Hooded Angels (2002)

Memorable, crazy movie

How sad is this?

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

QUICK QUIZ: Do you like the one Lesbian Character in a movie to be an Evil Paranoid Psychopath? Do you love your Leading Ladies to be so Passionless and Devoid of Emotion that you begin to worry that they Can't Actually Act? Is your idea of the Wild West filled with more Leather Chaps, Leather Hats and Leather Vests than a San Francisco Leather-Daddy Convention? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Glory Glory is for you! The problem with its tag line, "Sex is Power," is that you first have to have something sexy going on in order to get that power. Director Paul Matthews somehow managed the near-impossible by getting half a dozen actresses, all willing to flounce around at times nearly nude, to turn out one of the dullest, least suspenseful, least erotic films in memory. I can forgive a lot in a story provided it isn't boring and that's the best that I can say about Glory Glory – it's so dreary that even the "deviant" lesbian comes off so clichéd and tedious that I can't get the energy up to be insulted at the movie's subtext of "Get Straight or Get Killed." Of course she's Psychotic and Villainous. Of course the Leading Ladies all find the Love of a Good Man. Whatever. Next!

As an older history student who lived and studied in the Am. West I can assure that this could have been a plausible story if several aspects were different, and the writers/director had done their reading. Mr. Baker's comments were accurate. Further, Kansas or other would have been a better setting, because of the Texas Rangers who were always there and not susceptible to whores. (At least, not in this situation, ha ha) Very few men and esp. officers had long hair or beards, esp. due to lice. Men shaved daily. Pretty clean despite hardships. The west of the U.S. was not a dream. Read about it, as plenty of lit. and documentation is available. The girls shooting the cops was a little bit unnec., don't you think, besides? Too cold-blooded for the characters except one. Try again.

If you ever stroll or jog down an alley, you will recognize this movie. A former treasure, left out for the junk man. This is junk-movie-making, already leftover detritus even when it is new. I liked it. It is a typical post Civil War movie- where the rules of law are broken. This is an exciting cusp for a writer to explore. Sometimes. This may be Spaghetti-western territory. This movie has no great aims. It just gets the job done, in a rough and not so artful way. Shot in South Africa, I believe. The Southerners and Northerners attack Silver City, Texas and the women and children suffer. Rape and assorted mayhem ensue. It is bad-really bad. The traumatized women of Silver City band together to wreak revenge on civilization-in general. Not on the North nor the South-but generally. The plot continues. The suddenly bad-a** bitches of Silver City rise up and take revenge. Even more bloodshed evolves into an orgy of crime and lesbianism. Lesbianism is a theme for certain characters-yet the really assertive ladies turn into heterosexuals after all. God bless 'em. This idea of a robber seducing her sworn enemy is one of the few dramatic ideas in this movie. Some guy named Wes:Paul Johansson, has to hunt down the evil bank-robbers: The Silver City robber/bitches. It all goes downhill from here-as if you didn't know that. The proto-lesbian robbers can't get a clue, and desist from robbing. No. There is one last Big Heist. All Hell breaks loose. It is clear that Amanda Donohoe is the best actress in this movie, and she glows with talent and womanliness. She easily takes on a southern/Western US accent and acts up to par in this predictable goat-roper standard Western. I suspect this is a covert Lesbian Cult Hit in the making. Honestly, why else did I, a man rent it after all? Trivia: watch for the lambswool covered boom microphone in the last big fight scene.

Aging Western fans fondly remember the fantasy Wild West of their youth. The cowgirls of early TV and popcorn movie matinée's were perky and assertive. Dressed like Barbie dolls at the rodeo, those B Western cowgirls could be mighty appealing, but they were rarely given much to do. Most of the riding, roping, fighting and shooting was left up to the boys.Hooded Angels(aka Glory Glory) finally shows cowgirls some respect. The women here actually populate the landscape outside of a saloon. Furthermore, these gals can ride, shoot and aren't afraid of a high noon showdown.I would have enjoyed this would-be-Western a lot more though, if it didn't seem so surreal. This tale supposedly takes place in the American Old West, but there isn't an authentic ten gallon hat anywhere in sight. This doesn't look like the fun, stylized Old West of early Hollywood, or even the gritty, less romanticized frontier of more contemporary Westerns. Most of the characters have assorted global English accents that don't exactly sound "home on the range". Gary Busey, in a small role, is one of few that sounds reasonably authentic here. These gorgeous gals wear wardrobes that defy description, like the post-apocalypse types in a Mad Max movie. For a fantasy Western without any high-falutin' pretenses, flattering jeans and Western styled shirts would have been a lot easier on the eye and far more appropriate for an escapist Western.The cinematography is OK, and Hooded Angels features some decently staged action sequences. I hope some intrepid film makers attempt this kind of material again, but next time with more affection and understanding of the mythical American Old West.