''Barb Wire'' is a 1996 American

superhero film Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...

based on the

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

character of the same name. It was directed by David Hogan, produced by Brad Wyman, and written by Chuck Pfarrer and Ilene Chaiken. The film stars Pamela Anderson in the title role, alongside Temuera Morrison, Victoria Rowell,

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His films include ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ''Candyman ...

, Udo Kier, and Steve Railsback. Although ''Barb Wire'' was panned by critics, it has attracted a cult following.

Plot

In 2017, during the Second American Civil War,

Barb Wire file:Barbed Wire Roll.jpg, Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern United States, Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp ...

owns the Hammerhead, a nightclub in Steel Harbor, "the last free city" in a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

ravaged by the war. She earns cash as a mercenary and bounty hunter. Chief of Police Willis raids her club. Willis's target is fugitive Dr. Corrina 'Cora D' Devonshire, a former government scientist with information about a new bioweapon called Red Ribbon being developed by her former superiors in the Congressional Directorate. The Congressional Council has tasked Colonel Victor Pryzer with finding Dr. Devonshire so they can end the Second Civil War by releasing the virus on the United Front territories. Dr. Devonshire hopes to escape to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

to make this information public. Devonshire turns up at the Hammerhead. She is accompanied by Axel Hood, a " freedom fighter" Barb had loved at the outbreak of the war. The two were separated during the conflict. Axel tries to help Cora get to Canada. They try to find a contraband pair of contact lenses that would allow Cora to evade the retinal scan identification 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', 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 Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

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 on a forklift suspended by crane above the harbor. Pryzer falls to his death while Barb escapes. The party makes it to the airport, where Barb reveals 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.

Cast

* Pamela Anderson Lee as Barbara "Barb Wire" Kopetski * Temuera Morrison as Axel Hood * Victoria Rowell as Dr. Corrina "Cora D" Devonshire * Jason Blundon as Jack MeHoff * Ian Bunting as Chief Weiner Water * Udo Kier as "Curly" * Andre Rosey Brown as "Big Fatso" * Nicholas Worth as Ruben Tannenbaum * Clint Howard as Schmitz * Jennifer Banko as "Spike" * Steve Railsback as Colonel Victor Pryzer

Production

''Barb Wire'' was directed by David Hogan, the second-unit director on '' Alien 3'' and '' Batman Forever''. The film had a production budget of $9 million. Anderson did some of her own stunts, despite her fear of heights. The fact that she had to wear high heels and a

corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...

that made her waist 17 inches made fight scenes challenging. The film provided great publicity for the then-new Triumph Thunderbird 900 motorcycle as it featured in publicity photographs with Pamela Anderson.

Music

A soundtrack album, also titled ''

'', was released on April 23, 1996.

Reception

Box office

''Barb Wire'' was a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

, grossing less than $3.8 million in the United States.

Critical response

''Barb Wire'' was panned by critics.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

pointed out that the plot was identical to that of ''

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'', and derided the low-brow attempts at sensuality, but praised the cast and crew's approach to the material: "The filmmakers must have known they were not making a good movie, but they didn't use that as an excuse to be boring and lazy. ''Barb Wire'' has a high energy level, and a sense of deranged fun". He gave it two and a half stars. Similarly to Ebert, Owen Gleiberman of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave a "C" rating, commenting on the film's aping of the ''Casablanca'' plot and its "teasing, hollow 'naughtiness'", but further said that the film is lacking in energy. Janet Maslin of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' criticized Anderson's performance, comparing her to

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

and Barbarella. ''Barb Wire'' ranked in the bottom 20 of the Stinkers' "100 Years, 100 Stinkers" list, which noted the 100 worst films of the 20th century, at #19. Since its release, ''Barb Wire'' has attracted a cult following.

Awards and nominations

Adaptations

GT Interactive announced that they would be publishing a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

based on the film for the

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Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

, PC, and

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

in January 1997. The developer was Cryo Interactive. The gameplay was said to be similar to '' Resident Evil'', with a single-player campaign and a two-player deathmatch mode. It was never released. A 48-page comic book adaptation was published by

on May 1, 1996.

References

External links

* * *
Sci-Fi Universe article from May 1996 at PamWatch.com
{{Authority control 1990s American films 1990s feminist films 1996 films 1996 directorial debut films 1990s English-language films 1996 science fiction action films 1990s superhero films American science fiction action films American dystopian films Dark Horse Entertainment films English-language science fiction action films Films based on Dark Horse Comics Films scored by Michel Colombier Films set in 2017 Films set in the future Girls with guns films Gramercy Pictures films Golden Raspberry Award–winning films Live-action films based on comics PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films Superheroine films Second American Civil War speculative fiction 1996 science fiction films