Varla and the boyfriend get into a fight, which resulted in his death. Then they drugged the girlfriend, and take her onto a ranch where this old man who was crippled in a railroad accident. The deadly trio do want something from him, his hidden money. But unknown to them, he is not so vulnerable period. For he got his own plans for them. The only thing is, they are not weak women. These women can fight, kill, or play very rough at all costs. No one is safe. This movie is about violent women, and not about domestic violence in the house hold. Of course, with the simple-minded brother, it's all about personal demons. Rev up your engines and see this movie. 5 stars

bobvend Three big-breasted sports car-driving go-go dancers go on a weekend murder spree in the desert. What could be more wholesome! Early on, the female trio meets their first victim, Tommy (Ray Barlow), and his overly-perky girl (Sue Bernard) who is so relentlessly whiny one almost hopes she gets clocked. But after she witnesses Tommy being rolled in the dirt to death, Varla and company have no choice but to take the bikini-clad youngster as their hostage. And there are big breasts.Big bad Varla (Tura Satana) is decidedly bi-sexual and clearly the head of the group; and what she says goes! Lori Williams (Billie) makes Nancy Sinatra look like Miss Marple by comparison, with hips that arrive five minutes before she does. Haji(Rosie), we later gather, is Varla's lover (a fact the actress herself was not aware of until she questioned director Russ Meyer regarding her motivation for a particular scene). Poor Haji has to speak all her lines using a ludicrous Italian accent and over-emphasized hand gestures; it's no wonder she never laughs or smiles during the entire film! She gets to spit out lines like "I'mma gonna spinna dry you!" And there are big breasts.Billie and Rosie don't like each other and are constantly at each others...throats, forcing macho Varla to be the peace officer. But while gassing up, the girls learn of a big stash o' cash on a decrepit ranch run by a warped old fossil (Stuart Lancaster) and his two sons Kirk (Paul Trinka) and 'The Vegetable' (bodybuilder Dennis Busch). With nothing but time (and men) to kill, the girls decide to dig around for the hidden loot. In the process the ladies wangle an invite to lunch with the boys, but little miss bikini keeps gumming up the works by trying to escape. And there are big breasts.The bodies soon begin to pile up, but Busch will live on to garner a cover of Muscle Training Illustrated in 1966, and the whiny bikini gets saved so she can go on to be Playboy Playmate Of The Month in December that same year. The acting and action are both laughable, but to complain about such things is like going to Disney World to admire the restrooms. Did I mention there are big breasts? This is the type of film for which the term Guilty Pleasure was coined. Just enjoy becoming abreast of the situation.