Michael_Elliott
Women in Cages (1971) *** (out of 4) An innocent woman named Jeff (Jennifer Gan) takes the wrap for her boyfriend's heroin and is sentenced to a dangerous prison ran by the sadistic Alabama (Pam Grier). Jeff keeps holding out hope of getting out with the help of her boyfriend but her cell mate (Roberta Collins) tells her there's only one way out and that's through an escape. WOMEN IN CAGES isn't Shakespeare and it won no Academy Awards but it at least delivers what the title promises. It's easy to see why this film was such a hit when it was released because it features just about every type of perverted situation that you'd want for a sleazy drive-in movie. In fact, just thinking about the days when something like this was getting released weekly makes you wish these type of things were still being produced and especially at this type of quality. In regards to women in prison movies, this one here is certainly among the better ones thanks in large part to the Philippine locations as well as the cast. Both Gan and Collins make for good partners and while their performances might leave a bit to be desired, it's doubtful anyone coming to a flick like this is wanting great performances. Both fit their roles just fine and their beautiful bodies are constantly on display. Grier is once again the main standout as she gets a shot at playing bad and she does a terrific job with it. It's too bad she wasn't given more roles like this because it seems like she's having a blast. The film offers up women in showers, women fighting, torture sequences, sex scenes and just about everything else that fans of the genre would want. Is this a classic, all time great film? No but it's a fun reminder of what made this genre so entertaining.
MartinHafer
With a title like "Women in Cages", a filming location in the Philippines and salacious posters featuring scantily clad women, it's obvious that this is NOT a Merchant-Ivory Production! It's clearly a low-budget schlock film and without even seeing it, I knew the film would include lots of violence, girl fights and boobs. That is just the sort of film they made in this country back in the 70s.Although Pam Grier appeared in other Women in Prison films, in this case she does not play a prisoner but a sadistic lesbian matron who delights in abusing her charges. Now you might ask why a Black-American lady is in the Philippines doing this--you can only assume that she's REALLY dedicated to her job (plus I heard they had a great dental plan). In addition, she is able to vent her anger towards White ladies--as, oddly, this Asian prison has an over-abundance of Americans. Eventually, Grier's sadism is too much for some of the ladies and they take their chances escaping into the jungle--a jungle from which no one has ever successfully escaped! Can the sexy young ladies (all who appear about 25) escape? Or, for that matter, does anyone in the audience really care? Overall, this is a trashy exploitation film--the sort you'd have expected to see in sleazy 70s grind houses. Cheap, stupid but entertaining on a VERY base level--it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea! But, if you like unabashed trash, this is as good as any and it delivers exactly what you'd expect.
The_Void
Women in Cages is yet another sleazy women in prison film from the same people that brought us classics such as The Big Doll House and The Big Bird Cage. This film is nowhere near as good as those two, but it's still an entertaining effort that fans of this sort of trash will surely appreciate. The plot is just your general women in prison sort of story and, naturally, focuses on a bunch of women inside a women's prison. One in particular has been sent to jail after being set up by her boyfriend; meanwhile, another prisoner has been given the task of murdering said unfortunate prisoner. There's also an escape attempt being plotted. This women in prison film stands apart from many of the others simply because it stars Pam Grier in the role of a guard rather than a prisoner. Naturally, she steps into this role well and plays the antagonist with relish. Unfortunately, there's no role for Sid Haig in this one. The film is directed by Gerardo de Leon, and regrettably he doesn't have the same flair as Jack Hill and the film does fall a little flat in that respect. However, it's still decent enough entertainment and at about seventy five minutes, it doesn't outstay its welcome either. Worth a look.
gridoon
"Women in Cages" reunites the three main cast members of "The Big Doll House" (Pam Grier, Roberta Collins, Judy Brown), but the results suffer from a massive downgrade in quality. Roberta once again steals the show, as she is three times the looker AND the actress that anyone else in the film is. Sometimes I had to pause the tape just to look at her amazing face. She has one great catfight here, but (sadly) she does no arm-twisting this time. Pam Grier is too young for her role and comes across as wooden, and the main lead is forgettable. The film has its moments, but it's mostly dreary and unpleasant. If it weren't for Roberta, I'd say just forget about it. (**)
AD
