User reviews

Drive-in exploitation movie that is teeming with unlikable characters. I would say that Alex Rocco is the most sympathetic person I could find, and he is a hit-man just trying to do his job. Rocco also provides far and away the best acting in "Bonnie's Kids". The story of manipulating sisters, Tiffany Bolling, and Robin Matson, often bogs down with meaningless small talk and titillating sexual teasing. 105 minutes running time seems excessive, but the story is way above average, and several catchy tunes are memorable. There are also some moments of dark humor thrown into the mix. Not exactly the "classic" others may think it is, but still quite entertaining. - MERK

I've been watching quite a lot of arty-farty foreign flicks of late... so what better way to chill out and take out a break from all the pretentious posturing, than to take on the sort of movie that would have had the drive ins packed 40 years ago. You have a couple of gorgeous babes, senseless violence throughout, casual racism, rampant homophobia, a ramshackle story which goes in every direction and gratuitous nudity as a given. What more could you ask for?

Well, perhaps an ending which will p*ss a lot of people off... GUARANTEED. And maybe they could play the one tune they have on the soundtrack slightly less than every other scene. Other than that, you'll get what you expect. A passable time waster, but don't expect it to be too distracting when y'all smooching with ya babe in the front seat. Don't forget to brush your teeth!! Or at least chew minty gum...... 5/10

Family bonds were meant to last a lifetime. But in the movie "Bonnie's Kids", it's a whole new story. Two sisters Ellie(Tiffany Bolling) and Myra(Robin Mattson) are stuck in a town where nothing exciting goes. They lost their mother, Bonnie. They have a stepfather who's a total jerk. He crossed the line with Myra when she was on the phone, and tried to rape her. Kellie comes home in time, and blitzes him with a shotgun. They would later travel to Texas, find their uncle who works for a fashion company, and takes the two under his wing. Unbeknownst to them, he's involved in shady business. If you think that's bad, the uncle's wife Diana(Lenore Stevens) goes through enough abuse from him, she takes a liking towards Myra, while Ellie is away on business. Ellie meets the private detective, and falls for him. Then the sister bonding begins to break slowly between them. When Diana began to comfort Myra, she takes it to a whole new level. And in that case, Myra wasn't cool with it. She berates and exploits her hard and fast. It was funny when she said, "You're Disgusting!" after Diana shot herself. Ellie wanted to have a better life, but her greed just got the better of her. A very classic movie, with a lot of humor to go along with. A little exploitive to say the least. 2 out of 5 stars

In the world of B cinema, they don't come much better than BONNIE'S KIDS...the few unavoidable shortcomings of its low budget are equalized by a seamy pulp narrative which is briskly paced and sexy as hell. Ambitiously played by a cast of highly capable lower-tier performers, all of whom should have been better utilized in Hollywood, this unassuming little offering stands as one of the crown jewels of 70s drive-in fodder.

Noir-ish story involves two young sisters who ice their lecherous stepfather and beeline to the Los Angeles home of their wealthy mob-boss uncle. Indurated by their difficult upbringing, but fiercely determined to get ahead, the girls are quick to realize the prepotency of their supple young bodies. One of them seduces their closet-lesbian aunt, while the other ropes-in a hard-luck private dick who's been hired by some shady suits to intercede the transit of a "special package". What ensues is a gritty, violent crime story with more flurried excitation, concupiscent titillation, and shifty maneuvers than a Crisco coated Naked Twister marathon.

On a scale of 1-10, BONNIE'S KIDS gets a solid 8.5...right up there with its theatrical release co-feature THE CANDY SNATCHERS. Both films are B classics which approach dispiriting subject matter with an edgy, sardonic tongue-in-cheek. Recommended.

