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+

Three beautiful female dancers are driving through the desert when they come across a young couple. They kidnap the woman and leave the man for dead. Travelling further they come across an old man living with his two sons. The old man is apparently sitting on a pile of cash and the girls do their best to separate him from it.Knowing Russ Meyers' later movies I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. Turned out to be a much better than I expected. It has the hallmarks of Russ Meyer movies: incredibly beautiful women as the heroes (or main characters, at least), a trashy sort of feel and mediocre performances. However, here the usual random plot is replaced by a decent one. Is an interesting, gritty adventure and the characters are quite engaging. Hardly a dull moment, is paced well and doesn't overstay its welcome. Good fun.

Varla, Rosie and Billie are nightclub dancers with attitude. They go out to the desert looking for trouble. They meet Tommy who wants to drive the salt flats and his innocent girlfriend Linda. Varla kills Tommy and they kidnap Linda. They drive onto the property of an old cripple and his muscle-bound slow-minded son, the Vegetable. They supposedly is hiding a money stash. The old man is interested in Linda who manages to escape. She's picked up by Kirk but he turns out to be the old man's son. He brings her back despite her loud objections.This is super camp. There is real bad acting. The line delivery by the girls is horrendous. Russ Meyer picked them mostly for their giant double assets. The fake laugh is laughable. Sue Bernard never stops screaming. Paul Trinka is forced to be dumber than the Vegetable and he's horrible at it. The writing is a mix bag. At times, it's painfully bad. At other times, it is pure cheese heaven. Overall, it is surprisingly watchable and awkwardly hilarious.

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.