FORMAT: DVD
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
(As posted on July 14th, 2011)
Women in Cages is pretty much like The Big Doll House and The Big Bird Cage, except its missing director Jack Hill’s trademark black humor. Because another director, Gerald (The Mad Doctor of Blood Island) de Leon was at the helm, it plays more or less like a straightforward Made in the Philippines Women in Prison Movie. Another difference is that Pam Grier plays a lesbian GUARD and not a lesbian inmate. Big difference.
And Grier runs the place with an iron fist. She plays favorites and gives the prisoners privileges in exchange for some kinky bedroom antics. Whenever they cross her, she puts them in “The Playpen” where they are tortured. Jennifer Gan is the latest hunk of meat to get thrown in the prison and it doesn’t take long for her to scheme up an escape plan.
Women in Cages was filmed on the same sets as The Big Doll House and features many of the same actresses (in addition to Grier, Judy Brown and Roberta Collins are also on hand to bare some skin). It’s not as much fun as that flick but it does deliver on the Women in Prison goods. There are strip searches, shower scenes, and catfights to keep you entertained. For the first hour, Women in Cages is pretty sweet, but the flick goes right into the shitter once the girls escape the prison. The ending pretty much sucks too, which further detracts from the overall Fun Factor.
Grier delivers a down and dirty performance and it’s cool seeing her playing a villain for a change. Gan on the other hand is pretty annoying and makes for a shitty heroine. To make matters worse, she resembles Gwyneth Paltrow after a six day drunk. She and Grier do get the best dialogue exchange in the movie though:
Gan: “What Hell did you crawl out of?”
Grier: “It was called Harlem, baby!”
AKA: The Bamboo Doll House. AKA: Women’s Penitentiary 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment