Wizard-8
While the women in prison movie genre was on its last legs by the mid 1980s, that fact did not stop schlock movie producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus from grinding out their own contribution. Typical for one of their productions, it was made on a low budget, which does show here and there (mainly with some cheap sets.) However, director Paul Nicolas does manage to inject some stylish touches here and there. And while the movie could have used a bit more sleaze, there is a decent amount of nudity and other exploitation touches here and there. However, the story is kind of a mess. There are some murky details, as if important information got edited out or was never filmed in the first place. And some scenes seem to play out of order. Central story details also unfold slowly, but Nicolas does go from scene to scene at a brisk pace so there are no boring or tedious moments. And there is some welcome camp, mainly with some really broad performances by the cast. While I am (oddly) not a big fan of the women in prison genre despite the treats many of these films offer, I will say this: If you like this particular genre, you will likely find this effort to be decently done.
LasKeepsItReal
I have watched many films set in prisons, the ones with females have the best story lines for me. There will be several spoilers ahead so here goes:A young woman named Michelle living in the country first appears to be in an idyllic life but then we find out she has to cope with an on/off boyfriend who is addicted to drugs called Willy.Willy soon meets Rita a strong and confident woman who manipulates him into trouble resulting in him agreeing to rob the bank in which Michelle works. The robbery goes horribly wrong when the police arrive and after a brief car chase Willy is killed and both guilty Rita and innocent Michelle end up in different prisons.This is only the beginning of the nightmare that Michelle is about to face as whilst in prison she meets top dog Sheila, drug addict Amy, the bitchy lesbian warden and rapist Smiley.Various dramas happen until Rita,who is out for revenge is transferred to the same prison as Michelle causing further problems.There is not much i can fault this film for apart from its depiction of some of the nasty things that are portrayed such as racism,segregation,rape and a brutal murder of one of the female prisoners near the end of the film although these topics are what makes the film memorable.I enjoyed both the roles of Michelle (Shari Shattuck) and Rita (Christina Whitaker) for different reasons Rita because she was cruel,calculating,direct and an outright bitch and Michelle because she was caring,sweet although naive but quickly switched on her survival instincts whenever she needed to.I would give this film 8 out of 10!
gavin6942
A young woman (Shari Shattuck) is falsely convicted of a bank robbery and sent to a maximum-security prison run by a corrupt warden, where she is forced to suffer various indignities.When you sit down to watch a women in prison movie, you already expect it to be exploitation all the way, with gratuitous nudity and very likely a girl-on-girl sex scene or two. While this film certainly does that, it is a little less blatant and for that it maybe deserves a little credit.Not that this is good. The basic plot point is that a woman kidnapped at a bank gets sent to prison for the robbery she had no part of. This really makes no sense, but because it jumps from the cops showing up directly to the prison, we never see how such bungling could occur.
Scott LeBrun
Writer / director Paul Nicholas, who'd previously done the Linda Blair classic "Chained Heat", returns to the Women In Prison genre for this diverting bag of cinematic trash. Although it doesn't offer anything that W.I.P. fans haven't seen before, it still goes through its paces adequately, offering gore, atmosphere and titillation in respectable doses. The supporting cast is largely nondescript, but there are a few performers that stand out, which I'll get to in a moment. The movie does have a fair bit of set-up; the main character doesn't get to the prison until 16 minutes of screen time have gone by. But once she's there, there's plenty of sordid melodrama to keep an exploitation fanatic amused.Lovely Shari Shattuck of 'The Young and the Restless' fame stars as Michelle, whose bank is held up by her no-count husband Willy (John Terlesky, "Chopping Mall"), who's met a ferocious femme fatale named Rita (Christina Whitaker) who has put him up to it. The robbery goes awry, and after all is said and done Rita falsely claims in court that Michelle was a willing participant, which gets Michelle sent to the slam for three years.You get what you pay for with "The Naked Cage". Lesbian encounters? Check. Shower scenes? Check. Repulsive male characters such as rapist guard Smiley (Nick Benedict)? Check. And of course there's the usual corrupt warden (B movie veteran Angel Tompkins, "The Teacher") who's always got something going on. The ladies in this thing are enjoyable to watch; Shattuck is appealing as the "good girl" heroine who definitely takes her lumps before this is over. Faith Minton has an undeniable presence as butch top con Sheila. Buffs will note the presence of Carole Ita White ('Laverne & Shirley'), who'd already appeared in "Hellhole", "Chained Heat", and "The Concrete Jungle". Larry Gelman ('The Bob Newhart Show', 'The Odd Couple', "Chatterbox") has a cameo as the prison doctor. But it's the intense Whitaker who dominates things with a campy portrayal of a vindictive and vicious character.All in all, if you're a devotee of this genre, you may not be blown away by "The Naked Cage" but you should have a pretty good time.Seven out of 10.
AD
