Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 06/14/2017 Summary: Moral Panic "Girls in the Hood" is an example of a ripped from the headlines movie can express a fast developing (and probably just as quickly disappearing) moral panic over, in this case, "dirty girls". There are references to an article in a popular magazine about the girls who hand around the fountain at the Hong Kong Cultural Center and spend their time having anonymous sex with whomever happens along, stealing from them and not bathing. Blackgirl, Brainless and the rest of the bunch are presented not as whacked-out teenagers but as the outriders of an evil force threatening society, generators public panic over something shocking to the sensibilities of proper society. The real issue, of course, is that this is Hong Kong in 1995, two years before the Handover. There are a couple of overheard-type pieces of dialog which reference "1997" each with the response, "Don't mention 1997". It is within such potentially prodigious real changes that moral panics over non-issues can flourish. Alan Lo Shun-Cheun knew his way around a movie set--he had been asistant director on eleven films in seven years, including wrangling crowds and shooting "B" action on such works as "City on Fire" and "Dr. Lamb"--and he kept things moving without too many noticeable continuity breaks or outrageous coincidences so even though this was only his second effort in the director's chair he did a decent job, especially considering the lack of experience of the talent in front of the camera. This might be the Category III version of a toned down for other audiences Category II or IIb flick since while there are a lot of naked breasts and buttocks plus some energetic if unconvincing simulated sex, most of the naughty sections are done as drop-ins that could be easily cut for showing in culturally more conservative areas--although those or just about any scenes could have been chopped out with a cleaver and not lessened the quality of what was onscreen. Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 06/11/2011 Troubled teens were a popular subject for Hong Kong movies in the 1990's. Most notably through the Young and Dangerous series and their spin-offs, production companies were practically falling over each other to bring the latest tale of youth in revolt to the big screen. As might be expected, with so many similar pictures hitting the market at the same time, many of these pictures were not of the highest quality, selling themselves on the promise of sex and violence rather than any sort of artistic merit. Alan Lo's 1995 entry Girls in the Hood is a prime example of this. Ostensibly, it is a social drama based around the social sub-culture of "no wash girls" -- pseudo-homeless young women who casually engage in sex and drugs -- but in reality, it's more of a straight-out Category III softcore smut romp. With this duality of focus, Lo's film doesn't quite know where to place its' emphasis, and ends up losing the audience's interest in the process. Reviewer Score: 5

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 11/16/2002 Summary: crap Not a rip off from the US ‘Boyz N The Hood’, but instead nothing but a cheap lesbian porno film! 1/5 Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 06/24/2001 Summary: Surprisingly watchable This film was only half of what I expected. Cheap exploitative porn trash ? Well, yes and no. I don't live in HK, so I can't comment on how accurate or otherwise is the portrayal of the "no-bath" girls who hang around the Cultural Centre waiting to be picked up. There is undeniably a lot of gritty realism in this film, and some of it is very confronting. The scene near the end where a mainland girl is drugged and incited to strip was at once hard to watch, believable and compelling. But there are also elements of fantasy. I'm pretty sure the portrayal of more than one of these girls, particularly the one who glories under the nickname of Brainless, as raving sex-hungry maniacs is purely a product of the writer's imagination. That said, the lead characters remind me strongly of a few loudmouthed and slutty girls I went to school with. This odd combination of realism and fantasy, presented as docu-drama, and played as melodramatic soap opera, makes the package look rather like a template for Young And Dangerous, or perhaps more accurately, for Sexy And Dangerous. An exploitative film ? Well, yes, but not nearly as much as one would expect, or even want ! As far as nudity goes, there are quite a few flashes of tit, as well as an extended topless scene near the end. Three of the four main chars are pictured in full nude, but are never shown full frontal. I found this particularly puzzling, as they are all virtually unknown actresses, and I'd have thought the producers would have milked them to the max. Perhaps they were trying for subtle understatement ? Just joking. So, does it earn the Cat III rating ? Definitely. There are a number of strong sex scenes, and these are the only scenes where the girls appear fully nude. There is an incredible level of foul language. I've not seen any other HK film which has so many bleeps over the dialogue ! Whatever word is used for "screw" is consistently bleeped and is used as every second word in a song which the girls sing at one point. Godsakes, James Wong's vulgar ravings look tame compared with this lot. The main characters are a strong-minded and assertive lot, and are watchable if only for being strong characters. Not that they always win but, when picked on, they always fight back. And not always physically. Despiter her name, Brainless is notionally the brains and the leader of the group, and she is a terrific schemer. Just a few words about the songs and music. Lovely ! Especially the end theme. Sounds like Sally Yeh singing, but her name isn't in the end credits. Would I recommend this film ? I was surprised how watchable it was, and how fast the time went. This is very much against how I perceive the average cheap porn, where the time usually drags. Several things make the difference, not the least of which is the surprisingly (there's that word AGAIN) good and believable performances, including by an older actress who plays the flower woman. So, yes, a recommendation, especially if you can get around prejudices of what you'd expect it to be like. But you have been warned of what to expect. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/21/1999 Runaway teenage girls hang out on the streets of Hong Kong looking forfun and excitement. Known as No-Bath Girls they offer sex to strangers in return for a place to shower and sleep. [Reviewed by Tai Seng Catalog]

Reviewed by: pablo Date: 12/09/1999 The tragic story of four girls with no place to go. For the most part this is an involving film showing girls who manage to rise above mere survival despite their circumstance. But there's a meaningless subplot about a horny bisexual who prays on street girls (probably put in as an excuse for gratuitous nudity) that just gets in the way. This may be worth watching, but I recommend seeing _Lost Boys in Wonderland_ first.

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL A sort of HK version of Los Olvidados, except with a rambuctious quartet of delinquent teenage girls who shoplift, live on the street, go for weeks without a bath, live on junk food, and screw every chance they get. Even with a passable bunch of young babes, this was so boring that I didn't even mind the drunken mutterings of the stocky Chinese guy behind me. (1/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 2