Bang (film)

Bang
Bang DVD cover
Directed byAsh
Written byAsh
Produced byDaniel M. Berger
StarringDarling Narita
Peter Greene
CinematographyDavid Gasperik
Edited byAsh
Music byOrlando Aguillen
Distributed byPanorama Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09) (TIFF)
  • July 11, 1997 (1997-07-11) (United Kingdom)
  • November 1997 (1997-11) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Bang is a 1995 American crime drama film directed by Ash Baron-Cohen (aka Ash) who is the cousin of well-known TV and film performer, Sacha Baron Cohen.[1]

Plot

A young woman in L.A. is having a bad day: she's evicted, an audition ends with a producer furious she won't trade sex for the part, and a policeman nabs her for something she didn't do, demanding fellatio to release her. She snaps, grabs his gun, takes his uniform, and leaves him cuffed to a tree where he's soon having a defenseless chat with a homeless man. She takes off on the cop's motorcycle and, for an afternoon, experiences a cop's life. She talks a young man out of suicide and then is plunged into violence after a friendly encounter with two "vatos." She is torn between self-protection and others' expectations. Is there any resolution for her torrent of feelings?

Cast

  • Darling Narita as The Girl
  • Peter Greene as Adam
  • Michael Newland as Officer Trotter
  • James Sharpe as Officer Ham
  • Luis Guizar as Jesus
  • Art Cruz as Juan
  • Notorious D. as O.G. On Rooftop (credited as Donald 'Notorious' D)
  • James Noble as Rooftop Dealer
  • Eric Kirkpatrick as Tucker
  • Wandi Herman as Piwi On Rooftop
  • David Conner as Ivan
  • Stephanie Martini as Joey
  • Lucy Liu as Hooker (credited as Lucy Lui)
  • Paul Saucido as Drive-By Cholo
  • Roberta Rodman as Audition Model
  • Juanita Salinas as Latina Woman
  • Glori Gold as Do-Me Girl

The film features an early film appearance by Lucy Liu.

Reception

On A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin wrote that "it's not a very good film, but Bangs integrity and level of ambition make it a strangely watchable little sleeper."[2]

Roger Ebert rated it 3 and a half stars out of 4, writing that 'Knowing little about Bang before a saw it, except for its reputation as a low-budget film shot guerrilla-style on the streets, I confess I expected flashy sub-Tarantino Gen X narcissism. What I didn’t expect was a film so well made, so penetrating, so observant."[3]

References

  1. ^ Holden, Stephen (November 28, 1997). "Bang (1994): FILM REVIEW; In Uniform She's King For a Day". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Bang". A.V. Club. April 4, 2002. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  3. ^ "Bang". Roger Ebert. July 11, 1997. Retrieved December 15, 2025.