Black Mama, White Mama Review: Revolution, and the Women Who Struggle

If you're looking for a mild version of exploitation to get a feel for the genre of general schlock cinema, while having it not make you feel too awkward, then Black Mama, White Mama is the film that you're looking for. This is tagged as a WIP (women in prison) movie, but in reality, less than 20 minutes of this movie actually takes place in a prison, and it ends up being a women in fields movie as they run across the countryside trying to escape. We do get a shower scene, and some chick fights, but I wouldn't really consider it a WIP movie.

I've also heard this referred to as a blaxploitation film. It really isn't because there is one black character in the movie (Pam Grier), and she isn't trying to "stick it to the man." She just wants to take her money and leave the island. So, I wouldn't really consider this a blaxploitation movie either. If you want a Pam Grier blaxploitation movie, then look for Coffy or Foxy Brown.

Let's take a look at Black Mama, White Mama.

People to Know

Pam Grier - Defying the
man since 1949

Lee Daniels - The black mama. She's a hooker with a heart of gold, that just wants to escape from the island with the money that she stole from her pimp. She don't talk no jive.

Karen Brent - The white mama. She has revolution in her blood, and will stop at nothing to achieve whatever vague goal she has.

Ruben - He's a cowboy just trying to get by in whatever country they are all in. He's a pimp, a dealer, and a general badass. Ruben runs the vice in his portion of the island, and he is arch enemies with Vic.

Vic - A big boss, pimp, and dealer on the island, who electrocutes his hos when they try to run. Lee stole $40000 from him, and is trying to escape with it. Vic is out to let her know that he ain't no punk.

Matron Densmore - She's a strict no-nonsense guard, who has a thing for nearly all of her prisoners. Lee ain't havin that!

Captain Cruz - Semi-bumbling police captain that is trying to track down Daniels and Brent. He enlists the help of Ruben.

Enesto - Gee, could he be the leader of the revolutionaries?

And the Story Goes...
We begin our cautionary tale with our two leads being bussed in to join the dance squad at their new home...a Filipino prison! (at least it might be a Filipino prison. We never know where the movie takes place.) They're both lean, mean, authority fighting mamas who I know won't take no crap from the Warden. Oh dear, the anticipation of their interactions with each other while in prison is almost too much to bear.

Prison for women is fun. I can't wait for the pillow fight! 

After a fight or two between the mamas, the women end up in the oven without shirts. For those of you who don't know, "the oven" is a large steel box that is barely large enough for two people, and the mamas are placed in solitary confinement together in this box to help them work out their issues. It's slightly less cruel and unusual than forcing level-headed people listen to Bill O'Reilly for hours on end. The Matron has enough of the feisty gals after one unsuccessful attempt sex with Lee, and a possible successful attempt with Karen. Since the Matron isn't getting laid, her and the Worden decide that it might be time for transfer.

During our transit to the big city, Lee's freedom loving revolutionaries attack the convoy in an effort to rescue the young vixen. They ultimately fail, because if they didn't the movie would probably end. Though, our heroines are able to escape during the madness, and run off. The mamas decide that yet another unproductive chick fight is necessary before they make the decision to work together and escape.

The Matron likes to watch young girls shower
more than Hillary Clinton.

So, after obstacles, mishaps, and topless Asian girls giving pedicures, our heroines are forced into one final confrontation with everybody in order to achieve their goals of obtaining freedom.

Overall
All-in-all, this is a fairly entertaining movie, and the mamas are very creative when it comes to the use of costumes and seduction throughout their odyssey of escape. Norwegian scholars have concluded that nun costumes are the perfect outfits for escaped convicts, and the mamas must be privy to this analysis. Personally, I didn't find Black Mama, White Mama to be that slow, but I have a pretty high tolerance to slow paced film (compared to most film-goers these days).

Sid Haig was especially funny playing Ruben the cowboy gang leader. I have no idea where this movie is supposed to take place, and he seems so culturally out of place in his bright blue cowboy outfit, and always blaring country music.

The mamas are both good in playing their roles, and I thought that they played off of each other well. The black person and white person being forced to overcome their differences is nothing new to cinema, but I didn't think that it felt stale in Black Mama, White Mama. This movie doesn't come across as preachy, which is good, and is pretty much just an action film.

Sid Haig -  Checkin' peckers since 1939

If you're looking for pure exploitation, this isn't it. I guess it could technically be called a WIP movie, but I wouldn't consider it so because only a fraction of the film takes place in prison. It's a fun movie though, and I would recommend if you like Fred Olen Ray type pointless nudity and action.