Couldn't get any worse...leo gordon as the abusive step father, scott brady as the leering uncle .. 2 naive fem fatales trying to rip off the mob of millions of dollars ... and then there is alex rocco and timothy brown as the killer enforcers of the uncle ...makes a sane man dizzy

This movie is really good at accentuating how pretty its women are, and how sleazy its men are, and at that mostly outright predatory. To emphasize how good it is at these things, it gives us fairly regular shots of women topless, with additional shots of women in scant clothing, and even fifteen-year old star Robin Mattson is not excluded. To much the same point, even men's own family members are not safe from their predation, and any cops we see in passing are just as rotten. My, my, if all such sleaze were piled any higher then this would be a film about conservative politicians! Somewhere amidst all the dubiousness - further including some deviousness from the female characters, and pointedly, cheekily counterbalanced with very bouncy music - there is a plot about sisters Ellie and Myra looking out for each other, and eventually some shenanigans about dirty money. I say "eventually" because in a runtime of a little over 100 minutes, we're basically halfway through before that plot more or less begins to take shape, and longer still before that plot begins to truly progress. Up to that point, and still more past it, 'Bonnie's kids' is more of a loose assemblage of characters toying with each other in one way or another.

Look, now Ellie and Larry are dancing and giving each other eyes! Well, isn't that just so sweet. Will this turn out to be more important than it's made out to be in the moment? You bet! Conversely, Myra just disappears from our screens for a surprisingly long time.

The premise sounded interesting. I won't argue with filmmaker Arthur Marks, the women are indeed beautiful. The music is catchy and enjoyable, whatever the precise mood it's embracing. The cast give committed, commendable performances, with Mattson and even more so Tiffany Bolling surely standing out most as Myra and Ellie. This is well made in most every regard, including the editing and cinematography, the costume design, the hair and makeup, and so on. I like the narrative in and of itself, and the scene writing is fairly strong. I do like the ideas on hand, including the characterizations, and in fact the material is primed for a rather dark, absorbing, stimulating neo-noir thriller. I think the whole would be far more solid if Marks weren't so lackadaisical about developing that narrative, and if he didn't shove most of the substance into the relatively small corner of the last two-fifths. Very much accentuating the point: just as the overall sleaze is most predominant in the first forty-five to sixty minutes, and the unhurried storytelling, as the plot truly kicks off in the latter half, Marks left himself so much to do and show in such comparatively little time that the pacing seems rushed, failing to give scenes, beats, and ideas all due time to resonate. Oops.

On another note, we can perhaps accept the misogyny, otherwise touches of sexism, and a racial slur as being part and parcel of the saga, and the figures it presents to us. A homophobic exchange of dialogue, however, is plainly unnecessary and earns a demerit.

Anyway, yes, the pacing shifts from "la, la-laa, la-laa" to "go, go, go," and similarly, the tone shifts from "do, dee-do, dee-do" to "oh man, it's going down, now." I'll grant that this tends to be the narrative structure in most any work of fiction, but the shifts here are glaringly unnatural, not to mention forced and brusque owing to Marks' direction. Carson Whitsett's music similarly becomes more intense and grabbing, and it's superb in and of itself - but again the disparity is noteworthy in an unfortunate manner. The first long stretch that traipses along needed to be tightened; the back end needed more room to breathe as the seediness explodes into jarring violence with a swift gait. With all this firmly in mind, I still believe the picture is enjoyable and worthwhile, and it's better than not. Really, at its core this is flush with potential that should have let it stand tall beside its genre brethren. It's just regrettable, therefore, that the faults stand out so vividly, almost threatening to outshine the value 'Bonnie's kids' boasts. By all means, check this out if you have the chance to watch, for it earns a fair recommendation, and may you like it more than I did. Why, I myself want to like it more than I do. Would that the two unequal halves had been treated more carefully.

