Here is a low-budget indie movie that kept me interested all the way through. I never knew where it was going next.
When the movie begins, we see that the title character, Alice, has been to prison. She is abused by the career-driven detective Jill, who will be her nemesis for the rest of the movie. We see her hook up with a group who have some sort of racket going. The story then gets going with a heist gone wrong, where most of Alice's crew ends up dead and she is betrayed and put in a coma.
Upon waking up, she breaks out of her minimum security prison with the help of a fellow inmate and it looks like the story is going to become a buddy road trip. Instead, we get the first of many sudden developments as the likable sidekick is killed so completely out of the blue that for a few moments, I couldn't be sure it actually happened. Alice goes on the run, looking for some stolen money, with Detective Jill and an aging pimp named Ramrod on her trail.
I really liked the rivalry between Alice and Jill. It wasn't exactly Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, but it was a pursuit worthy of a better movie. When Alice visits Jill in the hospital near the end of the movie, there is a climactic payoff that is done just about perfectly. I also liked the somewhat open-ended closing moments--considering the direction the story starts taking,a sequel would not be unwelcome.
With several good ideas going for it, Alice still has a campy, low-budget feel that will limit its audience. There are some silly, almost slap-stick moments, such as when the two girls are beating up the guard to break out of prison. Several of the characters are done in an over-the-top style, and there are some unusual montages and transitions that will be an acquired taste for many.
In all, I enjoyed the experience and would be interested in seeing more from the folks involved with this production. With a little better script and a coherent tone and visual style, they could be capable of something really amazing.
When the movie begins, we see that the title character, Alice, has been to prison. She is abused by the career-driven detective Jill, who will be her nemesis for the rest of the movie. We see her hook up with a group who have some sort of racket going. The story then gets going with a heist gone wrong, where most of Alice's crew ends up dead and she is betrayed and put in a coma.
Upon waking up, she breaks out of her minimum security prison with the help of a fellow inmate and it looks like the story is going to become a buddy road trip. Instead, we get the first of many sudden developments as the likable sidekick is killed so completely out of the blue that for a few moments, I couldn't be sure it actually happened. Alice goes on the run, looking for some stolen money, with Detective Jill and an aging pimp named Ramrod on her trail.
I really liked the rivalry between Alice and Jill. It wasn't exactly Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, but it was a pursuit worthy of a better movie. When Alice visits Jill in the hospital near the end of the movie, there is a climactic payoff that is done just about perfectly. I also liked the somewhat open-ended closing moments--considering the direction the story starts taking,a sequel would not be unwelcome.
With several good ideas going for it, Alice still has a campy, low-budget feel that will limit its audience. There are some silly, almost slap-stick moments, such as when the two girls are beating up the guard to break out of prison. Several of the characters are done in an over-the-top style, and there are some unusual montages and transitions that will be an acquired taste for many.
In all, I enjoyed the experience and would be interested in seeing more from the folks involved with this production. With a little better script and a coherent tone and visual style, they could be capable of something really amazing.
