Tweet
Released by: Blue Underground
Released on: May 30th, 2006.
Director: Oswaldo De Oliveira
Cast: Elisabeth Hartman, Sergio Hingst, Joao Paulo, Maurício do Valle, Sandra Graffi, Lígia de Paula, Elys Cardoso, Shirley Benny
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Amazon Jail - Movie Review:
A slave trade operation is selling off buxom lovelies illegally in the thick of the South American jungle. Not too impressed with the idea of spending the rest of her life as a captive servant, one of the girls makes a break for it and heads out with three other female inmates in search of freedom. After all, isn't it better to risk your life in the dangerous areas that surround the compound where they were held in cages than to live out your years as a slave? When the slave traders are sampling the merchandise, or at least one crazy mustachioed henchman in particular, it seems she has no other choice.
Of course, the girls are caught by the slave traders and brought back to the compound but what they don't realize is that a few parents have noticed that their daughters have mysteriously gone missing in action and had the good sense to alert the local authorities to the issue. When the crooks get word that the cops are coming down and fast, they attempt to bring their 'merchandise' with them in a mad dash escape but as it all comes crashing down around them, the girls once more make a mad dash for it, but what they don't realize is that this time something far more sinister could very well be waiting for them where they least expect it.
Sleazy enough to be entertaining and slick enough to work, Amazon Jail isn't near the top of the women in prison crop but it is an 'enjoyable' film none the less. The plot, which is admittedly pretty weak, exists for the sole purpose of moving the film from one set piece to another, each one a staple of the genre - rape, girl on girl fun in the bed and in the bath, torture and beatings; fun stuff like that. What's interesting about the movie, and this is the one aspect that differentiates it from others of its ilk, is how the female heroines of the film begin to break down and take things out on another and their captors as opposed to the standard women in prison motif where it's solely the bad guys who get it in the end.
Director Oswaldo De Oliviera (who also directed the superior Bare Behind Bars two years prior) makes the most out of the lush green areas surrounding the shooting locations and by pacing the film as quickly as he does manages to create an exciting and completely deplorable film without any real value save for exciting the viewer with sex and violence. On that level it works well, it does deliver exactly what you expect it to, and very little more. It isn't an intelligent film - characters show up and then disappear never to be heard from again and the plot is really all over the place - but then when dealing with material of this nature it really doesn't need to be.
Amazon Jail - DVD Review:
Blue Underground's 1.66.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is sharp as a tack and quite colorful. There's some mild to moderate grain present, noticeable mostly during the darker scenes, but fine detail looks good and black levels remain strong. Skin tones are lifelike and natural and while there is some softness to a few scenes, for the most part things look very good on this disc.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono dub is a bit on the flat side at times but this is likely due to the quality of the dubbing itself rather than the authoring of the DVD. Dialogue is clean and clear and the score comes through nicely. Levels are properly balanced and there are no issues with hiss or distortion.
Well, aside from menus and chapter stops, the only extra feature on this disc is the original U.S. theatrical trailer. The disc does come housed inside a slipcase cover, however, which is a nice touch from a packaging standpoint (and also conveniently covers some minor nudity on the back of the keepcase sleeve).
Amazon Jail - The Final Word:
More of a chase film then an actual women in prison sleaze fest, Amazon Jail never the less offers sleazy thrills to fans of the genre who have no doubt come to expect this type of thing from the genre. Blue Underground's disc looks and sounds quite nice but is short on extras. Not an essential disc, but one that will definitely please fans of the film or WIP completist types.
