Barb Wire (film)

Barb Wire

Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Hogan
Produced by Todd Moyer
Mike Richardson
Brad Wyman
Written by Chris Warner
(comics)
Screenplay by Chuck Pfarrer
Ilene Chaiken
Story by Ilene Chaiken
Based on Barb Wire by
Dark Horse Comics
Starring Pamela Anderson Lee
Temuera Morrison
Victoria Rowell
Jack Noseworthy
Xander Berkeley
Udo Kier
Steve Railsback
Music by Michel Colombier
Cinematography Rick Bota
Editing by Peter Schink
Studio PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Propaganda Films
Distributed by Gramercy Pictures
Release date(s) May 3, 1996 (1996-05-03)
Running time 98 minutes
Country United States
Language English
French
German
Box office $3,793,614[1]

Barb Wire is a 1996 American action-science fiction film based on the Dark Horse comic book series of the same name. Brad Wyman produced, and David Hogan directed. Barb Wire stars Pamela Anderson Lee in the title role. The film was a vehicle for Baywatch star Anderson, intended to enable her to cross over from television to movie stardom.

Contents

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Plot

The film is a re-imagining of Casablanca, but set in 2017 during the "Second American Civil War" rather than Casablanca during World War II, and with some key roles being played by the opposite gender.[2]

Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson Lee) owns the Hammerhead, a nightclub in Steel Harbor — "the last free city" in a United States ravaged by the civil war — and she brings in extra cash by hiring out as a mercenary and bounty hunter. Her club is raided by Chief of Police Willis (Xander Berkeley), who is looking for the fugitive Dr. Corrina "Cora" Devonshire (Victoria Rowell). Devonshire, a former government scientist, has information about a bioweapon being developed by her former superior, Colonel Pryzer (Steve Railsback) of the Congressional Directorate; she is trying to escape to Canada in order to make this information public.

Meanwhile, Devonshire has turned up at the Hammerhead. She is accompanied by Axel Hood (Temuera Morrison), a "freedom fighter" whom Barb had known (and, it is implied, loved) at the outbreak of the war, but the two were separated soon afterward. Axel is now married to Cora, and is trying to help her get to Canada. They are trying to find a contraband pair of contact lenses which will allow Cora to evade the retinal scan at the Steel Harbor airport. The lenses pass through the hands of several lowlifes before also ending up at Barb's nightclub.

Rather than give the lenses to Cora and Axel, Barb makes a deal with "Big Fatso" (Andre Rosey Brown), the leader of a junkyard gang: Fatso wants the lenses, which are worth a fortune on the black market, and Barb wants a million dollars and an armed escort to the airport, where she plans to get on the plane to Canada. But Fatso double-crosses Barb; when Barb, Axel, and Cora show up at the junkyard to make the swap, Colonel Pryzer and his storm troopers are also there, along with Chief of Police Willis. Willis makes a show of arresting Barb and Cora, but instead of putting handcuffs on Barb, he slips her a hand grenade. Barb uses the grenade to kill Fatso and cause enough confusion to allow Barb, Axel, Cora, and Willis to pile into Barb's armored van and lead the Congressionals on a car chase, culminating in a hand-to-hand fight between Barb and Colonel Pryzer atop a moving crane. Pryzer falls to his death while Barb escapes just before the crane explodes.

In the end, the party makes it to the airport, where Barb reveals that she still has the contact lenses. She gives them to Cora, and Cora and Axel get on the plane to Canada while Willis and Barb remain on the rainswept tarmac.

Willis: Where will you go?
Barb: Well, I hear Paris is nice this time of year.
Willis: I do believe I'm falling in love.
Barb: Get in line!

Cast

In the film, Anderson's waist was laced down to 17 inches (43 cm). She did some of her own stunts, although the corset and the heels she wore made fight scenes very challenging.[3][4] Anderson suffered a miscarriage during filming.

Reception

Barb Wire was poorly received by critics and was considered a box office disappointment. It holds a 30% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews (10 positive, 23 negative), with the consensus stating that "Barb Wire could've been fun camp, but Pamela Anderson can't deliver her lines with any dramatic or comedic impact".[5] Roger Ebert pointed out that the film's plot was identical to that of Casablanca.[6]

It is perhaps notable for its opening, in which Anderson dances topless as water is sprayed on her. Some of this sequence was cut on the film's initial release, but restored for later home video and DVD releases.

Awards and nominations

Year Group Award Result
1996 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Nominated
Worst Actress (Pamela Anderson) Nominated
Worst Screen Couple (Pamela Anderson's "Impressive Enhancements") Nominated
Worst Screenplay (Chuck Pfarrer and Ilene Chaiken) Nominated
Worst New Star (Pamela Anderson) Won
Worst "Original" Song ("Welcome to Planet Boom!", by Tommy Lee) Nominated
1997 MTV Movie Awards Best Fight (Pamela Anderson Lee/Steve Railsback) Nominated

Soundtrack

An official soundtrack was released in 1996.[7]

References

External links