Many critics commented on the film's portrayal of violence against women: Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" called the film "just another sickening, numbskull movie that hypocritically exploits extreme violence against women while purportedly protesting it." The "Austin American-Statesman"s Patrick Taggart deemed it "mainly a celebration of violence...  there's no warmth here, nor any truly sympathetic characters." Tom Shales of "The Washington Post" wrote, "You're not just sorry you came to a movie like this; you feel saddened and troubled that it even exists, that somebody saw a few more quick bucks in such a tired, ritualized and malicious formula."