Grindhouse Weekly vol. 2 – ‘The Switchblade Sisters’

The Switchblade Sisters, also known as The Jezebels, was one of the last films directed by the legendary master of exploitation Jack Hill.  Hill directed some of the most influential films of the time including Foxy Brown, Coffy, and The Big Bird Cage, all of which we will probably discuss at some point down the road.  For now, let’s talk about Switchblade Sisters, a film that Quentin Tarantino said was one of his biggest inspirations.

The movie revolves around the lives of the Dagger Debs, the rough and tumble female half of the Silver Daggers. The Silver Daggers are the toughest gang in school, and make their living by selling drugs and sex to the student body.

When Maggie (Joanne Nail), a new student, comes to town and stands up to the Debs, she quickly becomes part of the group and earns the respect of Lace (Robbie Lee), the group’s leader. This infuriates Lace’s second in command, Patch (Monica Gayle), who immediately begins a plot to snuff her out.

As if that weren’t enough drama, another gang of students was transferred in from another school and a turf war was about to take place. The Debs must calm the waters within their own ranks, all the while staying alive amidst a brutal power grab for control of the district.

If this plot sounds completely ridiculous, it’s because it is.  Jack Hill knew from the beginning this was going to be something completely over the top and he wanted to take full advantage of this.  The idea of actors in their late twenties playing high school kids that had full reign over not only the school, but nearly the entire city was laughable, but fun. This movie doesn’t take itself too seriously which is really it’s only saving grace plot-wise.

From the start, it’s apparent that even though this is clearly a b-movie, it’s more of a b+ movie.  The acting is not half-bad, the camerawork is decent, and the production value isn’t nonexistent. I thought about the similarities to The Warriors or even Rumble Fish as I watched this movie. It certainly didn’t have the style or overall quality of those films, but since it came out before both, I can’t help but wonder if there was some influence there.

In regards to the influence of this film, the most obvious is the character of Patch being a direct influence on the character of Elle Driver in the Kill Bill series. Both characters are spiteful, one-eyed second-in-commands that face off against a female protagonist that threatens their place in the group. Tarantino even went as far as buying the film and distributing it on his Rolling Thunder label.

The Switchblade Sisters may not be the most violent, sexual, or over the top film to come out in the 70s, but this is about as mainstream as you can get while still remaining in exploitation territory.  The unique and engaging characters mixed with plenty of action make this an easy recommendation for any fan of great 70s schlock.