Women-in-prison movies usually have at least one wrongfully-convicted girl, rape, violence, a scam of some sort that exploits female prisoners, and revenge or justice in the end. This movie adheres to the rules, complete with at least one shower scene and plenty of gratuitous nudity.
At first, I thought that this was a new movie that was made to look vintage, but the film grain was real. I later found out that the original release was 1987, or at least that was the year on the back of the Bluray.
This is campier than the usual gritty offerings, which makes for more of a fun, rather than a disturbing viewing.
The story follows a female cop who loses her fiance and drives aimlessly. She ends up in a western town and picks up a woman who ran away from a work camp. A cop pulls them over. The escapee runs, and the sheriff, nonplussed, asks the female cop to accompany him to headquarters to give a statement. She does not reveal that she is in law enforcement.
While the female cop is sitting at a desk, she is given a drink that has been dosed, and she loses consciousness. Thus begins her ordeal, and you get to see what is expected from the women-in-prison style of movies. There is no need to mention the flimsy plot points because these movies are about exploitation, not stories, and when the movie is on the campy side, then the numerous bad decisions and obvious set-ups are amusing.
The movie does have a strong ’80s flavor. Hair styles, cars, and music for that era provide a sense of nostalgia. Also part of that era is non-shaved groins, several of which are shown in close-up so you can see what you might have been missing in modern times.
No matter how many times a sadistic female guard is depicted in these movies, it doesn’t seem like a worn-out stereotype. You might wonder what kind of person volunteers to be in charge of prisoners. It’s not exactly a higher calling. These movies show the worst personality types that vie for the job. In that regard, it does provide some social commentary, but I don’t think that such sentiment goes into writing these abusive characters. They make for great villains.
If you are a fan of the category then this will be a worthy addition. As for anyone else, consider what I have mentioned. Happy viewing.