Assault of the Killer Bimbos (1988)
They're armed, they're on the lam and they're bimbos. Just don't let them catch you calling them that. As anticipated, "Assault of the Killer Bimbos" is a cinematic firecracker — just intentionally loud dumb and fun.
"Bimbos" predates "Thelma and Louise" by three years, but the parallels between the two films are undeniable. Peaches and Lulu are two go-go dancers on the lam from the police after they are mistaken for murder suspects. Along the way, they pick up a third spurned female from a diner, and the trio rocket themselves cross-country in a top-down convertible.
The movie benefits from a 70-minute running time because anything bordering on 90 minutes would have been too much to handle. Instead, "Bimbos" sustains its dumb vibes for just long enough without becoming stale or redundant. Troma had nothing to do with this, but you could have fooled me. The movie is ripe with goofball bodily sound effects, unflinching nudity and over-the-top amateurism.
Yet the cult-classic status of "Bimbos" seems forced. Residing firmly within the parameters of a B-movie means "Bimbos" is only as good as its limitations will allow. Typically, cult movies are wholly unaware of their own absurdity whereas "Bimbos" revels in such a label. When the tongue is firmly plunged through the cheek, I feel as if I'm being entertained by a willing participant rather than an oblivious one.
Despite this minor setback, "Bimbos" has a comedic edge that is funnier than most. Every character in the movie is so gleefully feeble-minded that you can't help but be charmed by the sheer depravity. Despite the lamebrain plot, the script is fairly well written. There are a slew of one-liners and back-and-forth banter that had me authentically chuckling. "Bimbos" also benefits from an unlikely creative source: female director Anita Rosenberg.
The female influence definitely comes through, although any "girl power" moment is quickly rebuked by a topless dance sequence. Nonetheless, the bimbos are gun-wielding vigilantes of sorts who stand up against a never-ending parade of mindless male authority figures. It may not be "Spice World" but there remains a thread of feminism that exists amid the unapologetic nudity. "Bimbos" is uniquely weird like that. I've never seen a movie attempt to deliver a quasi-feminist message in spite of a blatantly sexist overture.
Gender issues aside, "Bimbos" is worth a viewing for any Troma fans out there who believe they've seen it all. It may not be on the same absurd level as "Terror Firmer," but "Bimbos" certainly holds its own. Buxom bimbos on the lam? A more appropriate Schlock Vault entry there is not.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6wGs8yhdiU&w=420&h=315]