Few things are more punk rock than Tank Girl!!!
From the moment Lori Petty storms onto the screen as Rebecca Buck—aka Tank Girl, anarchist drifter and middle finger to the Water & Power (W&P) corporation—this movie announces itself as chaos with purpose. Pair her with a refitted tank whose ass end is literally a repurposed 1969 Cadillac Eldorado, and good luck wiping the grin off your face. Tank Girl has always been a kickass ride through the wild, wild wasteland.
Seen today, the film finally reveals itself for what it always was: a genuine cult classic that arrived way too early for mass consumption. Part science-fiction comedy (a notoriously hard sell to the Normies), part antihero western, the movie filters its sun-blasted apocalypse through pure Generation X swagger. Water is scarce. Taste is optional. Attitude is mandatory.
Simply put, Tank Girl was feminist before it was marketable.
Wholly committed to its look and its themes, the film truly finds its voice—and its vehicle—the moment Tank Girl starts randomly smashing buttons inside her tank. She’s new at this, okay? She also couldn’t care less. That reckless confidence becomes the film’s engine, propelling it through musical numbers, animated interludes, and tonal left turns that would terrify a modern studio exec.
The cast is stacked with inspired weirdness: Naomi Watts shines as Jet Girl, Iggy Pop chews scenery as the grotesque Rat Face, and Ice-T delivers one of the strangest performances of the decade as a genetically engineered kangaroo super-soldier. The film is loud, messy, confrontational, and absolutely uninterested in whether you approve—which, paradoxically, is exactly why it endures.
Director Rachel Talalay proves utterly uncompromising, blending punk aesthetics with comic-book surrealism and genre defiance. Her background—ranging from early work with John Waters to later genre TV—shows in the film’s confidence with visual effects, tone shifts, and raw iconography. Tank Girl doesn’t ask for permission. It dares you to keep up.
Based on the British cult comic series by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, the story drops us into a scorched Earth after a comet strike leaves humanity dehydrated and feral by 2033. When Tank Girl is abducted by the sadistic Kesslee and pressed into fighting a war she never signed up for, the power dynamic flips fast—and violently.
The film is soaked in 1990s alternative culture, from its grime-splattered production design to its weaponized fashion sense. Was Gwen Stefani borrowing from Tank Girl, or did the influence flow the other way? Either way, the look stuck. The soundtrack—stacked with Bush, Hole, Devo, Björk, L7, Scott Weiland, and more—hits like a cybernetic riot grrrl mixtape from hell.
When Tank Girl hit theaters in 1995, it barely registered. Too weird. Too loud. Too feminist. Too ahead of its time. But history has been kind to its rebellion. Chicks with guns? That argument didn’t age well—and Tank Girl is one of the reasons why.
Unapologetic, confrontational, and ferociously feminist, Tank Girl continues to jam a steel-toed boot straight up cult cinema’s ass. Thanks to Vinegar Syndrome’s Riot Grrrls Unite! release, the film finally gets the loving, defiant presentation it always deserved—middle finger raised, engine roaring, no apologies given.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition
Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - October 12, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
A cult film firmly rooted in an equally cheeky cult comic, TANK GIRL infused Jamie Hewlett's original character with uniquely Generation X traits, proudly independent defiance, and a flippant irreverence rarely seen in female characters of the time. Set in a post-apocalyptic world masterfully designed by Catherine Hardwicke (Tombstone, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka), and boasting a near-endless amount of costumes by Arianne Phillips (The Crow, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood), particularly for the lead character, few films of the Riot Grrrl/grunge era still hold such vitality. Directed by Rachel Talalay (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare), with designs by legendary effects artist Stan Winston (and team), as well as a crack soundtrack supervised by Courtney Love of Hole, it stars Lori Petty (Point Break, Orange is the New Black) in the titular role, as well as Ice-T (New Jack City, Surviving the Game), Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive, Eastern Promises), Jeff Kober (Out of Bounds, The First Power), and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Class of 1999). Vinegar Syndrome Ultra is thrilled to bring this bold sci-fi adventure to you in an all-new director-supervised restoration from its 35mm original camera negative.
