Anyone can have a bad day, but some bad days are worse than others, like in case of unnamed protagonist od Bang, 1995 drama directed by Ash Baron-Cohen. The Girl (played by Darling Narita) is facing some unpleasant finacial realities of living in Los Angeles and gets evicted for failure to pay the rent. The only hope to make ends meet is getting a role in a film, but sleazy producer (played by David Alan Graf) appears to be more interested in sex than her talents. While wandering on the streets, she befriends a homeless man named Adam (played by Peter Greene). His presence near luxurious Beverly Hills villa bring police intervention, but Officer Rattler (played by Michael Newland) arrests by The Girl by mistake. When he offers release in exchange for sexual favours, she manages to cuff him, take his gun, uniform and motorcycle. Dressed as policewoman, she begins riding the motorcycle through streets and meets all kinds of unusual characters.
Made in time when American independent cinema was experiencing something of a boom, which each young low budget film maker being seen as new Tarantino, Bang stands out with its extremely low budget. It was made for merely 20,000 US$ and, what was even more important, without co-operation of local authorities and police, which meant that each scene had to be shot very quickly. Guerilla film making reflected also in extensive use of handheld camera and non-professional or unknown actors (with Peter Greene of Pulp Fiction fame and Lucy Liu in small role of prostitute being only notable exceptions). This all looks quite refreshing, especially in comparison with large budget Hollywood productions that had the same setting and similar themes, but it soon becomes apparent that Ash Baron Cohen (cousin of Sacha Baron Cohen, signed simply as “Ash” in the credits) didn’t know what to do with the concept. Characterisation of the protagonist is bad and her ultimate motive for motorcycle-riding adventure is never established. Film also has issues with pacing. Some of the scenes are funny and some are even touching, like heroine’s interaction with two Hispanics. But general impression, especially after seeing many films produced in similar conditions, remains unsatisfying.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
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