Bloody Mama

R

Released Mar 24, 1970

1 hr. 30 min.

Crime

Drama

List

14%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

42%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Sexually abused as a young girl, Kate "Ma" Barker (Shelley Winters) grows into a violently powerful woman by the 1930s. She lovingly dominates her grown sons, and grooms them into a pack of tough crooks. The boys include the cruel Herman (Don Stroud), who still shares a bed with Ma; Fred (Robert Walden), an ex-con who fell in love with a fellow prisoner; and Lloyd (Robert De Niro), who gets high on whatever's handy. Together they form a deadly, bizarre family of Depression-era bandits.

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christopher c. m

I was expecting a reign of terror Except that there isn't much of a reign of terror. More of a sprinkle of terror, and the only depression is from the audience. The movie has one bank robbery. The movie is aimless. Frankly I've never been the one to like making the lead character a criminal, especially when they glamorize them instead of the murderers they are. But back to the lack of a plot. The bulk of the movie is some narrated historical facts and the characters sitting around in a living room. I swear it was like Tyler Perry zipped back in time to co-direct this part of the film. I almost was expecting "Medea" to show up to make a child abuse joke. Plus the police exist but except for one chase are absent from the movie. Plus I'm not even sure that was the police because it wasn't a police car chasing them, just a normal car. This is nothing but a boring unfocused mess.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

lars p

The best movie with Robert De Niro EVER! ; )

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Matthew D

Blackly humours retelling of the Ma Barker legend. A mix of tragedy, camp, bloody-violence, social-satire and Shelly Winters that is not to be missed. Critics seem to hate it, but if it had been made the exact same way only with the name Quentin Tarrantino replacing Roger Cormon, they'd be singing its praises now and forever.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/18/21

Full Review

dave s

An interesting cast, some fun stock footage for historical context, and decent set designs and costumes to capture the feel of the era save Bloody Mama from being the disaster it could have been. Roger Corman's low-budget gangster flick, inspired no doubt by Bonnie and Clyde, follows the criminal activities of the downtrodden Barker family. Ma Barker, played by a seemingly unhinged Shelley Winters, and her four sons (a young Robert DeNiro among them) terrorize those unfortunate enough to cross their path. It's overacted and meanders around without much direction or purpose and is generally pretty distasteful, but isn't as horrible as has been purported.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Tom M

Excessively violent and sexually depraved.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/18/20

Full Review

ryan s

4.5/5. A dark fascinating film about a disturbing family. The performances are excellent and I was genuinely excited to see what happened next.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Roger Corman

Director

Shelley Winters

'Ma' Kate Barker

Pat Hingle

Sam Adams Pendlebury

Don Stroud

Herman Barker

Diane Varsi

Mona Gibson

Bruce Dern

Kevin Dirkman

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

Submits itself as "fun," only to detail horrific, lurid acts of dehumanization, sold with customary Corman frugality.

Rated: C

Sep 21, 2020

Full Review

Andy Klein

Los Angeles CityBeat

Rated: 3/5

Apr 7, 2005

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: C

Nov 24, 2004

Full Review

Jonathan R. Perry

Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

Rated: 1/5

Aug 17, 2003

Full Review

Bob Bloom

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Schlocky AIP venture, with Winters hamming it up.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 30, 2002

Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

Rated: 2/5

Aug 15, 2002

Full Review

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Synopsis

Sexually abused as a young girl, Kate "Ma" Barker (Shelley Winters) grows into a violently powerful woman by the 1930s. She lovingly dominates her grown sons, and grooms them into a pack of tough crooks. The boys include the cruel Herman (Don Stroud), who still shares a bed with Ma; Fred (Robert Walden), an ex-con who fell in love with a fellow prisoner; and Lloyd (Robert De Niro), who gets high on whatever's handy. Together they form a deadly, bizarre family of Depression-era bandits.

Director: Roger Corman
Production Co: American International Pictures (AIP)
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 24, 1970, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2017