VIDEO
The 4K restoration gives Tank Girl the kind of glow-up it’s been denied for decades, finally letting the film’s anarchic visual design breathe. Scanned and restored by Vinegar Syndrome, the image now crackles with texture: sun-bleached desert landscapes reveal layered detail, punk costumes pop with grimy vibrancy, and the film’s comic-book stylization—long flattened by weak transfers—finally lands with intended impact.
Grain is intact and organic, colors are bold without being artificial, and the grit of the 1990s remains gloriously unpolished. This isn’t a slick modernization; it’s a respectful resurrection, preserving the film’s rough edges while showcasing just how visually ambitious and deliberately stylized Tank Girl always was.
AUDIO
The audio upgrade is just as revelatory, giving Tank Girl the sonic punch it always deserved. The restored track delivers clearer dialogue, tighter low-end impact, and a wider, more aggressive soundstage that finally does justice to the film’s industrial chaos.
Gunfire, explosions, and mechanical clatter hit with newfound weight, while the soundtrack—stacked with alternative heavy-hitters like Hole, L7, Björk, and Devo—comes through with cleaner separation and raw energy intact. Importantly, the mix never sandpapers the film’s attitude; it preserves the abrasive edge while improving clarity and balance. This is a riot-grrrl soundscape unleashed, loud and proud without losing its grime.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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See Special Features.
Special Features:
Vinegar Syndrome’s slate of special features treats Tank Girl not as a novelty oddity, but as the cult landmark it’s become. The extras dig deep into the film’s troubled production, its initial critical dismissal, and its long road to reclamation, with candid interviews and archival material that contextualize the movie within 1990s counterculture and feminist genre filmmaking.
Cast and crew reflections help reframe the chaos as intentional rebellion rather than accident, while appreciation pieces trace the film’s influence on fashion, music, and female-led action cinema. It’s a thoughtful, fan-forward package assembled by Vinegar Syndrome with clear reverence—one that finally gives Tank Girl the critical space it was never allowed to occupy on its original release.
This special limited-edition deluxe magnet box + slipcover set (designed by JJ Harrison and Michael DeForge) includes a 40-page perfect-bound book and is limited to 8,000 units. It is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
- 2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
- Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
- Director-approved presentation
- Commentary track with author and entertainment journalist Kristen Lopez
- "Artful Inspiration" (13 min) - a new featurette with director Rachel Talalay and artist Gary Baseman
- "Gotta Be Me" (14 min) - a new interview with actress Lori Petty
- "Badass Feminine Energy" (11 min) - a new interview with production designer Catherine Hardwicke
- "Donning the Ears" (12 min) - a new interview with actor Scott Coffey
- "An Eye for the Apocalypse" (12 min) - a new interview with casting director Pam Dixon
- "Punk Rock Post-Apocalypse" (24 min) - a new interview with costume designer Arianne Phillips
- "Meet the Rippers" (12 min) - a new featurette with Stan Winston's crew and Legacy Effects co-founders J. Alan Scott and Shane P. Mahan
- "Tank in Translation" (15 min) - a new interview with storyboard artist and second unit director Peter Ramsey
- "The Making of Tank Girl" (5 min) - an archival making-of featurette
- Original ending (2 min)
- Original trailer40-page perfect-bound book with essays by: Sarah Fensom, Heather Drain, Elizabeth Purchell
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 104 mins
Director: Rachel Talalay
Writer: Alan Martin; Jamie Hewlett; Tedi Sarafian
Cast: Lori Petty; Ice-T; Naomi Watts
Genre: Action | Comedy
Tagline: In the future, the odds of survival 1000 to 1. That's Just the way she likes it.
Memorable Movie Quote: "OK, we're gonna give you babes a chance to prove yourselves. Call it an initiation."
Theatrical Distributor: United Artists
Official Site: https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/tank-girl?_pos=1&_sid=34376e760&_ss=r
Release Date: March 31, 1995
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 24, 2026.
Synopsis: A girl is among the few survivors of a dystopian Earth. Riding a war tank, she fights against the tyranny of a mega-corporation that dominates the world's remaining potable water supply.
