Movie

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

A sequel to a re-imagining of an old TV series, which itself has since been rebooted. Perhaps audiences are growing tired of the whole remake thing, as the latest attempts were commercial failures.

The movie with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as the secret agents hasn’t aged well. From a modern viewpoint, the heroines are overly sexualised with many instances of male gaze. But Full Throttle addresses the imbalance by adding topless men into the mix.

These films are better at humour than plot development. Given that jokes often fall flat, this should give some idea of how obvious the twists are. Plenty of action, though the fights are cheesy with impossible stunts involving CGI and obvious wire work. The first Charlie’s Angels film had its critics, but had a decent box office return. Hence, no change in style for Full Throttle.

If viewers switch off their brains and don’t take the movies seriously (is that even possible?), there is much to enjoy. Both entries feature a major villainess and the expected catfights that come with her. While the sequel is weaker than the first film, Madison makes my list because of her more interesting backstory.

Villainess

Madison Lee (Demi Moore)

The Charlie’s Angels films directed by McG have similar themes. There’s a mission that’s not what it seems, a supposed ally that turns out to be manipulative, and a last act reveal for the villainess. The sequel adds a dark-haired female antagonist (seen from behind) early on. So when a former Angel named Madison Lee enters the picture, it’s obvious she’s the bad girl.

A Mongolian warlord is the main villain in the opening teaser where the heroines rescue a US marshal (Robert Patrick). However, it soon becomes apparent that these are minor players in a much bigger scheme. The dark-haired lady is after two titanium rings, decoders that reveal the identities of people in witness protection.

The marshal had one ring, and a Justice Department official is guarding the other. Bruce Willis has a short-lived cameo as the second man. He discovers his entire detail dead in an aircraft hangar (somehow they got slaughtered with absolutely no noise). The stealthy masked assailant hangs from the plane’s roof, like something out of Splinter Cell, and holds a gold-plated Desert Eagle to the official’s head. This is someone who kills with style.

The Angels track a surfer henchman to a beach. An excuse to show attractive women in bikinis, including Madison and a Baywatch-style entrance. The assassin is eliminated by the acrobatic Thin Man (returning from the first movie). There’s a history involving Drew Barrymore’s character and an Irish mobster against whom she testified. Given who’s playing the US marshal, it’s no surprise he’s a turncoat. In summary, a convoluted mess of minor villains and subplots.

Madison reveals herself as the principal antagonist when she blows the marshal away with a pair of Desert Eagles. In case you’d forgotten, those were the weapons used by the masked killer. The villainess likes her golden guns and uses several in the action sequences that follow. This, together with her black outfits and egotistical boasts, makes her a stylish foe who should have been revealed much sooner.

Madison is a formidable opponent for the Angels, countering their dodge moves with gunplay. One on one, the heroines are no match, and even all three acting together struggle to defeat the villainess. Only after a lengthy finale do the agents beat Madison in an abandoned theatre. She gets a good death scene when she falls through the floor and accidentally shoots an exposed gas pipe.

Honourable Mentions: Charlie’s Angels

Charlie’s Angels (2000) – Vivian Wood (Kelly Lynch)

The first Charlie’s Angels movie also featured a villainess with stylish attire, though Vivian didn’t wear her skintight black catsuit until the finale. She’s proficient in unarmed combat and goes toe to toe with the Cameron Diaz character. The downside is that nothing stands out about her character. She’s a secondary foil to the chief bad guy, more of a henchwoman than a villain in her own right.

Vivian’s reveal is handled better than Madison’s. While viewers may suspect a plot twist is on the agenda, there are no giveaway shots of a mysterious female pulling the strings. So the client isn’t that suspicious before her heel turn.