Audience Member
"I heard you did a pilot ... what was it?"
"It was a show about a team of secret agents called 'Fox Force Five.' Fox as in we're a bunch of foxy chicks, force as in we're a force to be reckoned with, and five as in there's one, two, three, four, five of us," Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) explains to Vincent Vega (John Travolta) as they chat over milkshakes and extra bloody hamburgers at Jack Rabbit Slim's in 1994's "Pulp Fiction." Mia, the wife of gangster boss Marcellus Wallace, used to be a small-time TV actress, her claim to fame being the filming of the pilot episode of "Fox Force Five," a "Charlie's Angels" knock-off that never quite made it.
Legend has it that the Deadly Viper Assassination Death Squad of "Kill Bill" was ingeniously a continuation of the premise of Fox Force Five - few, however, know that the origin of the story did not come from "Charlie's Angels" but rather "The Doll Squad," a 1973 Z-movie that, in itself, most likely inspired the decade defining former (producer Aaron Spelling attended the premiere).
You can probably assume what the film is about: a team of deadly but seductive government agents whose wits match their looks, their courageousness equalled by their willingness to fight for their country. Lead by the flame-haired Sabrina Kincaid (Francine York), the estrogen infused bunch is given the task to take down Eamon O'Reilly (Michael Ansara), a terrorist threatening to release the bubonic plague throughout the Earth. The man is, coincidentally, a former lover of Sabrina's - but the latter, more in touch with her intellect than her heart, has no trouble pushing aside romantic interests for the safety of the world.
When I call "The Doll Squad" a Z-movie, I'm not putting it lightly: the genre is defined by Wikipedia as "low-budget films with qualities lower than B-movies," and the film certainly fits the bill. If you thought "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" looked cheap, think again. "The Doll Squad" is so pressed for money that it replaces explosions with fireworks and atrocious editing tricks that cause the screen to fill with the color red. It filmed its climactic action scene in a single night and didn't bother to use much lighting in the pitch-dark, and most hilariously, could only afford a single gun prop, which director Mikels alternated between the actresses.
But "The Doll Squad" is the kind of bad movie that endears more than it disgusts, partly because its premise works surprisingly well in the context of a no-budget release and because its cast of actresses, tantalizing and fun to watch, are good enough of actors to pull a Pam Grier, slathering enough charisma onto the scene for us to scarf down in replacement of actual quality. Mikels doesn't provide much of a backstory regarding why these particular women were chosen by Sabrina and her bosses to be a part of the Doll Squad (nonexistent is "Charlie's Angels"'s nifty opening credits that explained why Farrah Fawcett could actually be a law enforcer), but what we do know is that they're toothsome and look fantastic in their matching, skintight tracksuits worn during the exciting raid of the lead villain's headquarters.
It's poorly edited and works more as a cheap thrill than a methodical one, but "The Doll Squad" is already one of my favorite exploitation movies - not unnecessarily sleazy (as much as I don't mind gratuitous nudity, merit is something that can painlessly jump out the window), it is made all the more entertaining because of its spuriousness. And as long as I'm having a good time, there's no need to call it bad.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
ashley h
The Doll Squad is a decent film. It is about a squad of beautiful government agents that tries to catch saboteurs. Michael Ansara and Francine York give good performances. The screenplay is enjoyable but a little slow in places. Ted V. Mikels did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the action.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I was pretty unimpressed with the first Ted V. Mikels film I watched, even on a camp level, but "The Doll Squad" absolutely delivered the so-bad-it's-good camp that I was looking for! A squad of "beautiful" government agents tries to catch terrorists looking to stop a space mission. The acting, script, and direction are all terrible. I do give big props to the corny 70s funk score that ran throughout the film and added a lot of fun to the silliness. This film is really a zero to one star film, but I did get three stars worth of entertainment out of it. And I didn't even realize Tura Satana of "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" fame was one of the squad members until the end credits. I think seeing her in pantsuits fooled me. I had to go back and rematch some of her scenes after I saw her name in the credits, but she wasn't nearly as interesting as she was in Russ Meyer's film. Still, I'd highly recommended this film for lovers of bad cinema.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
There's gold in the corners of the effort, but it takes considerable patience to find the highlights of this strangely chaste, frustratingly repetitive picture.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
When terrorists blow up a space program rocket and threaten to unleash the plague on society, CIA computers recommend an all-girl strike force to remedy the situation. Dull film for such a dynamite concept. Could have used Andy Sidaris directing.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Terrorist compromises the Starflight program and launches diabolical plot to overtake the world with rats infested with the bubonic plague. Terrorist policy is to spare family members the plague but no friends allowed. I expected some finer office decor for a Senator. Third rate production but worthwhile.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
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