I do love a good sleazy seventies crime flick, and Bonnie's Kids is certainly a very good sleazy seventies crime flick! The main reason this film works so well is because everything about it is absolutely spot on - writer-director Arthur Marks creates a real gritty and sleazy atmosphere that fits his plot brilliantly, while lead actresses Tiffany Bolling and Robin Mattson both manage to pull off performances that are sexy and tantalising as well as being deceptive and as far away from 'innocent' as you can get! The film makes best use of its elements and what we end up with is pure drive in gold! The plot focuses on two girls, Ellie and Myra, the daughters of deceased town tramp "Bonnie". After their no good stepfather tries to rape the younger daughter, the older one blows him away with a shotgun and the two daughters decide to go and stay with their only relative, Uncle Ben, in his lavish mansion in El Paso. The two get involved with their new lives, and soon enough the older daughter is asked to run an errand for her uncle, but when a chance to steal a load of money presents itself; she takes it...

The plot of this film is great in that we get a basic premise and from there it's never clear where it's going to go. Arthur Marks' script has plenty going on in it; the main story always revolves around the girls, but there's enough going elsewhere and with other characters to ensure that it's always interesting and the 105 minute runtime is certainly not packed with filler! The film is also good in that it's clearly a product of the time in which it's made - everything about the film clearly sets it in the seventies; the fashions, the music, the cars, houses etc are all exactly what you'd expect from a film like this. There's a real lot of themes that are common in seventies exploitation that made it in too, from sex and shooting to lesbianism and teenage angst. The fact that the film is not predictable is carried on all the way to the end, and the climax really does come as a big surprise and was not what I was expecting! Overall, this might not appeal to all tastes, but for my money, Bonnie's Kids is an out and out drive in classic and should not be missed by anyone who considers themselves a fan of films like this one!

This is a thoroughly entertaining 1970's sleazy crime film - where desperate people do desperate things for sex and money. The clothes, the music, the lingo, the hair styles - a great time capsule of the early 70's. The curious thing is the movie has some real interesting quirks to it - one being a "salt and pepper" hit team - white guy, black guy who spend a lot of time walking hallways, sitting in a car, sitting in diners and talking about this and that - very much like Travolta and Jackson in "Pulp Fiction". Now, is THIS film the first to have such a hit team - probably not. But in the theatre midnight movie showing I saw it at - many people were shouting out the "Pulp Fiction" similarities. Hmmmm. Just like many people bring up the jewel robbery in the powerful Asian crime film "City On Fire" as the "inspiration" for the jewel robbery in "Reservoir Dogs". Hmmmm. Anyway, the movie of "Bonnie's Kids" is a blast - good and gritty and Alex Rocco (Moe Green in the Godfather and the Emmy-winning sleazy agent in the short-lived comedy Famous Teddy Z) is the white guy assassin.

It may be a bit hard to fathom why this is called "Bonnie's Kids" when the mother character "Bonnie" is dead before the movie even starts and does not appear at all, even in flashbacks. But this is no doubt a reference to the movie "Bonnie and Clyde" which this film at times certainly resembles. Two sisters are living with their drunken, brutish stepfather after the death of their prostitute mother. The older sister (Tiffany Bolling) catches the stepfather trying to molest the younger sister(Robin Mattson) and shoots him dead. The two go on the lam and end up at the home of an uncle, who owns a fashion magazine, but (rather incongruously) is also a vicious gangster on the side. The older sister goes to pick up a "package" for the uncle from a dimwitted private detective. They fall for each other and when they discover the "package" is a large amount of cash, they flee with it with two of the uncle's dangerous associate (Alex Rocco, Timothy Brown ) in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, the younger sister is seducing practically everyone in her uncle's household from his studly gardener to his lonely lesbian wife. The ending makes the finale of "Bonnie and Clyde" seem positively cheery by comparison.

This movie has a real early 70's atmosphere of bleak pessimism to it, much like "The Candy Snatchers", another cult film of that era starring Bolling. It isn't just the downbeat ending though, but the fact that ALL the characters are totally amoral and unsympathetic, even the supposed heroines. The two sisters are more than willing to use their sexy bodies to get what they want and they seem completely untroubled by morals or basic human feelings. After convincing him to steal the money, the older sister is perfectly willing to betray her private detective beau and run off with a lecherous traveling salesman to save her own skin. The younger sister, meanwhile, is even more callous: she drives one of her lovers to suicide and then just laughs when she discovers the body. In the end, she doesn't even seem to care about the fate of her older sister.

