Blood Games

One female director but five male writers. Whether or not "lingering close up of short shorts" was in the script or not, the film delivers just about five guys worth of male gaze. The revenge is fun enough once it gets to it and you certainly aren't rooting for any of the yokels to survive. It could've been worse and it's highly unlikely it could've been better.

Hyper vigilantly self-aware exploitation that’s constantly toying with the male gaze then turning around and poking your eye out with it. The opening softball scene - with men eventually having to resort to violence when they can’t win otherwise, plus all the voyeurism - hits differently when confronted by the theme of the women later hunted for sport. Rank up with Terminal Island for female-directed sleaze with more to say.

Goofy as hell... but very funny if you like lampooning movies.

There's an admirable attempt at reviving 70's revenge films through a 90's lens here, & I definitely appreciate that. Sadly, it doesn't quite hit a home run (pun 100% intended, sorry) & never really makes the most of its premise. There are a couple twists & turns I didn't see coming, but for the most part it's a paint-by-numbers plot with thin characters & a heroine who spends way too much time avoiding conflict rather than facing it. Entertaining enough for what it is, but not too memorable.

Despite the t&a parade, the 'feminist' stuff is more coherent and effective than in similar films of the era so labelled. There's a great moment when the women debate about whether to keep on through unfamiliar territory or take the fight to the men, with a monologue ("I have been pushed around my whole life by lousy men. And I'm sick of it...") that would credit many classier films and distinguishes this one in the trashpile, with some nice slo-mo, photography, and humour. Love that condom gag!

I legitimately like this and no one can tell me this isn't a good movie.

This kind of exploitation fare is usually my jam, but this was a big letdown. It starts off promisingly and builds a contrast of the softball team vs. the rednecks, but the plot is basically done with a few bullet points and none of the characters have any depth to them and just blend together. The last half is just random running around in a forest which gets really tiresome. The film was released in 1990 but has a strong early 80’s feel to it - which is one of it’s rare assets.