Gang of Roses (2003) User Reviews

Whoa whoa whoa-hold up

[moneyhungry · 1/10 · 5 February 2007]

Alright, I got passed the horrible acting. I got passed the fact that Lil Kim was blasting some cannons and her arms or hands weren't moving, I got passed the weaves, I got passed the colored contacts.

This is what killed it for me: In the scene where the four roses were sitting at the table arguing. Lisa-Raye and Monica Calhoun stand up and, and then Lil Kim gets up to break up any hostilities by saying, "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Hold up. Let's CHILL OUT here for a HOT SECOND." I am a fan of the western movie genre, and I never heard anyone talk slang like this in any of Clint Eastwood's movies.

If anyone thinks this movie deserves over a 1 rating, please tell me another movie that's worse than Gang of Roses.

I'm through.

Every western cliché in the book...

[toonhead3018 · 1/10 · 8 June 2006]

Must have to agree with the other reviewer. This has got to be the WORST movie, let alone western I have ever seen. Terrible acting, dialogue that was unimaginative and pathetic (let alone completely inappropriate for supposedly being in the 1800s), and oh, did I mention a battery pack prominently displayed on the back of one of the characters? I was waiting for the boom mike to fall in the middle of a scene. And the ending? The least I can say is that it was consistent with the rest of the movie...completely awful. And yes, it did contain every cliché in the book from the slow walk down the empty dusty road to the laughable "let's remember when" shots when a main character dies. Luckily I saw this on free TV. Don't waste your time.

one of the worst movies of all time

[whitenipple · 1/10 · 30 June 2008]

the costumes, the dialog, historical accuracy are terrible. For instance, - Stacey Dash and the hanging scene. The noose was accurate ( as for as I could tell), but that type of noose broke the person's neck. Ms. Dash is left hanging at the end of the rope with no ill effects until the rope was shot. This type of not did not strangle the person, it killed them at the end of the drop.

And right before they go in to rob a bank (in a flashback), they pause on the street for a group hug - with their bandannas hiding their faces - that would have been obvious to people on the street.

The poor editing - that is a battery pack under that shirt and it is obvious, the clip of the "long ride" shows them riding along, then reverses the film.

I did like the fact that they kept the scene with the horse taking a crap - it seemed symbolic. The entire movie was crap.

Well, the Music Was Good and the Sheriff Was Fine but...

[mycatslyone · 8 August 2005]

The Rose Gang looked like they just learned how to ride.

Who buried 1/2 the map in the grave & who put the other 1/2 on the Sheriff's chest? (BTW, Louis Mandylor's sheriff was FINE but who gave him such a big hat?!)

Why did the sheriff wait until Bobby Brown's gang came into town before he tried to get to the well where the gold was? Why didn't he go get the gold sooner?

Why did the sheriff accept money from Bobby Brown's gang for women?

Where were all the REAL deputies to help out the sheriff?

The big woman with the long black hair who was lookin' for the girl who shot her sister - since it wasn't one of the Rose Gang, what sheriff was it that killed her? We're not told. Couldn't have been Sheriff Shoeshine (where'd he get that name?!) becuz that was a different town from Flatridge, no?

Why did Mario van Peeples shoot Kim down from the noose & then disappear for the rest of the movie? Was he paying homage to his film POSSE?

Why were the last 3 of the Rose Gang left at the well at the end of the picture? Did they ever get the gold because we didn't see it.

How could Maria in white never get dirty?

There's just so many unanswered questions to this movie! I saw the edited version. Maybe I need to watch it a few times to 'get it'?! But the riding is too long! I keep fast forwarding!

A horrible waste of the studio's money.

[joyce_hudson · 1/10 · 15 February 2004]

Who? What? Where? When? Why? The acting was terrible. Very robotic, rehearsed. I have seen all of the actors in this film in better roles. The screenplay was very elementary. By the end of this film, the story line was tied up. And Jeane Claude LaMarre should be tied up, too. So that he never attempts to write/direct another film.

hmmmm....

[lilmac0012 · 1/10 · 1 December 2009]

An absolute steaming pile of cow dung. It's mind-blowing to me that this film was even made. Hip-Hop and old westerns just don't seem to mix. What target audience were these people thinking of when planning this trainwreck.