These sexy but totally unsympathetic heroine roles were pretty much the specialty of Tiffany Bolling. So, not surprisingly, she's pretty good here. This is one of Mattson's first movies, but she would go on to a brief exploitation career (i.e. "Candy Stripe Nurses"), and a much longer career in American television. In way she almost manages to "out-Bolling" Bolling here. She was still pretty young when she did this role, but nevertheless men (and lesbians) everywhere will no doubt be thankful that they don't have a malicious temptress like THIS for a stepdaughter. Director Arthur Marks, who also produced "The Candy Snatcher" would go on to do a couple influential "blaxploitation" movies ("Detroit 9000", "J.D.s Revenge"). I can't say this movie will fit everyone's taste, but one things for sure--they don't make 'em like this anymore.

Some B-Movies are so bad they're good, some are so cheesy they're good, while others push the boundaries of reality to give an over-the-top experience that is enjoyable. This fits in the category of just being a well told story that delivers in every aspect. From the acting to the pace to the set piece all brilliance and would be the pride and joy of any director.

Tiffany Bolling puts in an absolute stellar performance as one of the best characters of all time in Ellie-sexy, seductive, cruel, tough as nails and devious. Along with her sister Myra (Robin Mattson) who are the focus of the local peeping tom community in their small town. After suffering years of abuse from their step-father, Charley played by Leo Gordon in such a small role he instantly becomes one of the most iconic villains of all time. They finally have had enough of the abuse and take the law into their own hands. On the run they find solitude in their uncle's mansion, Ben (Scott Brady) who runs a top shelf magazine and isn't as clean cut as first perceived. With the set-up of a package collection and drop off, the film spirals into a pulpy-crime classic and we are left guessing at every corner. Involving two ruthless smooth gangsters Digger (Timothy Brown) and Eddy (Alex Rocco), a charming private detective Larry (Steve Sandor), an unhappy wife Diana (Lenore Stevens), an annoying salesman Frank (Max Showalter), a handsome buck Harry (Nicholas Cortland) and other characters who all put in a top notch performance. It all culminates to a finale you do not see coming.

With classic cars, exploitation, pure 70's style, great thrilling and suspenseful action this film packs a punch. The acting is spot-on (If there is a weak spot and I'm being harsh, it could be Robin Mattson or Lenore Stevens at times), the music is pure quality and fits every scene to a T, the whole film is perfectly paced and flows smoothly. If you are into grindhouse, B-Movies, gritty-crime, exploitation, Tarantino or the Coen Brothers you should give this entertaining film a watch. It is as cool as ice, as fluid as funk and just one all out joyride.

This could easily be a 10, but I'll have to re-watch this a few times to make sure.

For the fans of Cheese, I think this is one of those rare films that got everything spot on. If there is cheese, I missed it.

Note: Not for the bad movie lovers.

