Furs on Film – Mad Dog Time (1996)

Personal challenge: post a film from the 1990s. Check. So how does one get Ellen Barkin in a couple of big fox stoles in the middle of the worst fur fashion drought since, well, between the Ice Age and the early 1900s? Apparently, it requires an alternate universe and no concept of pacing. Woof, it's Mad Dog Time.

Mad Dog Time – The Film

Let me mention up front the consensus seems to be that this is not a good film at all. Even on fast forward, this thing looked boring. It's basically a series of conversations that, sometimes, end in some guy getting shot. I believe it's supposed to be a call back to more classic gangster films, but with the bold artistic vision of nothing remotely exciting happening. Did I mention Ellen Barkin in fox stoles? Yes, let's get to that.

Mad Dog Time – The Furs

Ellen Barkin is featured in 2 large fox stoles, one white and one black, as she plays a gun moll named Rita Everly. Fox furs and gun molls are the one classic combo the film got right.

We start with this black fox stole, probably the best for her character, though the combo with the little black dress makes the wide shots a little hard to discern.

Fortunately, there are better shots at the club where much of the action events people-talking-endlessly take place.

I'm fond of this shot, showing Rita has the excellent taste of keeping the stole in place at the table and not relegating it to the chair back as many have done before.

A great deal of fast-forwarding later, we see Ellen in stole 2, this one white fox.

This one doesn't interfere with the front of Rita's dress.

I know this looks mildly interesting, but don't be fooled. Granted, gun moll Rita is actually holding a gun while nicely showing off the white fox stole in the process. As the tag suggests, I captured this off “Showtime Extreme.” The “Extreme” in this case was “extremely boring.”

This shot sums up the film. There was a long conversation that ended like this. If you think action = “casually shooting from a seated position,” then this was the roller-coaster ride of 1996. I'll stick with pre-Windtalkers John Woo.

Rita makes out alive to live happily ever after with her gangster boyfriend. I guess. Honestly, I don't care. Ellen Barkin looks lovely in the white fox; that's all that matters.

Hey, it's a film from 1996 with big fox stoles in it; that's really all that needs to be said regarding why the film is “notable.” Sure, it kinda cheated with the whole “alternate universe” thing, but let's face facts, the '90s managed to excise fur even from period pieces. If they'd done a docudrama on the making of The Mad Miss Manton in 1996, it wouldn't have a single guard hair in it.

Fur Runtime: approx 5 minutes
Film Runtime: 93 minutes
On-Screen Fur Ratio: 5%

Now for an attempt at reader interactivity. Comment on this post with your “best” fur film from the 1990s. I'm honestly curious to know what other gems (however dull) might be hiding in that steaming pile of a decade.