Faster Pussycat Kill Kill (5 Stars)

30 films to watch before you die, #2

This is the second of my 30 films to watch before you die, ordered chronologically. "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill" was made in 1965, and it makes the title of my film selection literal. If I knew I were going to die today, this is the last film I would want to watch.

It's interesting to see what films people watch last in their lives. Before Ian Curtis of Joy Division killed himself he watched Werner Herzog's film "Stroszek". Before Keith Moon of the Who took an overdose, probably suicide, he watched "The Abominable Dr. Phibes". They're both good films to watch while preparing to die, but not the films that I would choose.It has to be "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill".

Russ Meyer made many good films during his career, but this was his most revolutionary film. The influence it's had on film and television over the last 50 years can't be over-estimated. In fact, it's had an immense on society in general. This was the film that showed that women can be strong. It was the film that showed that if a woman wants something she can take it, even if she has to kill to get what she wants. The killing doesn't have to be done by subtle means like poison, she can kill with her bare hands.

The world of "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill" is a world of caricatures. The men are all archetypes of  the men in modern society. One man is a physical cripple. One man is physically strong, but a mental cripple. One man is intelligent, but weakened by his lusts that he can't control. Whoever or whatever the men are, they are helpless victims when they face the Superwoman, strong, intelligent and in control of her own sexuality.

I recently reviewed all of the films in the official Russ Meyer Collection. You can find links to my reviews in this post. If you want to watch a few of his films after watching "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill" I can particularly recommend:

• Lorna
• Supervixens
• Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens