Tank Girl (1995)

Director:

Rachel Talalay

Writers (WGA):

Alan Martin (comic strip) and
Jamie Hewlett (comic strip) ...

Release Date:

31 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

In 2033, justice rides a tank and wears lip gloss

Plot:

Based on the British cult comic-strip, our tank-riding anti-heroine fights a mega-corporation, which controls the world's water supply.

Plot Keywords:

Tank | Jet | Kangaroo | Post Apocalyptic | Reincarnation

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Lori Petty	...	Tank Girl
Ice-T	...	T-Saint
Naomi Watts	...	Jet Girl
Don Harvey	...	Sgt. Small
Jeff Kober	...	Booga
Reg E. Cathey	...	Deetee
Scott Coffey	...	Donner
Malcolm McDowell	...	Kesslee
Stacy Linn Ramsower	...	Sam
Ann Cusack	...	Sub Girl
Brian Wimmer	...	Richard
Iggy Pop	...	Rat Face
Dawn Robinson	...	Model
Billy L. Sullivan	...	Max
James Hong	...	Che'tsai

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 (w) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Trilogy Entertainment Group

Trivia:

Rachel Talalay was first introduced to the material when her stepdaughter gave her a Tank Girl book as a Christmas present.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Rebecca is captured by water and power and taken to see Kesslee he asks how many of his men did she kill and the captain answers 8...When in fact it’s 9 men she kills: 1 with the grenades, 2 just after that, 3 by the bridge bit of her home (2 on it 1 under), 2 more when the w&p plane is just landing, and then a final one by breaking his neck after the 'oil change' scene.

Quotes:

Deetee: The code will be... ”on the road." Yeah...
Donner: He's Jack Kerouac incarnate.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gorillaz: Phase One - Celebrity Take Down (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Roads

One of a kind and I mean that in a good way!

Movie adaptation of a British comic book. It's 2033--Earth had been hit by a giant comet 11 years before. It wiped out most of civilization and (somehow) caused it never to rain again. Water is in very short supply and evil Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell) is hoarding it all and controlling it. He's attacked by the Rippers--a gang of mutant man-animals (don't ask). He also attacks Rebecca (Lori Petty) and destroys most of her friends. She vows revenge. That's (sort of) the plot.

The original comic book was great. Tons of sex, nudity, violence, strong aggressive women and a stubborn refusal to take itself seriously. The movie tries to recreate that--and it succeeds! The nudity is gone and sex and the violence were toned down but the strong female characters remain. It all starts out with a great opening song and cartoon images from the comic book shoved in your face. Then Rebecca orders her boyfriend Richard (Brian Wimmer) to strip at gunpoint! Then it starts to get strange... There is a plot but the story keeps taking detours with STRANGE (but fun) dialogue, a loud aggressive alternative soundtrack, animated sequences and even a show stopping song and dance number! This all somehow fits together and the movie never stops moving. Set designs are incredible--filled to the brim with pop culture. Director Rachel Talalay deserves credit for keeping this all together.

The acting is great--McDowell goes over the top (enjoyably), Naomi Watts is fun as Jet Girl and Petty is just beyond belief as Tank Girl. Loud, aggressive, snapping off one-liners left and right and a STRONG female character who never stops fighting. Just great all the way! United Artists had no idea how to market this picture (it IS difficult) so it bombed but it acquired a cult following. This isn't for everybody (a lot of critics hated it) but I loved it. A 10.

Best exchange: Tank Girl asks the madam of a whorehouse to sing. The madam asks, "What song?" Tank Girl responds, "Let's Do It by Cole Porter, 1929." The madam: "I HATE that song".