Mankillers (1987)

Rating: **
Review Date: 9/23/16
Cast: Lynda Aldon, William Zipp, Christine Lunde

A hilariously awful low budget action flick featuring a "dirty dozen" of death row female inmates who are hand-picked for a suicide mission to assassinate a dangerous crime boss. Rough and tough Rachael McKenna (Lynda Aldon) leads the mission and has a personal score to settle with villain John Mickland (William Zipp). Naturally, the girls' barely-there uniforms consist of short-shorts and shredded tank tops.

It's an embarrassing production all around, but everything is taken very seriously and it never falls victim to the sex and nudity that are so prevalent in the genre. The girls are fun to watch, even though the acting is cringe-worthy and the action scenes elicit more pity than thrills. Lynda Aldon manages to back up her tough-as-nails character pretty well, but it's bad girl Christine Lunde who steals the show with her defiant personality (and amazing hair). William Zipp gives the best performance in the film and makes a convincingly violent villain. The prison scene is a delicious slice of nostalgic absurdity, as the inmates are all wearing acid washed denim, Reebok high tops, high heeled boots, off-the-shoulder t-shirts, and an unbelievable amount of Aqua-net. They look like they just came out of a Bon Jovi concert, not a prison ward. And the big hair remains a constant throughout the entire film. The music is appropriately terrible, and reminds you of something you'd hear in a Lenny Magill gun video. A guilty pleasure for female action fans.