“Intended as a rebuttal to the beautifying Bonnie and Clyde, as a slashing allegation of maternal pathology in America and as a typical piece of Corman exploitation, Bloody Mama manages to be satisfactory as lurid entertainment, genre piece and incestual cesspit. Among its many achievements, the Corman empire produced a band of actors so preoccupied with inner truth, the Actors' Studio, James Deanery, drugs and the obstacles to being articulate that they challenged the clear-cut concept of stardom to which they all aspired. The band includes Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Warren Oates, as well as actors seen here--Dern and De Niro, above all. Much as Dern has longed to be popular, he retains the panic-stricken insecurity that marks down a nasty or a loser. Famous as De Niro is, he refuses to become a star, changes his appearance, avoids likeability, and plunges into a dark, destructive recess of character that is the strangest and most beautiful thing in Bloody Mama, where he plays a junkie. As befits the gap in generations, all the boys are in awe of an earlier type of supporting acting--that of Shelley Winters, who has no equal in the zest and recklessness with which she has said, ‘So, no Place in the Sun for me! So, I'm no Elizabeth Taylor. So what? I'm raucous!'” David Thomson