A spaghetti-Western-meets-exploitation thriller, Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour's The Bad Batch stars British model-turned-actress Suki Waterhouse as Arlen, a mysterious young woman who walks out of prison and into a Texas wasteland designated for the “Bad Batch”—i.e., errant members of society. Almost immediately, bandits capture her, drag her to a post-apocalyptic encampment, knock her out, and remove most of her right arm and half of her leg. Denizens of the Bridge use body parts for food, and she isn't their first victim. The minute she gets the chance, she evades her captor and crawls away on a skateboard towards the town of Comfort. A mute, sun-damaged hermit (an unrecognizable Jim Carrey) aids her in her efforts. Five months later, Arlen has acquired a prosthetic leg, but the amputations continue at another encampment where Miami Man (Jason Momoa)—a muscle-bound Cuban artist—does whatever it takes to feed his family. Through a dream-logic series of events, Miami Man's daughter Miel ends up under the care of Arlen and then drug kingpin Dream (Keanu Reeves), with the rest of the tale revolving around Arlen's survival and Miel's guardianship. Unfortunately, none of this turns out to be as interesting as it may sound. Optional. (K. Fennessy)
The Bad Batch
Virgil, 118 min., R, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $24.99 Volume 33, Issue 1
The Bad Batch
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