Film review: 'Bang'
This feature debut from writer-director Ash (now there's a name) is an extremely low-budget effort with a high concept: A young Asian-American woman dons a police uniform in Los Angeles for a day and experiences the complicated life of a cop.
It's an arresting idea (pardon the pun) that is only partially realized in this often choppy drama marred by crude filmmaking techniques and cliched characters. Still, "Bang" does have a certain relentless momentum and power, and its provocative premise signifies Ash as a filmmaker with potential.
Shot guerrilla-style on the streets of L.A., "Bang" takes place during the course of one day, beginning with its unnamed heroine (Darling Narita) losing her apartment and showing up at a producer's house for an acting audition. The audition turns out to be a sham for a sexual come-on, and when she flees, a crazed, homeless man she had earlier befriended (Peter Greene) trashes the man's mailbox. This attracts the attention of a cop. Threatening to arrest the girl, he offers to let her go in exchange for a quick sexual favor. Instead, he winds up handcuffed to a tree, and she takes off wearing his uniform, carrying his gun and riding his motorcycle.
She then takes to the streets, where confrontations with citizens, criminals and real cops give her a taste of how people respond to the uniform. The encounters are sometimes comic (finding a couple making love in the Hollywood Hills, she questions them to make sure they're fully committed to each other, then lets them go), sometimes dangerous (a rooftop confrontation with a gun-wielding drug dealer) and sometimes both, such as the lengthy scene in which she hitches a ride with two befuddled Latinos who become victims of a drive-by shooting.
The film never quite lives up to its premise, and the central character is such a cipher -- Narita has been directed to give a mostly deadpan performance -- that her experiences never engage us as fully as they should. Some plot devices, such as the addled homeless man (played with real intensity by Greene), add little to the story, and the dialogue is sometimes laughable. But eventually we get caught up in the dreamlike circumstances of the situation, and rather than detracting from the story's power, the film's haphazard style actually adds to its sense of verisimilitude. For all its flaws, "Bang" is not a film that's easily forgotten.
BANG
Panorama Entertainment
Director-screenwriter:Ash
Producers:Daniel M. Berger, Ladd Vance
Executive producers:Jude Narita, Sean B. Kelly, Tomy E. Drisi, Ziggi Golding
Cinematography:Dave Gasperik
Editors:Ash, Daniel M. Berger
Color
Cast:
The Girl:Darling Narita
Adam:Peter Greene
Officer Rattler:Michael Newland
Pimp:Eric Schrody
Officer Trotter:Michael Arturo
Officer Ham:James Sharpe
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
It's an arresting idea (pardon the pun) that is only partially realized in this often choppy drama marred by crude filmmaking techniques and cliched characters. Still, "Bang" does have a certain relentless momentum and power, and its provocative premise signifies Ash as a filmmaker with potential.
Shot guerrilla-style on the streets of L.A., "Bang" takes place during the course of one day, beginning with its unnamed heroine (Darling Narita) losing her apartment and showing up at a producer's house for an acting audition. The audition turns out to be a sham for a sexual come-on, and when she flees, a crazed, homeless man she had earlier befriended (Peter Greene) trashes the man's mailbox. This attracts the attention of a cop. Threatening to arrest the girl, he offers to let her go in exchange for a quick sexual favor. Instead, he winds up handcuffed to a tree, and she takes off wearing his uniform, carrying his gun and riding his motorcycle.
She then takes to the streets, where confrontations with citizens, criminals and real cops give her a taste of how people respond to the uniform. The encounters are sometimes comic (finding a couple making love in the Hollywood Hills, she questions them to make sure they're fully committed to each other, then lets them go), sometimes dangerous (a rooftop confrontation with a gun-wielding drug dealer) and sometimes both, such as the lengthy scene in which she hitches a ride with two befuddled Latinos who become victims of a drive-by shooting.
The film never quite lives up to its premise, and the central character is such a cipher -- Narita has been directed to give a mostly deadpan performance -- that her experiences never engage us as fully as they should. Some plot devices, such as the addled homeless man (played with real intensity by Greene), add little to the story, and the dialogue is sometimes laughable. But eventually we get caught up in the dreamlike circumstances of the situation, and rather than detracting from the story's power, the film's haphazard style actually adds to its sense of verisimilitude. For all its flaws, "Bang" is not a film that's easily forgotten.
BANG
Panorama Entertainment
Director-screenwriter:Ash
Producers:Daniel M. Berger, Ladd Vance
Executive producers:Jude Narita, Sean B. Kelly, Tomy E. Drisi, Ziggi Golding
Cinematography:Dave Gasperik
Editors:Ash, Daniel M. Berger
Color
Cast:
The Girl:Darling Narita
Adam:Peter Greene
Officer Rattler:Michael Newland
Pimp:Eric Schrody
Officer Trotter:Michael Arturo
Officer Ham:James Sharpe
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/3/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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