Barb Wire

Barb Wire
by David Hogan

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DVD Reviews of Barb Wire

DVD Review: Acceptable Science Fiction Actioner
Summary: 4 Stars

Pamela Anderson plays Barbara Kopetski, known as Barb Wire to her clientele at the Hammerhead Inn in Steel Harbor, who is a former soldier working as a bar owner when she isn't out bounty hunting. The year is 2017 and America is in the throes of a second civil war, with Steel Harbor the only "free city" left in the United States. The warring factions in this conflict, although never elaborated on as much as I would have liked, seems to be a fascist, right wing dictatorship called the Congressional Directorate and a more populist faction called the United Front. Barb once fought against the Congressionals until an event in the battle for Seattle soured her on the idea of morals and choosing sides. She now spends her days playing hardball at her bar, bantering with her headwaiter, and caring for her blind brother. Just keeping up with payments to the corrupt chief of police and his thugs keeps Barb endlessly busy, along with her frequent encounters with the sleazy bail bondsman Schmitz. Life in war torn America is tough.

Unbeknownst to Barb, problems back in the ruins of Washington, D.C. threaten to upset her lucrative business. The Congressional Directorate initiated a virus program called Red Ribbon with the help of a female scientist named Corrina Devonshire. This weapon, derived from the HIV virus, can wipe out the United Front areas in less than twelve hours. Unfortunately for the fascists, their doctor defected to the resistance, changed her appearance through plastic surgery, and is now headed to Steel Harbor with some type of special contact lenses that can hide resistance fighters from identification scans. Barb wants nothing to do with this rogue scientist, her resistance friends, or anyone else who wants something for nothing from her. Predictably, Barb soon finds herself in the middle of a conflict between Congressional thugs headed by the notorious thug Colonel Pryzer and the local resistance fighters who still maintain an ideological hold on her brother. The whole thing boils down to massive amounts of gunfire, big booming explosions, and lots of shots of Pam strutting around in skintight outfits. For a post-apocalyptic movie, "Barb Wire" works overall despite failing on a few critical levels.

"Barb Wire" hinges on whether you accept the idea of Pamela Anderson as a ruthless bounty hunter capable of beating even the toughest guys into submission. This is a tough call. Sometimes Anderson pulls it off, but more often than not she doesn't and this hurts the film the most. Put a Sigourney Weaver in this role and it would have been a winner, but a rail thin woman with a big blonde coif and a waist you could wrap one hand around? Nope. Fortunately, we do see Udo Kier in a minor role, along with Steve Railsback as the unbalanced Pryzer and the ever-reliable Clint Howard as the smarmy Schmitz. Ultimately, the acting isn't nearly as bad as many entries in this film genre.

Another problem with "Barb Wire" concerns the plot. The people behind this film tried to do too much with it. There are so many subplots going on at once that it becomes slightly irritating trying to follow the various threads. Plot holes abound, for example Devonshire's claim that she developed Red Ribbon and wiped out Topeka, Kansas with it. If the virus worked and the Congressionals tested it, why not simply use the virus to destroy Steel Harbor and the rest of the United States? Why waste time tracking down this scientist if you could simply use the virus and solve the problem? Moreover, Barb constantly claims she wants nothing to do with anyone unless it is on her own terms. It is because Barb doesn't give anyone what they want that leads to the trouble in the first place. A smarter person would do a small favor just to keep problems away.

Despite a few difficulties, "Barb Wire" does exactly what this type of film should do: blow stuff up, show some pretty women, and sport a high body count. Fans of the genre who can look past its myriad flaws will find plenty to like with this movie. The DVD includes a trailer, cast bios, and expanded footage of the risqué introductory scenes (you will know which scenes when you see it).

Description of Barb Wire