Switchblade Sisters/Review
From The Grindhouse Cinema Database
< Switchblade Sisters
Jack Hill's cult classic Switchblade Sisters is a true gem in the world of Exploitation cinema. It was originally released under the title The Jezebels, but after Writer-Director Quentin Tarantino released it on his Rolling Thunder Pictures DVD label in the mid 90s, he changed it back to its original slashingly cool name. The film takes place in a sort of alternate universe as Jack Hill envisioned it to have a post Nixon era apocalyptic atmosphere. The opening credits sequence is really great. It's a black and white still montage of the Switchblade Sisters set against the song "Black Hearted Woman" by Medusa. The track is very campy and very fun to listen to.
Lace (Robbie Lee) is the leader of an all female gang called "The Dagger Debs". They are the counterpart of the "Silver Daggers", the all male gang. The Silver Daggers are run by Dominic (Asher Brauner) a big crazy oaf of a guy who's also Lace's main squeeze. We meet The Dagger Debs as they proceed to shred a chunky repo man "Hammer" (Michael Miller) to bits after they corner him in an elevator in Lace's rundown apartment building. Lace's number two in charge is the evil, one eyed Patch (Monica Gayle). She is ready to start trouble at the drop of Lace's hat.
At the local burger joint they encounter a new girl, her name is Maggie (Joanne Nail). She looks like a cross between Farrah Fawcett and Elizabeth Shue. A perfect hottie to add to the mix of sexy chicks in the movie. Lace and Patch catch Maggie sitting at their favorite table and after a few rude exchanges, Maggie grabs her deadly metal belt and whacks Patch right in her uncovered eye. Patch falls to the floor and yells out: "I'll get that bitch!". This is just the beginning of the fun. The cops are soon called and The Dagger Debs are arrested and sent to a female detention center for their trouble.
The film enters the "Women in Prison" genre at this point as we're introduced to the fat, manly female prison headmistress "Moms Smackley" played hilariously well by Kate Murtaugh (Dr. Detroit). Moms proceeds to drool and harass the young beauties in a husky voice and it's hysterical. She sets her eyes on the new gal Maggie and that's that. Once she lays her paws on her new pet, Maggie replies with a "Get your hands off me you fat pig dyke!", sorta like Charlton Heston's Planet Of The Apes line but different. Well Moms isn't happy with that and so it's off to the crapper with her! Moms brings her henchwomen along and once Maggie relents, they shove her head right in the toilet! Lace and the Debs hear Maggie's screams and they decide to give her a hand. Look out, its The Dagger Debs Vs Moms Smackley and the Lesbo Guards! This is one of the funniest bathroom catfights in Grindhouse movie history and it's played out to be so over the top, complete with cursing, boobies jiggling, fart noises and toilet plungers to the face. After the Dagger Debs get Moms Smackley down on the floor they threaten to knock off her lesbian partner on the outside if she doesn't lay off them. Mom isn't dumb, so she gives up and all is well in Dagger Debs Land for now. Since Maggie is a newbie in all this, she's released early and Lace and the gang must stay. Lace takes a liking to Maggie and she asks her to deliver a private message to Dominic. Maggie accepts this and they begin a friendship.
Maggie delivers the letter to Dom but he reads the personal message aloud in front of the entire gang and they laugh and giggle at Lace's heartfelt words. Maggie isn't pleased and gives Dom a slap and tells him to go to hell for being such a bastard. Something happens between Dom and Maggie here, an unsaid meeting of the minds. After Maggie returns to her house, Dom shows up and it's WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAAM. Dom doesn't ask for permission from Maggie, he is on her like a wet shirt.
Lace doesn't know about all this, and after the sordid details about Dom and Maggie are accidentally leaked by Dom's second in command Hook (Don Stark), Patch becomes the Iago in this Hamlet-esque story. Patch continues to pit Lace against Maggie throughout the film. When Maggie becomes the new leader of the Dagger Debs, she even changes the name of the gang to "The Jezebels". The craziness continues to explode onscreen with many memorable sequences, including a roller rink shootout, a blow job gone bad, a great knife fight between Maggie and Lace and more.
The acting in this cult classic is really well done for a low budget B-movie and Jack Hill really had a unique style as an Exploitation auteur. He also managed to combine elements from several Grindhouse subgenres into this one film including: women in prison and blaxploitation. If you go through his filmography you will pick up that he always injects his work with a certain level of intelligence and depth. They are definitely Grindhouse fare, but at the same time, much more. This is just one reason why I'm such a fan of his.
Peter Roberts is the co-founder/editor-in-chief of the Grindhouse Cinema Database (GCDb) and contributor to the GCDb's sister site Furious Cinema. A Massachusetts native, he is an avid film fan that has been immersed in the world of entertainment and pop culture his entire life. He is a professional digital media designer and educator.
