Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 14, 2017

Russ Meyer's "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors RM Films International. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Let's race!

There is no doubt in my mind that if Russ Meyer was still alive today and attempted to shoot a new film even as remotely as wild as Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, hordes of Hollywood watchdogs and political activists would have instantly labeled him a misogynist and figured out a good strategy to destroy his career. There is just absolutely no way Meyer’s politically incorrect sense of humor would have been given a chance to survive.

The film is like a giant energy ball that is only a few seconds away from imploding. It opens up with a wild race somewhere in the Californian desert that looks like something Jack Hill would have envisioned -- or maybe not because instead of male drivers, the long sequence features young strippers with some serious curves. Varla (Tura Satana) quickly emerges as the toughest gal, and neither Rosie (Haji) nor Billie (Lori Williams) create the impression that at some point they might have a good reason to question her authority. Some clueless guy (Ray Barlow) then brings his girlfriend (Sue Bernard) to the racetrack to show her that he is ready to break his old record, but instead gets beat up by the strippers and his companion ends up with a piece of cloth in her mouth. After the ‘racer’ disappears, the strippers and their hostage drive to a secluded farm where the old wheelchair-bound owner (Stuart Lancaster) and his buff son (Dennis Busch) seriously underestimate their guests.

Like the majority of Meyer’s films, at its core this film is also one big experimental project. It plays out like a wild contemporary western but with a completely screwed up identity and a surprisingly mean attitude. Frankly, half of its story is precisely this mean attitude, which makes some fairly dull material quite edgy and fun to watch. The actual trick that does the switch, however, is this: Meyer basically forces the three strippers to act like macho boys and then gives them unlimited freedom to destroy as many stereotypes as they can without getting into some serious trouble.

Whether the trick actually works is entirely up to you to decide because unless you can appreciate Meyer’s unique sense of humor the role playing, the action, and most importantly the film’s mean attitude are guaranteed to give you a very serious headache. It is just that kind of film -- a trashy provocateur that is ready to entertain, but only on its terms, and with Meyer firmly in the driver’s seat.

Something quite important that a lot of old reviews fail to mention is how carefully and stylishly lensed the film is. Indeed, Walter Schenk shoots the curvaceous strippers as if they are classic divas, while a lot of the panoramic footage looks like it was meant for a great western. The film certainly experiments with a few ideas that ultimately produce more kitsch than quality, but there is some very impressive technical precision on display that effectively invalidates old claims that Meyer was nothing more than a shameless filmmaker obsessed with breasts. There is a lot of genuine quality in this film, and it isn’t even difficult to spot it.

*Art director and production designer George Costello had multiple responsibilities on this film, including working as a set designer and assistant director. Years later, Costello was hired by James Cameron to be his art director on The Terminator.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of RM Films International.

I don't have any specific technical information to share, but it is quite easy to tell that the film must have been remastered fairly recently. Indeed, excluding a couple of tiny scratches the entire film looks very healthy, while density has the type of consistency that only fresh masters can provide. (My guess is that the label probably worked with an interpositive because ideally density can be even better, but overall the film has a very nice and solid organic appearance). There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. The grading is very convincing -- the blacks are nicely saturated but do not introduce any distracting crushing, while the variety of grays and whites appear properly balanced. Image stability is very good. All in all, while there is some room for minor cosmetic improvements, this is indeed a very strong organic presentation of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The lossy track is incredibly strong. In fact, I checked my receiver twice to make sure that it was not a lossless track because it felt like depth was as good as it can possibly be. During the race and later on the action sequences dynamic intensity is also very good. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is about as classy and attractive as American trash cinema can get. It sees the country as it probably will never be seen again, and it has a bold sense of humor that at this very moment I cannot but admire. This recent Blu-ray release is sourced from a very healthy organic master, but it does not have any bonus features. I still think that anyone interested in Meyer's work should consider picking up a copy to place next to Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.