Switchblade Sisters Reviews

Kinetic, colorful, and cartoony, this girl-gang actioner developed a cult following after its disastrous first run when it reappeared on the midnight-movie circuit in 1988. In all its solarized, wah-wah-pedal glory, it's as emblematic as any film of its era. In a scenario that borrows freely from Othello, Lace (chipmunk-voiced chippie Robbie Lee) leads the Silver Dagger gang's auxiliary, the Dagger Debs. Her Iago is a one-eyed cutie named Patch (Monica Gayle). Lace loves Dominic (Asher Brauner), the Daggers' leader. In steps new girl Maggie (Joanne Nail), a cool blonde who whips a mean chain. A rival gang, headed by politically savvy hustler Crabs (Chase Newhart), operates a power-to-the-people community center that serves free lunches, gets government funding, and fronts for his drug dealing. When Crabs's high school closes down and his gang transfers to Dom's, trouble is inevitable. Except for Chase Newhart, the acting here is so uniformly godawful that it almost suggests a stylistic choice. And with the exception of Donut (Kitty Bruce, daughter of comedian Lenny), the "teens" all look a mite long in the tooth. Fortunately, smart direction, tightly choreographed action sequences, and decent camerawork (albeit on cheap-looking stock) make SWITCHBLADE SISTERS seem better than it is.