Not only is the concept and plot a joke, but the acting is atrocious and the fact that some decent actors were even in this nightmare of a film makes their entire careers a laughing stock. The chick from clueless should never be forgiven and she is stripped of any remaining dignity she had. After reading the first ten pages of dialogue she should have been asking which one of her friends was playing this sick joke. After some research, I actually found a list of some other actors who passed on this film: Jada Pinkett-Smith, Denzel Washington, Brandy, Monique, Kim Kardasian, Jenna Jameson, Oprah, and finally Marge Simpson.

Simply put, I would rather stare at a blank TV than watch this movie again.

this sucks...

[tcandelario-1 · 1/10 · 8 June 2006]

I would have liked to give this movie a zero but that wasn't an option!! This movie sucks!!! The women cannot act. i should have known it was gonna suck when i saw Bobby Brown. Nobody in my house could believe i hadn't changed the channel after the first 15 minutes. the idea of black females as gunslingers in the western days is ridiculous. it's not just a race thing, it's also a gender. the combination of the two things is ridiculous.i am sorry because some of the people in the movie aren't bad actors/actresses but the movie itself was awful. it was not credible as a movie. it might be 'entertaining' to a certain group of people but i am not in that group. lol. and using a great line from a great, great movie..."that's all I have to say about that."

Great Idea, Horrible Execution

[Jazzie3789 · 4/10 · 31 July 2005]

This was an excellent idea and the scenery was beautiful but that's where it ends. It seemed like a lackluster Set It Off meets The West. The plot barely made any sense. There were so many characters and not enough time to develop their personalities. There were too may unnecessary things going on that didn't pertain to the plot nor did it help further the story along. There were also long blank moments where the plot could have been explored but was used for silence or unnecessary conversations. The script should have made more sense as well as the directing. I had a huge question mark on my head watching this movie. But the casting was great in my opinion. If you're only watching for eye candy then this is the movie for you.

Possibly the poorest directed movie I've seen

[jaydmac · 2/10 · 20 March 2004]

Hmm, Hip Hop music to a period western. Modern phrases like "cool" and too many others to keep track of. "The sistahs are in tha house"!?French manicured nails on hard riding girls. Microphone packs CLEARLY visible on Li'l Kim's back. I just can't go on with the litany of errors made by the director and editors.

The acting isn't as bad as I've ever seen. The women did well enough with a poor script.

It was weird hearing Louis Mandylor speaking in his native accent.

The girls are beautiful. The costumes fabulous albeit completely incorrect. I just can't believe they would dumb down what could have been a great story. I would feel offended to believe that this movie was loaded with such trappings that it would play well in the inner city.

Historical accuracy

[zygirl513 · 4/10 · 10 May 2007]

Some people have made a point of dissing this movie because they question the plausibility of black people in the Old West, Asian people in the Old West or women with guns in the Old West period. Get a grip and read a book. There were quite a few Asians (Chinese), there were quite a few blacks (freedmen) and everybody outside of the gentile class had ready access to guns; it is the second amendment you know. And as far as the use of modern language goes, none of those Westerns people have waxed nostalgic about actually used language that was consistent with the era depicted. Americans had different accents, used different inflections, spoke at a very different pace and used plenty of words and phrases that would be unrecognizable today. Don't blame historical inaccuracy for the fact that you just didn't dig it. Be honest. Maybe you're just uncomfortable with what you're seeing.

It sure ain't Bad Girls

[whiskeyrunner57 · 1/10 · 2 January 2006]

Pathetic is the word. Bad acting, pathetic script, cheezy dialog and hip hop music & fashion...what the hell was up with that? The directer of this movie acts as bad as the movie he made. If someone would have taken some time and effort to rework the whole thing, it may of had a chance. Bet the studios are still trying figure out how they could screw up up so badly.

The absolute best thing about this movie was Stacey Dash...the Asian chick wasn't too bad neither. These too gals carried the whole movie. If it weren't for them I would have destroyed my copy of this movie.

If any of those who have not seen this yet and had a notion to, don't waste your time...you'll only regret it later.

Why not women?

[valrobersonsoriano · 10/10 · 12 August 2020]

Black women in the gunslinger days would have had life a lot harder than white women. I feel it is more than possible that these women could have done this and more. Life was extremely hard then so if you weren't alive during that time than you should think before you talk. Women can be more ruthless than men. I have seen it.

