Tank Girl (1995)

A girl is among the few survivors of a dystopian Earth. Riding a war tank, she fights against the tyranny of a mega-corporation that dominates the remaining potable water supply of the planet.

Director:

Rachel Talalay

Writers:

Alan Martin (comic strip), Jamie Hewlett (comic strip)

Stars:

Lori Petty, Ice-T, Naomi Watts

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

Storyline

Tank Girl (Rebecca) and her friends are the only remaining citizens living in the wasteland that is Earth, where all the remaining water is controlled by Water and Power, the mega corporation/government that runs the territory. While incarcerated at W + P, Tank Girl and her new friend Jet Girl break out and steal... a tank and a jet. After meeting some mutant kangaroo/humans, and rescuing her little girl (adopted by her friends), the kangaroos and the girls kick Water and Powers' butt.

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Plot Keywords:

desert | tank | 21st century | 2030s | female protagonist | 

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Taglines:

In 2033, justice rides a tank and wears lip gloss

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Devojka tenk

Filming Locations:

Coal Mine Canyon, Tuba City, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,064,333

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trilogy Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An Empire magazine article from July 1995 included an interview with Jamie Hewlett, the co-creator of Tank Girl, who addressed the issue of how the film was extensively cut following test screenings. The character of Sub Girl got cut down to one scene after originally being an integral part of the film, whilst the ending changed. Hewlett said that "The very last shot had Tank Girl burping into the camera". Hewlett shared his view on the process of editing: "It's ridiculous having a bunch of snotty little 14-year-olds deciding how a film should be made. They were probably just snogging their bird or pulling each others' hair throughout the whole thing", he suggested. Hewlett also revealed that a scene with Tank Girl, Booga and "a ten-inch prosthetic cock" also got cut. "A $5,000 cock. It looked brilliant", he said. "The whole scene was very romantic. But MGM took it out. Too bestial. We were going 'it's innocent, like seeing your mum and dad in bed together'." MGM disagreed.

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Goofs

At the prison, Tank Girl says that she doesn't want to miss "Baywatch". And later she says to Jet Girl that both of them can go to New York and see the musical "Cats". In the year 2033, both Baywatch and Cats will be very much outdated.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tank Girl: Listen up, cause I'm only telling you this once. I'm not bedtime story lady, so pay attention. It's 2033. The world is *screwed* now. You see, a while ago this humongous comet came crashing into the earth. Bam, total devastation. End of the world as we know it. No celebrities, no cable TV, no water. It hasn't rained in 11 years. Now 20 people gotta squeeze inside the same bathtub - so it ain't all bad.

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Crazy Credits

Boom Operator - Freddy Potatohead

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Connections

Referenced in Sadie's Last Days on Earth (2016)

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Soundtracks

2c
Written by Dale Henderson and Gina Henderson
Performed by Beowülf
Courtesy of Restless Records
By arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

It's bad- but it has some charm to it!

It's the year 2033 and Kesslee, the leader of Water & Power holds the World in his clutches as he controls all H20 after the meteor hit creating vast desert wastelands, though tank girl and Jet girl team up with some scientific kangaroo creations called Rippers who want to bring down Water and Power.

What you get is a very colourful over-the-top and in-your-face film on a British cult comic strip. I have never read any of these comic books, so I don't know how true the film is- but from what I mostly heard and read, it's not- but who cares it looked like it would be a fun viewing.

After watching this mess I don't know why? As I just couldn't bear to fully bag it out and that's why I gave it 5. I know it was trash- but still I found it visually good and kinda amusing… in a stupid way.

The script is awfully bad, the performances were mostly ludicrous and direction was quite tragic, as the scenes just seem to limp along without any panache. Though the film makes up for it with its upbeat soundtrack that was coordinated by Courtney Love and featuring the likes of Bjork, Hole, Iggy Pop, Bush and Veruca Salt, while it's vibrantly rich and bizarre comic backdrop is quite eye-catching, even though the sets do look kind of cheap. The added comic cartoon interludes throughout the film I found to be more satisfying at times than the actual live scenes, making you think it would have probably been better if they stuck to a cartoon version.

The performances I had mix feelings about. Lori Petty as Tank Girl was fair and brings a chirpy attitude- but the humour at times was a bit stale, especially some of her cringe-worthy one-liners and from what I grasp about the character she was playing she totally looked the part but was no where near what she acts like in the comic series. Namoi Watts as Jet Girl I thought was the standout, which isn't saying much- but she was far subtle and innocently sweet and that worked for me. Malcolm McDowell wasn't too bad, as he really hams it up as the villain Kesslee and Ice-T as a Ripper is unrecognisable and fairly irritating- but anyway what's new?

The direction was really muddled, mainly flashier- but no substance in the scenes to make it stand out from the average Sci-fi film and the pace of the film was a bit patchy in spots, such as the flat musical scene and when Tank and Jet girl were hanging out with the rippers at their base. The Ripper designs were reasonably good by Stan Winston, with each with their own personality and distinguishing features- but that didn't make them likable.

While the plot, if there was one was just basically a been there done that feel and lack any sort of detail and urgency. I thought the story started out alright and was quite lively but it kind of lost steam halfway through and especially when the annoying Rippers took centre stage. There are some interesting elements thrown into the mix, like the device that sucks water out of people.

For me it's one of those films that it's so bad, it's good entertainment. So it breaks even for me.