I saw Pass the Ammo because as some people might know already I am a huge Tim Curry fan. The thing was I had been meaning to see the film for about one-and-a-half years since I first heard of it, but this is an example of a film that is very difficult to find. Thank goodness for good old YouTube. So I finally got to see the movie I had been waiting to see for so long recently, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not the best movie ever made, or a masterpiece of cinema but it is a lot of fun. Over-the-top yes it is, but it is still fun.
Before watching a film, I sometimes look up some reviews, and some of them have been mixed. Some of them have been very complimentary, praising Tim Curry and Annie Potts and the film's sense of fun, then there were those that criticised it for being over-the-top and flabby. I can understand why people would consider this over-the-top, as it is, but it is meant to be, not to mention very eccentric- the dialogue of Darla especially is evidence of that. But I disagree it is flabby. True, Pass the Ammo doesn't have the best pacing in the world, in fact some of it is somewhat uneven causing a few scenes towards the beginning to drag a tad.
However, even with the minor flaws I do consider Pass the Ammo one of the most underrated films out there. And while I adore comedy, it has been a while since I enjoyed myself this much. Recently the closest I've come to laughing hysterically in a movie was in Clue, Oscar and a few of the Muppet movies. Pass the Ammo is so wonderfully over-the-top and eccentric in the plot, writing and performances that I found myself letting go and having a good old time.
I liked the idea of the plot(a televangelist, his wife, crew and audience being held hostage in the studio), it mayn't be the most original of all plots, but it kept me interested and was well constructed, and I loved the sweet little twist at the end. One definite strong point was the writing, I loved the eccentric vibe to it. In particular, Darla's dialogue like when she accuses Ray of adultery is absolutely hysterical, and so were "bubba, hand your mama that grenade launcher" and "they're gonna (enter obscenity) the preacher on live TV".
Even the direction was good, nothing outstanding, but it worked. The costumes, sets and scenery are winning, as are the wonderfully nutty musical numbers with the angelic choir. Then there is the cast who give it their all. Bill Paxton and Linda Koslowski are appealing in their roles as characters that are rather unorthodox and such but you end up sort of liking them. Tim Curry has been better in my opinion particularly in Rocky Horror, Clue, Legend, Peter Pan and the Pirates and It, but he is excellent as Ray. However, Annie Potts steals the show, she is absolutely wonderful and just hilarious. And I loved the chemistry between her and Curry, you could really tell they were friends just by how they acted on screen. Less than ten years later they worked on the equally underrated Over The Top series, and they were just as brilliant then together. Anyway, back to the film, the rest of the cast ranged from competent to good, some of them were very good such as Leland Crooke.
Overall, delightful and I think underrated too. 9/10 Bethany Cox