Black Spaghetti

[MagicStarfire · 7/10 · 2 February 2007]

I think a great many viewers missed entirely the fact that this is obviously a parody of western films.

This is not a bad movie - it is a clever tongue in cheek take on westerns. I don't believe this film was taking itself seriously for a moment.

What makes this film even more unique is the fact it is centered around 4 strong, beautiful women, two of which are black, one Asian, and a Mexican/Hispanic character.

These aren't your usual western women--they're tough--they can draw fast and shoot straight.

They're so tough even the bartender is shaking when he pours their whiskey.

The plot which moves this story along is typical of westerns--in the vein of "you shot my brother--so I'm gonna get you!" Only in this western, a woman's sister has been shot and she's out for vengeance on the gang who did it.

So she goes and rounds up her old cronies from her bank robbing days.

One of them, Maria, is not really all that interested in avenging Rachel's sister, but she is motived by the fact there's gold and jewelry hidden in the town where they're headed.

There are a couple of scenes that don't quite make sense, not that they interfere that much, they can be ignored, but I wondered why they were there. So the film could use a little tightening, but over all, this is a well made film that has failed to find an audience that recognized what it is.

My only disappointment was that the only lesbian in the film is a villain--of the "heroines", one is obviously straight, the others sexual orientations are never disclosed.

7 Stars

Anachronisms running rampant

[mozli · 1/10 · 4 April 2004]

Mario Van Peebles pops up for less than a five second cameo. Glenn Plummer shows up a little longer but its a ladies show all the way. Stacey Dash and Lisa Raye have been in better projects. Bobby Brown leers and mugs through his little time on screen. This is how it was pitched...Five tough women shootin' and lovin' in the Wild Wild West. Four black and one Asian. Oh and Lil' Kim is a tough talking' heartbreaker and Marie Matiko can bring in the pacific rim market. We can shoot it for less than 15 million. Straight to video and we'll double but more likely triple our dollars.

Greenlight that puppy.

You got it boss.

there were black cowboys!!!!!!!

[shantbe · 28 October 2009]

first of all three out five cowboys in the old west were black, Mexican or native-American. Read a book. Preferably one on Bill Pickett, Mary Fields, or Clara Brown. Read up on influx of Chinese labor after the Civil War. This movie wasn't bad because there weren't any minorities in the Old West. it was bad because it wasn't focused. There was no plot and the characters weren't authentic. Neither were their outfits. If you took out the horses and the dusty western town, it would be just like any those other ghetto films where rappers get top billing just because they contribute to a soundtrack. Bobby Brown was the best actor in this whole,horrid mess. And that's really saying something.

dull and amaturely done

[larrysspecial-1 · 1/10 · 2 July 2009]

Oh, come on people give this film a break. The one thing I liked about it was......... Sorry, still thinking. Oh yeah!!!! When John Wayne came and shot up the the bad guys. Oh, sorry, wrong movie, I was thinking of a better quality film. Let me see now, I'm still trying to defend it. Oh yeah, the chick that was from Clueless was in it. Don't put down Stacy Dash. I mean, we all make mistakes. But boy, Stacy, you made a dooooosie.

Hey, one thing that has never been done in a western, even an all female cast, they actually hung a woman from the gallows. That might be a western first. Even though her neck should have been broken and she survived the ordeal, still, you've got to give the director some effort for trying a western first. Also, I've never seen a woman lynched from a horse in any western, although that didn't happen in this movie, I just thought I would give the director another idea for Gang Of Roses#2, which should be made right after Ed Wood's Bride Of The Monster #2. Maybe that was what the makers of this film were going for. Orginality, especially with an all African woman cast and an oriental cowgirl.

Heeey, if the makers of Gang Of Roses want to make a sequel to this mess, you could have such slang like, "Hey, don't you be takin about my homegirls" and "talk to the hand, baby, talk to the hand." You could also have a surfer dude type deputy marshal that says things like, "That gunfight was TOTALLY RAD man, totally." You know things like that.

Hot babes and hot lead.

[lastliberal · 2/10 · 26 February 2007]

Sistas in da hood. Looking for revenge and bling bling. Except da hood is a wild west town in the late 1800s. I do not remember any westerns like this when I was growing up. What would Randolph Scott say? If he saw Lil' Kim, he might say, "Alright! I have to admit that I tuned into this just to see her. Bare midriffs and low cut blouses are not the staple of the usual cowboy flick, but these are the cowgirls, and they are fine.

