Pass the Ammo (1988)

A corrupt television preacher and his congregation are held hostage by a woman, her lover, and her two cousins in an attempt to avenge the theft of her inheritance. A quirky look at the ... See full summary »

Director:

David Beaird

Writers:

Joel Cohen, Neil Cohen

Stars:

Bill Paxton, Linda Kozlowski, Tim Curry

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Paxton	...	Jesse Wilkes
Linda Kozlowski	...	Claire
Tim Curry	...	Rev. Ray Porter
Annie Potts	...	Darla
Dennis Burkley	...	Big Joe Becker
Glenn Withrow	...	Arnold Limpet
Anthony Geary	...	Stonewall
Brian Thompson	...	Kenny Hamilton
Logan Ramsey	...	Jim Bob Collins
Leland Crooke	...	Sheriff Rascal Lebeaux
Jim Holmes	...	Governor
Richard Paul	...	G.W. Wraith
John Cody	...	Billy
Paul Cody	...	Dean
Debra Sue Maffett	...	Miss Dallas

Storyline

A corrupt television preacher and his congregation are held hostage by a woman, her lover, and her two cousins in an attempt to avenge the theft of her inheritance. A quirky look at the dishonesty of the televangelist industry.

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Plot Keywords:

televangelist | preacher | cult film | satire | ministry | 

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Taglines:

Praise the Lord and...

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Assalto al network

Filming Locations:

Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$169,785 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vista Organisation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Darla: That man is so horny not even the crack of dawn is safe.

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Connections

Spoofs The P.T.L. Club (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Pass the Ammo, Praise the Lord"
Music by David Newman
Lyrics by Nan O'Byrne

User Reviews

mild but entertaining satire needs sharper teeth

Don't expect much subtlety from this broad but skin-deep satire of TV evangelism, in which an amiable quartet of amateur thieves takes over a TV temple and holds the clergy hostage against a siege of state militia, local police, yellow journalists, and resident vigilantes (can you guess who gets the most sympathy?). The script is more than a little self-satisfied, taking earnest potshots at easy targets without inflicting any serious damage, and except for Tim Curry (who plays the greedy preacher with his tongue firmly in cheek), the holy rollers and gullible worshippers are all too exaggerated to be convincing (it's hard to fake so much bogus sincerity). But once the stand-off is finally underway (after a set-up stretched twenty minutes too long) the story relaxes enough to give the characters room to have fun. The film is certainly no 'Dog Day Afternoon', but it does have its moments, and no one can say it isn't lively. Too bad the real thing (Jim and Tammy Baker; the good reverend Swaggart et al) is so much funnier.