Pitched to me as “Death Wish” with a female lead, I eagerly clicked on this 87 min flick in hopes of seeing a bad-ass chick go Bronson-style on wicked urban scum through a stylized take on the 1970’s cult classic film. What I actually watched was…well…I’m still trying to figure it out.

Foul mouthed Candy (Josi Katt) who opens the movie with more f-bombs than the South Park film, finds herself in peril when she agrees to go with a ‘john’ but is instead pulled into a van to be severely brutalized. (Pulled is a rather exaggerated term.) Candy practically hops into the vehicle willingly so as to avoid any harmful stunts in the making of this low budget movie. And as predicted, along comes the female vigilante…a somewhat mousy little thing with a gun who shoots the attackers and flees into the night. Not really the amazing presence I was hoping for, but I’ll press on…  

For the next hour and 20 minutes, I figured out there is a malicious gang of thugs (including a brash Bridget ‘the Midget’ Powers), headed by the infamous Dante (Ken Brewer), a forgettable hoodlum who allows his crew to run amok without reason. This pathetic crew brandishes guns, beats up at random and bops around town to menace any and every one they encounter. There is absolutely no value to their presence except for the vigilante Alexis who has targeted them for murdering her family years prior.  

However, in order to overcomplicate the plot, we also have a serial killer on the loose! The South Bay Slasher appears without notice, wielding what looks like a straight razor as he sophomorically slashes at those who seem slide to the ground when attacked. Not much force or even struggle is involved throughout most of the film’s assaults which is a tough sell if Brewer intended for his audience to connect with these characters.  

The dialogue is limited (unless you want to track the number of curse words used); the acting is stiff and unnatural; the atmosphere is oddly non-existent, and the final combat is just bizarre.

My saving grace for Death Bitch is reporter Kimberly Wells (August Kyss) and the final credits. I was relieved to have made it through this debacle - and without a pee break (which is more than I can say for 2 female gunslingers during the closing shoot out!) Such weirdness!