SUCKER PUNCH

US, 2011, 110 minutes, Colour.
Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, Gerard Plunkett.
Directed by Zack Snyder.

Move over Boys’ Own Story. Here is Girl’s Own Story.

Though, on reflection, how true is this? Certainly, the girls are the centre of the action. There is no romance in the air or on the screen. These girls are warriors. But, not all of them survive the film. Those who do and those who don’t are the victims of male brutality and malice and the girls’ final victory is not all that great. The story comes from a man, director, Zack Snyder, who wittingly or unwittingly (we can give him the benefit of the doubt, but...) places his leads in exploitative situations; they have to pander to exploitative men and then the screenplay turns on the girls. The only friendly man is played by Scott Glenn as a cross between guru, commander and your local bus driver.

Whether the audience will think about the film this way will be interesting to find out.

For those who see it and might feel they are not quite on the wavelength, especially with some of the early plot jumps (which make you wonder whether you missed something or weren’t quite paying attention), just stay with it because it does all work out. You can tell there is something strange because the heroine, Baby Doll (Emily Browning, a mixture of the angry and the coy without as much zip as she might, especially compared with some of the other girls) is orphaned, the victim of a cruel stepfather, taken to an institution for the mentally insane (sic) and suddenly finds herself in a sleazy (very) club being trained to do exotic dances for gross wealthy customers.

Baby Doll meets Sweetpea (Abbie Cornish who is much more vital than Emily Browning) and her sister, Rocket (Jena Malone). There is Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens from the High School Musical films). They are being trained by a weirdly exotic kind of KGB dance instructress (Carla Gugino) and a slimy club owner (Oscar Isaac, who has played both St Joseph and Jose Ramos Horta in his time). Quite a lot of parody of other films here.

When Baby Doll is asked to dance and the music turned on, she escapes into several alternate worlds, World War, a Kingdom of Dragons...) where she accomplishes tasks which she hopes will enable her to escape from this imprisoning club where it turns into a Junior Kill Bill.

And, then, it all makes sense, more or less, but not exactly the feminist triumph that we thought it was going to be.

Zack Snyder obviously loves exotic sets, decor, costumes, special effects, as we have seen in his Dawn of the Dead, 300, Legends of the Guardians – the Owls of Ga’hool, and Watchmen. They are quite elaborate and fantastic here which, along with an often pounding score, make Sucker Punch a film of the senses (not always of the sense).

1. The graphic comic book film, the new tradition of graphic comics, differences, the world of the imagination, interior worlds and imaginations, the asylum, new worlds of the brothel, of Dragons and warriors, the world of fantasies?

2. The director, his films, action and fantasy?

3. The title, the reference to each of the characters?

4. Locations, interiors, the asylum, rooms and corridors, the doctor’s office, the imagination of the club, the brothel, the restaurants and performance, the clients? Sinister? The fantasy worlds and the imagination? The musical score?

5. The credits, the collage, the introduction to characters and themes?

6. Babydoll, her name, appearance, age, clothes, home life, her oppressive stepfather? The cruelty, taking her into an institution, handing her over to the authorities, the interviews, the desire for a lobotomy and control of her?

7. The interiors of the asylum, Babydoll, the girls, Sweet Pea, Amber, Rocket, Blondie – the characters, age, appearances, within Babydoll’s imagination?

8. Dr Gonski, as a doctor, the touch of the Nazi? As a madam in the brothel, her personality, cruelty, control? The attack against her?

9. Dancing in the brothel, exotic? The girls, their being subdued – the clashes with the clients? The feminist stance – as well as exploitation?

10. Blue, his role in the brothel, management, cruelty, action against him, his being stabbed?

11. The women, their deaths? Sweet Pea – as an alternate ego for Babydoll?

12. Babydoll and her moving into the world of fantasy, Dragons in the imagination, the girls as warriors, the battle sequences?

13. In the brothel, the clients, the sales – and the wealthy client, turning out to be the doctor?

14. The emotions of the audience in a fantasy world – to what purpose?