A different way of telling a story

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I was thinking that WOMEN IN FURY would be another run of the mill women-in-prison film, the type of which I'm not very fond. These films always seem plot less and uninspired, filling out their running time with lesbian sex scenes and silly cat fights. However, this film is something more. First off, it's supposedly based on a true story, and there's a sub plot which takes entirely outside the prison which shows a doctor's attempts to prove an inmate's innocence. Secondly, only the first half of the film takes place in the prison. During this section, we're subject to the usual cat fights, lesbian coupling, and copious nudity, this time from an attractive cast. Then, at around the halfway mark, there's a surprise decapitation followed by a jail break and then the film becomes a jungle adventure yarn, following the trials of a handful of women attempting to escape from the guards and dogs pursuing them.This film has action and excitement in spades and the surprise is that it's all rather good. Director Michele Massimo Tarantini, who also made the equally fun MASSACRE IN DINOSAUR VALLEY, knows how to stage an effective fight or shoot-out and the use of lush Brazilian locations add a level of sweaty realism that would be otherwise missing. The cast is undistinguished, but they put in generally good performances for a B-movie. This film has it all: explosions, shoot-outs, gore, violent attacks, cat fights, snakes, wall scaling, beheadings, tough inmates, a despicable villain, and my favourite character, a hulking black woman prisoner who steals all her scenes. So far, this is the most entertaining women in prison flick I've watched thanks to Tarantini's willingness to think outside the box.

Sweet and innocent Angela Duvall (a solid and sympathetic performance by smoldering hot brunette stunner Suzane Carvalho, who quit acting in the late 80's and became a professional race car driver) goes to a harsh women's prison for a murder that was actually committed by her pathetic weakling brother brother Sergio (an appropriately hateful and sniveling Paulo Guarnieri). Naturally, both the nasty guards and vicious inmates alike immediately start lusting after Angela's delectably voluptuous body. Angela and several other hardened felons escape and go on the lam in the dangerous Brazilian jungle. Writer/director Michele Massimo Tarantini, who also blessed us with the deliciously trashy trekking through the jungle action/adventure romp "Massacre in Dinosaur Valley," really delivers the satisfyingly seamy lowdown scuzzy goods: we've got copious tasty distaff nudity, lurid lesbianism (the lascivious head matron has her bawdy way with Angela in an incredibly torrid tryst), sadistic beatdowns, a sizable smattering of bloody violence, rough'n'tumble catfights, leering soft-core sex, the inevitable wild riot, and even a couple of snake attacks. The acting is pretty decent for the genre, with particularly notable contributions by Henri Pagnoncelli as crusading nice guy physician Dr. Cuna and Leonard Jose as the mean and ruthless Captain Bonifacio. Aida Marques' basic cinematography gives the picture a suitably grimy look. Remo Usai's funky score also does the trick. The sordid south-of-the-border setting adds an extra spicy exotic flavor. Worth a look for babes-behind-bars buffs.

I've seen a handful of women in prison films, and one thing I thought I'd never see was a half decent one! Trust the director of the brilliant Massacre in Dinosaur Valley to come up with something more fun than the average women in prison flick! The film is not too different from the masses of trash directed by the likes of Jess Franco in the way that it's plotted, but Michele Massimo Tarantini forsakes overly graphic hardcore porn for a more story based approach, and that really does the film benefit as despite lacking what some may be watching for; Women in Fury is at least entertaining, and it's also the only women in prison flick that I'd consider watching again! Naturally, the plot focuses on a women's prison. The central character is Angela Duvall, a young woman wrongly sent to a Brazilian prison after supposedly murdering a drug dealer. She soon finds that there are lots of lesbians in jail in Brazil, and after being initiated into the prison by her fellow inmates and the guards, an opportunity to escape beckons, and Angela takes it...As previously mentioned, this film does not feature as much sex and sleaze as many women in prison flicks, but that's not to say it doesn't feature any! The fact that it's not wall to wall sleaze really does do it benefit; the sex itself is graphic, but not overly graphic, and while many women in prison film grind to a halt as a result of too much graphic sex, this one always has the story to fall back on; which gives it a strong backbone. Aside from the sex and sleaze, there's also a fair amount of violence featured, which is nice and while this isn't as shocking as many genre films; it's still a brutal picture and I'm sure it has enough grit about it to please most fans of cult cinema. The women featured are mostly nice to look at and the lesbian sex scenes are well filmed. The way that the film changes from prison drama to a chase through the neighbouring jungle is good, and while overall I can't really profess this to be a brilliant film - I will say it's the best women in prison flick that I've seen, and it's the only one that I'd give high recommendations for.

* B.B.B. stands for Babes Behind Bars. Even though they all sound and look fascinating, these B.B.B. (or W.I.P = women in prison) movies usually are the most boring and incompetent exploitation moneymakers of all. All those movies directed by Jess Franco (Barbed Wired Dolls), Oswaldo De Oliveira (Amazon Jail) and God knows who else look promising enough but they ultimately fail in accomplishing anything at all, apart from showing tons of pointless and often even very unattractive naked female flesh. Michele Massimo Tarantini's – great name – "Women in Fury" is different from every possibly viewpoint and actually a surprisingly good film. It has a great story to tell, the acting performances are adequate for a change and even though the amounts of sex and nudity are plentiful, it always remains stylishly shot and within the boundaries of good taste. No endless sequences in which the camera zooms in on women masturbating or getting barbarically whipped for no reason other than sick sexual pleasure. Instead the script patiently takes the time to introduce the main characters and make the audience empathize with them. It involves nudity, of course, but it serves a purpose and at least the actresses here are highly desirable. The pivot figure is Angela Duvall, a silent girl doing prison time for a murder that was really committed by her cowardly brother. Very much against her own will, Angela causes amok within the prison's walls because everybody – guards as well as fellow inmates – want a taste of her beautiful body. The penitential doctor falls madly in love with Angela too and even convinces the authorities to release her, but in the meantime she and a handful of other girls already escaped into the Brazilian jungle where new types of terror await her. "Women in Fury" is an extremely violent film, with quite a lot of nasty massacres occurring every couple of minutes and legitimate tension nailing you on the edge of your seat. Suzane Carvalho is a beauty with talent and brains, and you're guaranteed to cheer for her. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best B.B.B. movie available on the market.