The Big Bang Theory

A bad day in Los Angeles: get up, lose your apartment, go to a film audition (plus casting couch), get arrested by a cop who'll release you only if you give him head. So far, so demeaning. The Girl (with no name) handcuffs the officer to a tree, takes his uniform and motorbike - and checks out how all that power feels by patrolling the local environs, whereupon various subdivisions of hell break loose. Written and directed by a young LA Brit named Ash, this is defiantly independent film-making, shot guerilla-style, fast and without permits. The vérité ambience is less affected than usual, and a genuine sense of recalcitrant rage distinguishes the film from the fraudulent nonsense of Falling Down. Things improve after a shaky start, and Narita delivers a gutsy performance as the Girl. Ash, however, shows little idea of how each narrative appendix fits into his half-formed overall design.