Things Learned

• Women's prison is much different from men's prisons. Shower time isn't scary for them!
• Female prisoners have to wear short pink and yellow dresses in prison.
• Louis takes what he want, when he wants.
• If you are following a cowboy and he notices, then he will force you pull your pants down so he can check you business. 
• Ladies of the night consider themselves to be revolutionists. 

Previous: Machete Review

Machete Movie Review: The Best Action Movie to be Released in September of 2010

Robert Rodriguez is a hit or miss director for me. He is capable of making really entertaining, though mostly mindless, movies that serve no other purpose than looking cool and throwing out nonstop action. Then, he is able to turn around and make some horribly mindless (in a bad way) dribble.  Machete falls somewhere between the cool and the crappy to give us a fairly forgettable modernized version of exploitation. That's not to say that Machete is horrible, because it isn't, but it just doesn't have that fresh magic that Desperado or From Dusk til Dawn had.

And the Story Goes...
Machete is an ex Federale whose wife was killed by Torrez, a kingpin. Machete was left for dead as Torrez's men set the house he is in on fire. He ultimately escapes, and is now living in the States as a day laborer.

While Machete is looking for work for the day, he is approached and asked by a man that works with Torrez to kill a senator. He is forced into doing the job, but is double crossed. He spends the rest of the film searching for those that set him up so that he can get revenge. He ends up working with Luz, a woman that helps Mexicans cross the border, and finds them work and housing, and Sartana, an immigration and customs officer.

Together, they uncover a conspiracy to get a certain anti-immigration senator elected so that a fence can be erected on the border. An it comes down to fisticuffs!

The Good

Michelle Rodriguez - Missing an eye
and a shirt.

As far as the actors are concerned, most good, and some are bad  (mainly one is bad one). Trejo is cool, and delivers as always. It's nice to see him get star billing after all these years of playing character bits in the background. He's a pretty charasmatic dude, and is still able to play the hardcore role at 66 years of age. It's pretty impressive. Seagal, Cheech, Fahey and De Niro were all great and clearly having fun with this one. Michelle Rodriguez is good, though she's playing the same "tough girl" role that she does in every movie that she's in.

The action is pretty cool, and in true Rodriguez style, the weapons get pretty creative. There's a scene where Machete is in the hospital after being shot. Some henchmen come in to kill him, and he is forced to create some makeshift weapons from hospital surgical tools (?), and take them all out. Personally, I would have never thought of cutting a man's stomach open, and using his intestines as a rappel rope. But now, I know what to do if I'm ever in a similar situation.

The Bad

Lindsay Lohan - Ruining movies since
1998.

I have a distaste for Lindsay Lohan, probably because of her real life persona, and she's pretty much playing herself in this. I'm not even exaggerating. She's some skinny cracked out rich girl that apparently makes internet adult videos with her mother. Here's the kicker though, she is constantly covered with hair, or positioned so that you never see her body when she's supposed to be nude. It's just dumb to be in something where the character is supposed to be nude, but refusing toactually play it nude. Honestly, you can't tell me that she believes that she is too classy to go topless.

If you're in any way concerned about Mexicans crossing the border illegally, then be prepared to be preached to. There's no question about the director's stance on the subject. Personally, I'm more concerned the baby boomer's greedy destruction of America. This wouldn't even be an issue if we didn't send our jobs everywhere in the first place. That's all for my soapbox.

One thing that irritates me to no end, and this pertains to movies in general, is the constant use of Ave Maria when violence is going, or is about to go down. It's been done over and over, and it isn't really clever. There are plenty of other beautiful songs out there to choose from if you want to contrast beauty with destruction.

Conclusion 
Basically, I would say that this is an ok movie. Is it great? Eh. But, it definitely has some cool moments in it. I like seeing Steven Seagal as the villain, instead of the usual silent hero that he always plays. I wish he would've been in it more. And, for the most part, everybody does well, and has fun with their roles. It does run slow at times, but I didn't find it to be too much of a problem because the action that is in the movie is really good.

Steven Segal - Mexican Samurai since 1986

If you like over the top action, like Shoot 'Em Up, then I think that you would probably find this to be an entertaining movie, unless they are overly sensitive about immigration. If you don't care, Machete is a decent enough action flick. I still prefer Desperado over Machete, but it's tough to beat that one anyways.

And as a bonus, you get some hot chicks to look at in case you start to get bored.

See it, but rent it before you buy it.

Previous: Chrome and Hot Leather