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Remember the old days, when Pamela Anderson Lee was still just a Playboy Playmate turned Baywatch babe? You know--back before the bootleg release of her infamous home video with then-husband and ne'er-do-well rocker Tommy Lee, at which time the whole world got to compare Pam's barely adequate acting chops with her formidable skill at fellatio? Yes, those were the days (1996, to be exact), when a movie like Barb Wire represented dubious progress for the busty blonde, who was determined to make as big a splash on the big-screen as she did in the world's most popular syndicated TV series. Set in the year 2017 when the Second Civil War is in full force, this sci-fi action thriller stars Pam in the title role--a leather-clad biker babe ("don't call me babe," she warns) who runs a nightclub in the last free city in America. The rest of country is controlled by the "Congressional Directorate," a dictatorial superpower which suspects Barb of trafficking in black-market contraband. That gets her into plenty of trouble (and a lot of cleavage-revealing costumes), and ... well, if any of this sounds even vaguely familiar, it's because this comic book-inspired movie is really just a shamelessly breast-enhanced variation on Casablanca, with Pam Anderson in the Bogart role. Taken for what it is, it's a brazen folly with action to spare, and as guilty pleasures go it's surprisingly enjoyable. What--you were expecting Oscar material? --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Not Quite Truly Awful
Barb Wire has nowhere near the class or entertainment value ofsome other "post apocalyptic" genre films like "TheRoad Warrior". I found it to be mediocre at best. In fact the ONLY redeeming value of this film are the substantial physical assets (and substantial they are) contributed by Ms. Anderson Lee particularly in the opening 5 minutes. After that I might as well have gone to sleep. The film concept had potential and the "Casablanca" adaptation was a good idea. There were some moments when the story had a chance for some interesting twists but it never quite worked. Ultimately, the whole thing came crashing down because of dreadful acting, lame dialogue and a completely transparent story line. Outside of Pam's gratuitous flashing this movie was just plain dull. Anyone interested in seeing Pam's body should just refer to Playboy. If you want a good action, "good vs. evil" popcorn movie, there are many, MANY more better than "Barb Wire".

So bad it's good!
I don't even like Pamela Anderson, and (as a woman) I'm not real interested in the cleavage. I was sort of forced to watch this at a friend's house. But I have to admit "That's Entertainment!" Bad dialog, ridiculous fight scenes, and every unbelievable reason for Pam to dress in tight, black leather. Anyone who took this as a serious movie needs a CAT-scan. The ultimate in camp! Thoroughly enjoyable if you're one of those people who slows down for accidents on the freeway, or eats cheese out of a spray-can.

Fortunately, it is not this easy...
Wow. Now this is not good. However, the movie sets its level right away, by having a stripping, dancing wet Barb (Anderson) already in the introduction of the movie. So, there you have what this movie is all about. Sure you get some violence, explosions and bad costumes as a bonus. Clearly, there is no relevant story in the movie, all revolves around (Barb) to show her off in different ways. The mentioned costumes are almost offending to the audience. Whoever responsible for them clearly did not work very hard. Barb competes with herself to wear some leather-thing that shows off as much as possible, but actually must be considered well dressed as compared to other ladies. The villains wear something that bear a striking resemblance to nazi-uniforms. Well sure, we know who's the bad guys, thank you. And some other people wear broken calculators and other piece of machinery that you'll find in a scrap-heap as hats, and are automatically dressed up like guys from the future. If it was this easy to make a good movie, I could have made it myself. Fortunately it is not, and Barb Wire is not a good movie.

But, and this is a mysterious but, I actually didn't get bored out of my mind and switched off. The movie actually, in some way, had some small piece of entertainment value throughout that made me stay. And that something, whatever it was, is what ultimately saves the movie from being complete junk.

So, if you have absolutely nothing else to do, you may want to watch this one, once. You may get some ideas how to (or not to) dress for the next masquerade.

You know who the real stars are...
...with the opening scene; Pam's twins! It was a decent plot (but who is watching this movie for a plot?) with decent action and decent acting. The twins however were at their best!!!

Acceptable Science Fiction Actioner
The 1996 Pamela Anderson vehicle "Barb Wire," her supposedly logical transition to superstardom on the silver screen, bombed at the box office. The vivacious blonde bounced back, of course, but the verbal jabs directed at this vanity picture must have hurt on some level. What I don't understand after I recently viewed this film is why so many people bashed it. Perhaps it concerned one of those overexposed celebrity issues, that people wanted to see her fail after seeing her so often in the tabloids and on television. I know I cannot stand the sycophantic blather about celebrities, so seeing one of the anointed crash and burn every now and then provides some comfort. But in the case of "Barb Wire," I think a reassessment is at hand. This movie is far from objectionable when viewed within the context of its genre: "Barb Wire" essentially falls into the post-apocalyptic genre, a cinematic category in which most entries are extremely low budget potboilers that appeal to a male fan base. The emphasis in these types of movies is on special effects, quirky ideas, and beautiful women. "Barb Wire" meets all of these criteria quite nicely. It looks like director David Hogan had a hefty budget to play around with, and he certainly put the money in the right places as well: "Barb Wire" sports lots of big explosions and copious gunplay.

Pamela Anderson plays Barbara Kopetski, known as Barb Wire to her clientele at the Hammerhead Inn in Steel Harbor, who is a former soldier working as a bar owner when she isn't out bounty hunting. The year is 2017 and America is in the throes of a second civil war, with Steel Harbor the only "free city" left in the United States. The warring factions in this conflict, although never elaborated on as much as I would have liked, seems to be a fascist, right wing dictatorship called the Congressional Directorate and a more populist faction called the United Front. Barb once fought against the Congressionals until an event in the battle for Seattle soured her on the idea of morals and choosing sides. She now spends her days playing hardball at her bar, bantering with her headwaiter, and caring for her blind brother. Just keeping up with payments to the corrupt chief of police and his thugs keeps Barb endlessly busy, along with her frequent encounters with the sleazy bail bondsman Schmitz. Life in war torn America is tough.

Unbeknownst to Barb, problems back in the ruins of Washington, D.C. threaten to upset her lucrative business. The Congressional Directorate initiated a virus program called Red Ribbon with the help of a female scientist named Corrina Devonshire. This weapon, derived from the HIV virus, can wipe out the United Front areas in less than twelve hours. Unfortunately for the fascists, their doctor defected to the resistance, changed her appearance through plastic surgery, and is now headed to Steel Harbor with some type of special contact lenses that can hide resistance fighters from identification scans. Barb wants nothing to do with this rogue scientist, her resistance friends, or anyone else who wants something for nothing from her. Predictably, Barb soon finds herself in the middle of a conflict between Congressional thugs headed by the notorious thug Colonel Pryzer and the local resistance fighters who still maintain an ideological hold on her brother. The whole thing boils down to massive amounts of gunfire, big booming explosions, and lots of shots of Pam strutting around in skintight outfits. For a post-apocalyptic movie, "Barb Wire" works overall despite failing on a few critical levels.

"Barb Wire" hinges on whether you accept the idea of Pamela Anderson as a ruthless bounty hunter capable of beating even the toughest guys into submission. This is a tough call. Sometimes Anderson pulls it off, but more often than not she doesn't and this hurts the film the most. Put a Sigourney Weaver in this role and it would have been a winner, but a rail thin woman with a big blonde coif and a waist you could wrap one hand around? Nope. Fortunately, we do see Udo Kier in a minor role, along with Steve Railsback as the unbalanced Pryzer and the ever-reliable Clint Howard as the smarmy Schmitz. Ultimately, the acting isn't nearly as bad as many entries in this film genre.

Another problem with "Barb Wire" concerns the plot. The people behind this film tried to do too much with it. There are so many subplots going on at once that it becomes slightly irritating trying to follow the various threads. Plot holes abound, for example Devonshire's claim that she developed Red Ribbon and wiped out Topeka, Kansas with it. If the virus worked and the Congressionals tested it, why not simply use the virus to destroy Steel Harbor and the rest of the United States? Why waste time tracking down this scientist if you could simply use the virus and solve the problem? Moreover, Barb constantly claims she wants nothing to do with anyone unless it is on her own terms. It is because Barb doesn't give anyone what they want that leads to the trouble in the first place. A smarter person would do a small favor just to keep problems away.

Despite a few difficulties, "Barb Wire" does exactly what this type of film should do: blow stuff up, show some pretty women, and sport a high body count. Fans of the genre who can look past its myriad flaws will find plenty to like with this movie. The DVD includes a trailer, cast bios, and expanded footage of the risqué introductory scenes (you will know which scenes when you see it). ... Read more

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Comic actor Keenen Ivory Wayans made a creditable effort to expand hiscareerhorizons by writing the script for this action thriller, in which he alsostars. Wayans plays U.S. Marine Sgt. James Dunn, a military hero who refusesan order to shoot a young shepherd during the Gulf War. His insubordinationleads to a lethal struggle with a superior officer and a subsequent murderconviction against Dunn.

Plucked from his death sentence by a covert unit of Marines, however, Dunnsoon finds himself in a shadowy world of undercover wars under the command ofone Lt. Col. Grant Casey (Jon Voight). Offered freedom in exchange for aidinga mission against a corrupt industrialist (Robert Culp), Dunn agrees and thendiscovers he's actually been set up to take the fall for an assassination.Suddenly, he's the most wanted man in the world, with police, the military,the Secret Service, and legions of reward seekers chasing him around LosAngeles. Jill Hennessy stars as an eyewitness who happened to catch thekilling on videotape and can clear Dunn if she would only cooperate withhim--a problem, since he has kidnapped her.

Directed by David Glenn Hogan, Most Wanted works just fine as awell-oiled action piece with a capable star and competent action sequences.The story ideas (especially Dunn's Rambo-esque flight through the city andhis reliance on esoteric survival skills) feel overly familiar, but that onlymakes Most Wanted all the more enjoyable as a potboiler instead of aserious original. --Tom Keogh ... Read more