Girl Gang

Timothy Farrell runs an operation where he gets boys and girl hooked on marijuana and heroin, then sends them out to rob and commit prostitution.

When the most prominent name on a cast and crew list is Farrell, you know you're in for a dire time. No one can read a line with any conviction, the mise en scene is obvious and dull, and even the sound effects, provided by Dale Knight are poor; the sounds he offers bear no relation to what is seen on screen, save the occasional jangling of harp strings to indicate a high.

Like most exploitation films, this one promises a lot of titillation, but the cheap and sordid production doesn't offer much beyond some necking, a view of Joanne Arnold's garter belt, and a poorly shot, fully clothed catfight between her and Mary Lou O'Connor. If that's all you require for a major turn-on, then you've got an imagination that sets a very low bar.

This film when watched on a Ultra HD screen takes on a a whole new viewing experience, if one can put aside their predilections for what the film "should" be, they will uncover an existentialist nightmarish allegory of the complacency and conformity of the nuclear age. Previously I viewed this film as a standard "exploitation" film. I viewed it a second time , late one night after 13 energy drinks, 7 cups of coffee and sleep deprivation of 49 hours; and came to a far different conclusion. When examining Ed Wood's subconscious one can see that he was comparing the heroin addicted life style that the Girl Gang was engaged in to that of the prescriptive feminine standard of living in the 50's where every female was racing through life trying to imitate one another and never taking time for introspective review. Wood's conclusion was that this conformity led to death, or a mental prison that was inescapable. While viewing this celluloid sociological warning to women imprisoned by the etiquette and mores of the nuclear age, those who would give up their careers and dreams for a marriage and the security of a husband with a pension, it is good to remember the wisdom bestowed by Ed Wood's own words," Live life because life is to be lived."

This movie begins with four young ladies robbing a man, stealing his car and leaving him unconscious on the side of the road. They then drive the stolen car to a man named "Joe" (Timothy Farrell) who gives them $50 each and has a young man take the car to a garage to have it repainted. We soon find out that Joe not only deals in stolen automobiles but he also has a small gang of young men and women who have become addicted to heroin and rely upon him to supply their needs. He hooked them on it and now he essentially owns them. Now, while this movie would pretty much be unremarkable today what's interesting about this picture is that it was filmed back in 1954--ten years before the advent of the "hippies" and the explosion of drugs in the 60's. That said, the subject of heroin (and possibly marijuana) was probably pretty novel for its time. Because of that this particular audience probably had no idea about the effects of either drug. As a result what they are shown about marijuana is greatly exaggerated. Conversely, the effect of the heroin "trip" is somewhat minimized--but not the addictive quality. Naturally, it's that result which is what Joe is aiming for as he skillfully uses marijuana as the "gateway drug" to entrap these young men and women into an addiction to heroin. And they willingly do whatever he says to get their next fix. Whether it requires theft, prostitution, blackmail or even murder doesn't matter to them. Neither does it matter to Joe as long as he makes money. Anyway, as far as the movie is concerned I thought it was definitely dated and had a B-movie quality to it. As a matter of fact, other than the presence of Joanne Arnold (as "June") I can't really think of anything that stood out. Accordingly, I rate this film as slightly below average.

Wow. I didn't expect much before I began watching, but still 'Girl gang' surprises with how terribly inauthentic it is, from the very start. Only a few individuals in the cast have any additional credits to their name, but at that, no one involved demonstrates convincing acting skills. To be fair, it's not necessarily their fault; the material is desperately thin, and Robert C. Dertano's capacity as director seemed to be little more than pointing a camera and feeding his cast lines.

In both how scenes are written and certainly in their realization, one senses not the slightest tick of bother for how the presentation looks from an outside perspective. Was there more than one take at any point? Dertano's editing leaves much to be desired; did he actually do any meaningful work in this regard, save for cutting from one shot to the next?

In another time, with a more capable creative team, this could have been a feature that meaningfully explored degradation and corruption. Alternatively, why, it could have been given a different angle, and become a subversive feminist delight. Instead, 'Girl gang' is effectively an extension of the 1936 propaganda film 'Reefer madness,' and nothing more. Marijuana is depicted as inherently addictive, and capable of producing a fatal overdose. Marijuana is of course an instant gateway to heroin, prostitution, theft, robbery, and more.

I suppose this could be exciting if one has never seen any other movie or TV show before. It could be shocking if one had such prudish, uptight, ill-informed moral sensibilities that even the merest suggestion of controverting societal norms was terribly offensive and alarming. For anyone else, however, this is emphatically not worth the 62 minutes it takes to watch it. There is no genuineness to be found in 'Girl gang,' and no value, either. Under no circumstances could I possibly recommend this to anyone.

My mother played the part of one of the girls, Wanda! So here we are me, my husband, my step-son, and my mother (Mary Lou O'Connor) watching Girl Gangs on Christmas day!!

I can remember my mom telling me that she did a movie before I was born, and now I am finally seeing it. I cannot believe what this movie contains for the time period. It is astonishing the things that they show the people doing, or is it just the fact that my mom is in it that I find it so unbelievable! I have only watched it because she is in it, other than that I wouldn't give it the time of day.

Girl Gangs is a really horrible movie.