Now, don't go looking for any major story here, and the usual stuff of ghetto crime drama are here in a different setting. And, when's the last time you heard John Wayne call someone, "Dawg"? And, I don't remember the Earp brothers hugging and kissing before they marched to the OK Corral.

I watch this on BET, so I missed the action that got it an R rating, but I doubt if I will buy the DVD to see it unless I can be assured it was Lil' Kim in that action.

So bad, its GOOD!

[nehesi · 4/10 · 31 August 2005]

I should have known when I looked at the box in the video store and saw Lisa Raye - to me, she's the female Ernie Hudson A.K.A. "Le Kiss of Death" for *ANY* movie. Its almost *guaranteed* the movie will be bad (e.g. Congo)if Hudson is in it (with the exception of the Ghostbusters films, which were intentionally campy and bad). Despite my instincts, and the fact that I just saw Civil Brand, yet another cinematic "tour de force" starring Lisa Raye, I rented it anyway. After all, I ignored my "Hudson instinct" on OZ and ended up watching a very quality series so I figured I'd give this movie a chance.

If you are a lover of bad movies, this is a definite must see! This has got to be the most unintentionally funny movie I've seen in a loooong time. The plot is fairly straightforward: Racheal's (Monica Calhoun) sister is killed by a band of brigands (Led by Bobby Brown!) and, like many an action movie before this, she straps on her guns ONE LAST TIME and vows to avenge her sisters death. To do this, she reassembles the titular Gang of Roses (supposedly based on a true story of a female gang) and they go out and exact revenge and, along the way, there's some subplot or something or other about some gold that might be buried in the town. One nice thing I will say about this movie is that from what I could tell, the stars did their own riding and they looked GREAT galloping.

The funniest (albiet unintentionally funny) scenes? Look for when they introduce Stacy Dash's character or when Calhoun's character rescinds her vow not to strap on her guns (replete with a clenched fisted cry to the heavens) or Lil' Kim's character joking with Lisa Raye's character or Stacy Dash's character being killed or Lil' Kim's character convincing Lisa Raye's character to rejoin the gang or the Asian Chick or Macy Grey's character talking bout "The debt is paid", etc. With the exception of Calhoun's Racheal and Bobby Brown's Left-Eye, I can't even remember the names of the other characters cuz I was laughing so hard when they were introduced.

If the director had gone for parody and broad comedy this would have been a great movie. Unfortunately, he tries to take it seriously seemingly without first taking exposition, sound design (in his defense, Hip-Hop is notoriously difficult to work into a period piece), set design, script writing nor period historical research (was it me,or were these the cleanest people with the whitest teeth in the old west?) seriously. Usually when I see a movie that's not so good, I ask myself "Could you have done any better?" This is the first time in a long time where the answer is an unequivocal "YES!"

Well, now I have seen everything. A rewrite of New Jack City

[lost_amigo2002 · 1/10 · 7 June 2006]

Wait, don't tell me... they threw out the movie and kept the out takes. You know, This movie could have been shot in a back alley in New York. The "Gangster Bangster" I guess. Gangster Rap, Designer gangster duster clothes including the kerchief which somehow got moved from the neck for protection from the dust storms to the head. I guess it was to protect the head from the heat filtering through the K-Mart hats. "Budget rent-a-horsie", it seems, supplied the horsies. The one bedroom scene where the girl was talking and the guy was mouthing her words.... I though it was him talking. You know, watching this movie just confirms that, it isn't about the acting anymore... its about looks and it's about the money. Couldn't have been too much of that where this movie is concerned. Well, all in all, I think that this movie will go down as the all time worst movie ever made. Just one more thing though, where was Ice T? Did he finally get to go on Oprah?

worst western ever

[actionscenepart4 · 1/10 · 15 March 2007]

To be completely honest,I haven't seen that many western films but I've seen enough to know what a good one is.This by far the worst western on the planet today.First off there black people in the wild west? Come on! Who ever thought that this could be a cool off the wall movie that everyone would love were slightly, no no, completely retarded!Secondly in that day and age women especially black women were not prone to be carrying and or using guns.Thirdly whats with the Asian chick speaking perfect English? If the setting is western,Asia isn't where your going. Finally,the evil gay chick was too much the movie was just crap from the beginning.Now don't get me wrong I'm not racist or white either so don't get ticked after reading this but this movie,this movie is the worst presentation of black people I have ever seen!