"Bonnie's Kids" is – plain and simply put – one of the absolute greatest and most entertaining exploitation movies to have emerged from the entire 70s decade; period! This movie is a totally bonkers and exhilarating thrill ride from start to finish and, with a little bit of crazy imagination, you could even state that this is bizarrely unhinged fairy-tale! Two beautiful young "princesses" named Ellie & Myra, sisters and daughters of the infamous Bonnie who's dead even before the movie begins and only referred to verbally, live with their violent and abusive stepfather. When he attempts to assault Myra, Ellie blasts him away with her shotgun and hides the body in the cellar. The two girls subsequently go on the road and head for El Paso, where they plan to live with their dubious Uncle Ben; owner of a nudie magazine and a notorious crime boss on the side. While young Myra develops a special bond with Ben's frustrated and oppressed lesbian wife Diana, Ellie gets asked by her uncle to do an errand. She has to go and pick up a package from the private detective that her uncle's henchmen have recruited, but she and Larry fall in love and discover that the package contains a gigantic amount of money in cash! They intend to keep the money, but find themselves relentlessly pursued by Ben's henchmen. Admittedly, this brief description makes the film sound rather ordinary but I guarantee that this isn't the case! The 105 minutes of running time are literally chock-full of versatile events that are alternately comical (the sleazy salesman) and brutish (the nihilistic killing of the young motel couple), as well as plenty of road-movie styled action and sleazy coming-of-age themes. But the most remarkable thing about "Bonnie's Kids" is undoubtedly the colorful cast of characters! Every single character is unique, and yet they all have something in common: every character – from the two protagonist girls to the most insignificant supportive role - is a totally amoral and self-centered individual. Myra doesn't care about anybody but herself and shamelessly uses her luscious young body to discover life, while Ellie quickly profiles herself as a stone cold and carnivorous killer bee. Then you have Ben's two goons Eddy and Digger, respectively played by exploitation veteran Alex Rocco and the Afro-wearing Timothy Brown. Like another reviewer already cleverly pointed out, it might very well be that Quentin Tarantino modeled his legendary characters Vincent and Jules (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson) from "Pulp Fiction" after these two! Their looks and personal behaviors are similar, but they also spend their days chatting in their car, sipping drinks in cheap diners and ruthlessly executing people when necessary! Considering Tarantino's well-known taste in movies, I'm 200% convinced that "Bonnie's Kids" is a beloved favorite of his. Writer/director Arthur Marks was particularly specialized in Blaxploitation cinema and directed a handful of them ("J.D's Revenge", "Bucktown", "Friday Foster"…) but "Bonnie's Kids" is undeniably his best work: a fantastically deranged, unscrupulous, energetic and insanely imaginative exploitation masterpiece!

*edit: I just read in the trivia section that Tarantino is indeed a tremendous fan of this film and even paid tribute to it in "Pulp Fiction" by naming one of the segments "The Bonnie Situation". I didn't even think of that!

Pretty teen temptress Myra (Robin Mattson) is talking dirty to her boyfriend on the phone when her drunken stepfather walks in and decides to show her what a real man is like. As Myra is being attacked, her big sister Ellie (Tiffany Bolling) appears brandishing a shotgun and gives him both barrels. So begins this gritty slice of sleazy '70s exploitation, which delivers sex, violence and morally dubious characters aplenty as the girls (whose mother was named Bonnie, hence the title) flee their home to start life anew with their uncle Ben, unaware that he is a ruthless crime boss.

As drive-in/grindhouse cinema goes, Bonnie's Kids is tough to beat, ticking off many of the ingredients that avid fans of the genre live for: two gorgeous leads in Bolling and jailbait Mattson, both of whom deliver gratuitous nudity; a large bag of dirty cash to tempt the weak; a pusillanimous private eye led astray by a beautiful woman; a pair of hired goons who provide the film with acts of bloody violence; a smattering of lesbianism; and a wonderfully downbeat ending. It's pretty obvious that Quentin Tarantino is a fan, the film clearly serving as inspiration for Pulp Fiction (Does the name Bonnie sound familiar? Do Ben's interracial hitmen, hired to retrieve a valuable package, remind you of anyone? And what about that Butch/Marcellus-style chance encounter in a store that results in shocking violence?). If, like me and QT, your idea of entertainment is watching reprehensible lowlifes living on the edge, this should fit the bill nicely.

I remember seeing this movie on a triple bill with "Policewomen" and "Superchick". "Bonnie's Kids" was typical drive-in fare; lots of killings, lesbianism, rebellious teens, self-absorbed/hedonistic pleasures; about the only topic it didn't touch was getting high. One thing that always bothered me about this movie: What was the cash for? Drugs? Blackmail? Extortion? Protection? Funny Money? That in itself should've merited a sequel! The other notable thing was that NOBODY in this "epic" (I use the term loosely) went on to bigger success. The intro indicates that this was Robin Mattson's first film, whoever she is!

On a scale of 1-10...hmmm...maybe a 7.25.