Hooded Angels AKA Glory Glory(August 2004).

The 'Western Page' article featured some Western girl gang films. 'Hooded Angels' has some common ground with these films but in this film we are in much darker terrortory than the other films discussed so far. Taking up the mantle left by 'Bad Girls' we have another story of a gang of female outlaws taking revenge on society following wrongs inflicted upon them (this time a raid at the end of the American Civil War sets the scene). The main protagonists this time around are played by Chantelle Stander (Hannah), Amanda Donohoe (The Widow) and Juliana Venter (Ellie). In comparison to 'Bad Girls' the characters are much more tightly defined. The two main female protagonists, in a strong character driven film, are Hannah as the embittered woman seeking revenge for the murder of her son and Donohue the lesbian sociopath whose treatment during the massacre have left her with deep psychopathic tendancies.

There is a gritty realism as the girls rob and murder their way through the old west but it is this attempted realism which is also the film's main weakness. There is a basic problem with westerns featuring girl gangs and it is that historically they didn't exist and the Western is by definition a historical genre. So the scriptwriter has the dilema of trying to convince the viewer that events did or could have happened as depicted or of removing the film from the traditional stereotypes viewers associate with the western. Both 'Bad Girls' and 'Hooded Angels' attempt the former but there are too many inaccuracies or leaps of imagination demanded to fully convince. However 'Hooded Angels' is a very  brave attempt to breathe life into a genre which deserves more attention.

The films alternative title is 'Glory, Glory' which is a much more ironic title. The film's message is that there isn't much glory in what any of the characters do. From the initial massacre, to the posse massacre, to the bank robbery which goes wrong and through to the final scenes nobody covers themselves in much glory or manage to exorcise the demons which are driving them. The most sympathetic character is Wes (Paul Johannson) but even for him the realisation of his quest to find his father's killer is not a fulfilling one.

In terms of acting this is a more accomplished effort than the other films discussed. Maybe the women are a bit too contempory and glossy but I'm not complaining. None of them look totally miscast and they look convincing in the action scenes. The supporting cast is well up to scratch with Paul Johannson and the actors playing his group of trackers getting roles which avoid the normal Western hero stereotype. Film Rating 7/10 and Gunslinger Rating 8/10.