Why

[smillar-33080 · 1/10 · 29 September 2020]

So why has this movie been branded an "18"???? Theres no swearing, nudity and for a western theres barely any violence if at all

Gang of Roses stands out as one of the worst westerns ever created

[kevin_robbins · 2/10 · 24 February 2024]

I recently rewatched Gang of Roses (2003) on Prime. The storyline follows a retired bank-robbing gang notorious for successful heists and their aversion to killing. When one of the gang members' sisters is murdered, the ladies come out of retirement and may not adhere to their old rules.

Directed by Jean-Claude La Marre (Chocolate City), the film stars LisaRaye McCoy-Misick (The Players Club), Stacey Dash (Clueless), Lil' Kim (You Got Served), Macy Gray (Training Day), and Bobby Brown (Ghostbusters 2).

This movie is incredibly disappointing-the acting is subpar, the attire doesn't align with the content, the dialogue is poorly written, and even the well-selected soundtrack is poorly delivered. There's nothing authentic about this film; it feels like a poorly made-for-TV western by BET, MTV, or VH1.

In conclusion, Gang of Roses stands out as one of the worst westerns ever created. I would score this a 2/10 and strongly recommend skipping it.

State of the art excellence

[greatgates · 10/10 · 30 January 2011]

Unbelievable film. i can't believe this film only grossed 27 thousand dollars on its opening weekend. Bobby brown and Little Kim were as magnificent as i expected. I've seen Olivier's Hamlet and while enthralling it can not compare to the quality of this ensemble. Mario Van Peoples steals the film with the line of the century while paying homage to Jesse from the classic film "Posse". While there may have been a small gaffe or two or eighty a viewer needs to suspend reality the same way one watches "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "the Empire Strikes Back", I would call this film a "Casablanca" or "Citizen Kane" of its genre. Do NOT miss this neo-classic.

of course it's horrible but still a good movie...

[footz · 6/10 · 2 January 2007]

This movie was of course awful. There was nothing but reversed stereotypes and clichés. Some of the plot details did not match the setting or time period. There were times when the film showed it's weaknesses and how it is going to be just horrible But the good things.... It shows people in the reverse situation. (Women as the best and the fastest)and it shows a Western that minorities would rather see and relate to. And of course Lil' Kim can't act, LisaRaye needs to stick to a certain image, and if the Asian women can't speak English in some parts of the movie she shouldn't all of a sudden speak perfect English. What makes this movie good is the fact that it's easily relateable and you can easily slip from the 2007 to 1893

A farce of a Western...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 10 April 2023]

I do believe that I have actually seen the 2003 Western movie "Gang of Roses" once before. However, I had entirely forgotten about the movie, and thus I sat down to watch it again here in 2023.

And now I realize why I had forgotten about this movie; it was god awful. I am sure that writers Jean-Claude La Marre and Nolbert Brown Jr. Meant well with the script for this movie, but the transition from script to screen was a mess.

The storyline in the movie had potential, for sure. But it was befuddled by a laughable cast ensemble, whom seemed to not share a dime of serious acting skill among them.

The cast had the likes of Bobby Brown and Lil' Kim on the list, and that was by no means great choices of performers in a movie. Sure, there were some fair enough performances in the movie, rare but they were there. And I simply don't understand why the one with any acting talent on the cast list, Louis Mandylor, wasn't given more on-screen time.

Not only did a poor cast ensemble ruin the movie, but the music as well. It was such poorly chosen music for a Western movie. It absolutely ruined the atmosphere and just made a farce out of the entire Western concept.

And it didn't help much that the wardrobe was questionable as well. Especially with Marie Matiko looking like something walked straight out of a 1990s hip hop court, and the other lady wearing pure white without a single grain of grime and dirt on it. It just didn't feel like a Western movie at all.

If you enjoy Western movies, do yourself a favor and stay clear of "Gang of Roses". It is a not an entertaining movie. And no, the movie is not even bad enough to be fun to watch. This was just, hands down, bad.

My rating of "Gang of Roses" lands on a two out of ten stars.