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Barb Wire

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Barb Wire

R

1996

1h 38m

Action

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

28%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

15%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson Lee) moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire (Victoria Rowell) wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons. Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood (Temuera Morrison), who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action.

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Critics Consensus

Barb Wire could've been fun camp, but Pamela Anderson can't deliver her lines with any dramatic or comedic impact.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

The irony of this style, with its high-swank grunge clutter, is that it's too dissociated to have coherence even as pop; we're always aware that we're watching sets being photographed.

Rated: C

Jul 7, 2010

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Hal Hinson

Washington Post

The movie carries its cyberpunk variation right through to the end, and usually with enough wit and craziness to freshen the mix. Then, there is Pamela, whose tight, disciplined performance deserves more respect than it will almost certainly get.

Apr 27, 2007

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Its main source is a comic book, but it might as well be a computer.

Apr 27, 2007

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Every time it tries to approach the subject matter with sincerity, it just grows more unintentionally goofy.

Rated: 2/10

Sep 9, 2020

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

A lemon of a comic book movie with an uninteresting heroine, bad acting, and a bland humorless premise...

Mar 20, 2013

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a consistently inept and astonishingly dull actioner...

Rated: 0/4

Feb 7, 2011

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Matt J

A chance to see Pam's perfect assets on the big screen, which is really what this film was all about. The action and acting isn't that bad either, but let's face it, that's not why anyone is watching this. Worth a watch if you're a fan of Pamela Anderson, or smoking hot ladies in "B" class action films from the 90's...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

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Mark C

Actually pretty well done. Some good action here. Took me right back to the 90s.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/02/25

Full Review

DanTheMan 2

There's a significant cult appeal with Barb Wire, one that I immediately understood from the opening credits, a film with outrageous, over-the-top comic book stylings through and through, not pretending to be anything more than that. With plenty of energy, an utterly deranged sense of pleasure and great cyberpunk aesthetics, the film ultimately becomes unintentionally goofy due to trying to approach its subject matter with a lot of misplaced sincerity. Oh, and there's boobs, lots of boobs. Pamela is pretty much there for the eye candy, I ain't complaining even if her acting and non-existent line delivery are nothing to write home about. The delightful supporting cast, however, more than makes up for Pam's shortcomings, featuring the likes of Temuera Morrison in chad mode, B-movie legend Clint Howard plus Udo Kier AND Steve Railsback?! what the fuck?! Yeah, I liked this, sue me. Granted, Barb Wire is not a great movie, but the filmmakers didn't use that as an excuse to be boring or lazy, it's great fun if you can buy into the horny glam metal vibe. Low brow doesn't mean low effort.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Demented N

Do all faults fall at pamela andersons feet ehh no she went on to make VIP which which ran for 88 episodes and was very popular, granted it was cancled but only because of production costs getting to g High... I blame the directors of Barbwire, than again she really is just a play bunny with a great fugure the 70s had Farah the 80s Elvira the 90s Pam. She will get her moment one day she will !

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/02/23

Full Review

Alan W

She had me the minute she killed a harasser with a stiletto heel. I don't know why the reviews on this are so negative.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/18/23

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Lucas G

Pretty terrible all around but I'm not mad at it

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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David Hogan

Director

Pamela Anderson

Barb Wire

Temuera Morrison

Axel

Victoria Rowell

Cora D

Jack Noseworthy

Charlie

Xander Berkeley

Alexander Willis

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Trashing the Bar

2:41

Barb Wire: Official Clip - I Got You, Babe

2:30

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Escape from Steel Harbor

2:59

Barb Wire: Official Clip - How Romantic

2:07

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Don't Call Me Babe

2:59

Barb Wire: Official Clip - The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

2:13

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Big Fatso

1:58

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Package Check

1:46

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Not a Bad Night's Work

2:42

Barb Wire: Official Clip - Extortion

1:50

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Synopsis

A sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson Lee) moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire (Victoria Rowell) wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons. Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood (Temuera Morrison), who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action.

Director: David Hogan
Producer: Todd Moyer, Mike Richardson, Brad Wyman
Screenwriter: Chuck Pfarrer, Ilene Chaiken
Production Co: Propaganda Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Dark Horse Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.6M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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