How sad is this?

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Regardless of what anybody else has to say, I thought this movie was much better than what the critics have said about it. Yes, it has its faults. But people should remember that this was a low-budget film made in 1956. As such, it doesn't have the advantage of the modern special effects that are now available and I've certainly seen worse movies that were much more expensive to produce. In that regard, I thought the director (Roger Corman) did an excellent job with what he had. While the acting was slightly below average overall, I thought Marie Windsor played a decent role as "Josie Nardo" who was essentially the leader of the group of escaped female convicts. Likewise, Carole Matthews (Police Lt. Lee Hampton) and Mike Connors (Bob Matthews) played their parts pretty well too. I thought both Beverly Garland (Vera) and Susan Cummings (Marie) were nice-looking but their acting didn't really impress me. On the other hand, Jil Jarmyn (Billie) stood out as the sexiest of the five females (in my opinion) even if her acting was only average. As for some other faults, I thought the women wearing cutoffs in an insect-infested swamp was rather absurd. Another was the scene where the rattlesnake advanced to attack Bob Matthews. In real life the rattlesnake would slither as fast as it could to get away and only attacks a person when it feels cornered and has no choice. But that's Hollywood for you. All things considered though, while some critics might consider it among the "50 worst" films in history, I regard it as more deserving than that. While it's definitely a "B-Movie", I think it was entertaining enough to rate a solid score.

Four women stage a jailbreak to get diamonds out of a swamp. One of them is undercover, however. Good thing, since the other three are very deadly.One of the women is a homicidal maniac, but not nearly the cliché that we usually see for this character. She doesn't have many dimensions, but clearly more than the modern horror movie homicidal maniac has.Another woman gets kidnapped, along with a hunky guy. The kidnapped girl is by far the most gorgeous of the women, but she is "film fatally flawed" in every detail, so her early exit is no spoiler.The other two cute girls have the big catfight at the end, but there are many catfights along the way. I'm not big on blocking fights, but these catfights looked very well done, maybe the most authentic looking ones you'll see on film.Gators, swamp boats, and mud add to the spectacle.Since this is movie where mostly women get killed, it isn't much of a "guy movie", but more of a "chick flick", the sort that girls like to see in order to cuddle close to a guy at a theater. That's probably about the only use for this movie. Still, it isn't what you would call a poor movie. If you don't expect a lot, you'll be happy enough.

Policewoman Carole Mathews goes "undercover" to join Marie Windsor, Beverly Garland, and Jil Jarmyn in prison. The "Gang of Four" escape, and head for the local swamp, to look for some stashed diamonds. Who would hide their booty in a swamp? They take turns touching tied-up hostage Mike Connors. His girlfriend gets eaten by the alligator. Let's not beat around the bush. Stripped to its basics, "Swamp Women" was made for 1950s viewers to watch four naughty young women escape from prison, get drunk, cut off the legs of their pants, and wrestle in the swamp. Directed by Roger Corman. In color.** Swamp Women (1955) Roger Corman ~ Marie Windsor, Carole Mathews, Beverly Garland

A tiny bit of stock footage was used to create the awesome feeling of actually being in a swamp. Professionally trained wrestling alligators were imported from Canada to enhance the action with carefully choreographed water ballet scenes of a knife fight. The opening title credits were punctuated with orchestral tones that bring cheers from the audience. I doubt if any of you will be able to stay in your seats when Mike Connors or Touch Connors deftly fights for his manhood in a canoe being attacked by prison girl escapees. The dialog is smoothly delivered as we hear memorable quotes like "Alright, break it up." and "She can't swim." Only Roger Corman could raise the budget needed for this epic of the soggy South. There is a nice 1949 Cadillac that is seen a couple of times. The escape scene from the barred window of what looks like any house in Los Angeles is worth the price of admission if you watch it for free.If you like swamp films I do recommend Southern Comfort.I must seriously admit Mike Connors rose above expectations in this. His voice is excellent and he has a look that is not that far from Clark Gable or Cary Grant. He could have made some good movies.Swamp Women. Diamonds, Dames, Guns, short shorts... and swamp love. If you don't watch this film over and over, you are made of steel.