Quentin Tarantino Loves This Free-to-Stream Exploitation Classic

Quentin Tarantino
DEATH PROOF, (Quentin Tarantino segment from GRINDHOUSE), Quentin Tarantino, 2007. ©Weinstein Company LLC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Quentin Tarantino has long been an outspoken supporter of the Jack Hill exploitation film Switchblade Sisters. In fact, the auteur director is such a fan of this under-seen effort that he released it on DVD via his now-defunct Rolling Thunder Pictures.

I share Tarantino’s admiration for Switchblade Sisters and count the feature as surprisingly deep for exploitation fare. The picture functions as a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s Othello and boasts a cast of characters who are quirky, comical, and surprisingly relatable. Not to mention, there are some killer action sequences and a couple of brilliant fight scenes.

I previously critiqued the picture’s Arrow Video Blu-ray release for Dread Central and said the following: Switchblade Sisters is a film that is much better than it should be. On the surface, it’s just one in a long line of exploitation-era films about a gang of street-smart ladies. But it has far more heart and far more substance than a lot of the output of its era. And much of the credit for that goes to director Jack Hill (Foxy Brown). Hill is well known for his contributions to the exploitation genre. But what makes his work stand out from the pack is the likability of the characters in his films.   

The picture follows a badass all-girl gang called the Jezebels. When the leader of the group of street toughs (Robbie Lee) begins to resent the newest member of the gang (Joanne Nail), sparks (and blades) fly and a violent power struggle ensues.

If you are game to seek the flick out, you can head over to Tubi where the picture is free to stream as of the publication of this post.

That’s all we’ve got for you for the time being. Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations from the cinematic masters as we unearth them.

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