In the first five minutes
of this classic 1970s women in prison film, a new batch of prisoners is booked
into a Filipino jail and sent to the showers. Matron Densmore (Lynn Borden) hides
and masturbates as she watches the inmates bathe. That night, Densmore
chooses prostitute Lee Daniels (Pam Grier, Beyond
the Valley of the Dolls, The Big Doll House, Women in Cages,
Foxy Brown, "The L Word") for a
sexual tryst, and when Lee refuses, she escapes with a cut lip when Warden Logan
(Laurie Burton) intervenes. Instead, fellow inmate Karen Brent (Margaret Markov)
goes with Densmore to gain favor with her. Turns out the warden and the matron
are lovers as well. Later when Lee and Karen are being transported to another
facility, the two are chained together for security. They escape with the help
of Karen's revolutionary colleagues, but remain chained as they make their way
across the countryside, fighting with each other while they evade the police and
Lee's pimp. Cheesy, trashy, with plenty of topless women and "jive
ass" dialog from Grier, this B movie is good, ridiculous fun. Co-written
by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Caged
Heat).
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