Tank Girl is the story of a post-apocalyptic world, battered by a runaway comet and barren of rain. Over a decade has passed since water fell from the skies. Earth, or at least the part we see, is controlled by a typically evil corporation -- Water & Power. They maintain a stranglehold on the dwindling water supply and aren't shy about using violence to keep it.
Enter Tank Girl (Lori Petty), a sexually aware riot grrl and one of the most self-possessed, confident women to hit the screen. Tank Girl is hiding with her merry band of squatter punks, stealing water to survive and having as much fun as she can in the process. One day the bad guys kill everyone except Tank Girl and Sam, a little girl that lives with them. Tank Girl gets put in prison, but before long she breaks out, steals a tank (hence the name) and decides to get revenge. Along the way she picks up her trusty sidekick, Jet Girl, who steals a jet.
Just like it sounds, the storyline is a prototypical dystopian action flick. What sets it apart is Lori Petty's stand-out performance in the titular role and the mid-90s riot grrl aesthetic brought to the table by director Rachel Talalay. Those two things helped propel a film that premiered as a critical and commercial failure into the cult hit it is today.
One of the primary criticisms during the film's initial release was how disengaged it seemed from the source material. That observation is spot on, but while it didn't succeed as a faithful adaptation of the comic books, it did succeed in being a fun, punk rock comedy.
Cards on the table, I'm particularly partial to the film because I grew up in the environment that helped breed Tank Girl. Talalay, a regular producer of John Waters' films like Crybaby and Hairspray, got an issue of Tank Girl and fell in love so much that she decided to make "the ultimate grrrrl movie." She nearly succeed, but like many films that the studio system gets their hands on the final product wasn't exactly what anyone creatively involved envisioned. For some people, that completely ruined the film, but many have been able to look past the shortcomings and enjoy what was left.
The film is constructed in a disjointed, cut-and-paste feel that is reminiscent of fanzines passed around before the ubiquity of the home computing age, when a pile of periodicals, a pair of scissors, a bottle of glue and a photocopier were all that was required to self-publish. New locations are are introduced with alternative comic style art and a couple of short scenes are completely animated. What should work completely is held hostage by
material removed from the final film thanks to the production company. The resultant confusion detracts from the style and turns a good thing bad.
Fortunately, the two women in charge were able to create something that the studio was unable to ruin completely. From the moment she enters the picture, Tank Girl's upbeat confidence is infectious. Rarely has cinema seen such a leading lady -- a happy-go-lucky, completely commanding woman that knows what she wants (to be left to her own devices) and will destroy anything that gets in the way of achieving it.
The comic creators, Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, were unhappy with the final product in part because of the removal of many of the pop culture references that were removed. Tank Girl is a decidedly British comic property and many Americans wouldn't have understood the references, so Benny Hill was replaced with Baywatch. Pop culture is still imbued throughout, but it consists of things Americans would be more likely to get -- Tank Girl quotes Mohammed Ali while boxing, Ice-T drops a passing reference to his previous film, Count Chocula is mentioned. The new perspective doesn't distract from the film, it just lets it play to a different audience.
One of the greatest things about the film is the attention to detail Talalay and production designer Catherine Hardwicke brought to the screen. Before becoming a famous director, Hardwicke worked as the production designer on a string of great cult classics, including Tapeheads, Thrashin' and Brain Dead. The world she creates with the director fits perfectly in place with the characters that inhabit it. Tank Girl is a complete badass that can snap necks and fire guns with equal ease, but instead of being decked out in skin-tight leathers and monochromatic accessories, she surrounds herself with and dresses in what she likes. Practically everything she owns has splashes of bright color in it somewhere, whether it's her binoculars or her clothes. Her tank is outfitted with so many toys, trinkets and fluffy things it stops feeling like a tank and begins to feel like an old car that a mid-90s riot grrl decided to personalize.
Also of note is the soundtrack. Although one or two guys make an appearance (why "Blank Generation" was left off is beyond me -- probably another poor studio choice), the bulk of the soundtrack is made up of some of the greatest mid-90s girl rockers Courtney Love (who worked as music consultant) could find -- L7, Veruca Salt, Bush, Belly and more. Additionally, they normally misogynistic Ice-T lends a song to the end credits (it appears on the CD as well) that does nothing but laud Tank Girl's awesomeness.
Tank Girl is not a perfect movie, but it could have been. The studio leading the project botched the final product in a number of disappointing ways, probably due in large part to the pile of suits connected to the film that didn't understand the target audience. What's left, though, is still incredibly fun. The mutant kangaroos that join forces with Tank Girl are absurd but not completely over-the-top. The dialogue is great and the combination of Lori Petty's fantastic portrayal and Hardwicke/Talalay's artistic vision are still pronounced enough to make Tank Girl a ride worth taking -- especially if the 90s punk rock aesthetic is something you enjoy.
I'm going to go now. It was swell, but the swelling's gone down.
Final Grade: B-
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