Jailbreak - Auf der Flucht

At this point, producer Roger Corman had made a career of recycling props and sets, as well as footage from other movies. So it should come as no surprise that he eventually went to recycling old scripts as well. This is actually the third go-around for this story (the previous two were "Jackson County Jail" and "Outside Chance".) You might think that having a woman screenwriter/director this time around might jazz things up somewhat, but you'd be wrong. This looks even cheaper than JCJ, for one thing. The two leads don't seem to be having any fun in their roles, and their tired spirits really weigh down on the movie. The movie tries to be faster-paced than its predecessors, but after the first half hour it really pads things out when it realizes that it still has an hour of running time to go. There is a slap-dash feeling to the entire movie, from reflections of boom mikes in car windows to the fact that jailed convict Carradine is allowed to wear an earring in his jail cell.

Still, that first shot is pretty impressive.

This film was so bad that the content of the movie is not even reviewable. The performances by Ally Sheedy and David Carradine represent their darkest cinematic hour. In their defense, if that's possible, the budget for this film had to have provided for only one take for every scene. I simply can't think of any other reason how a film could be so poorly put together. At one point I really thought that Sheedy and Carradine were intentionally "bad acting", and that the film was intended to be a "quasi" spoof. It wasn't. But here's the interesting thing about this movie. The movie was so bad that it was, in an odd way, fascinating to watch. I'm sure Ally Sheedy blushes anytime she's within earshot of a mention of this film. It's always interesting to see someone with talent do something remarkable, whether good or bad.

"Macon County Jail" has some pretty lame acting. Ally Sheedy appears to be either hysterical or comatose, and David Carradine acts like he would rather be somewhere else. All of this mediocrity allows Charles Napier's performance to stand out, and he is without question the most interesting character in this soggy jailbreak saga. The script seems extremely contrived, and clichés abound, all of which makes the gratuitous car crashes and explosions totally predictable. Sheedy's abrupt change from meek victim to gun toting desperado is anything but believable. Several weak attempts at humor leaves the film with a curious lack of identity, when contrasted with the brutal rape scene. - MERK

I was expecting something like Andy Griffith's "Coweta County" and this film came pretty close... mindless trashy fun that requires suspension of disbelief to get a hold of.

This film starts out like Neil Simon. Not quite up to his stellar quality, mind you. But it is like the "Out of Towners" where things go downhill.

The rape was gratuitous and makes one wonder if all Southern cops are corrupt? I was thinking of the line from "My Cousin Vinny" about them all being corrupt and sleeping with their sisters.

Carradine graduated from this to "Kill Bill" but what happened to Ally Sheedy?

In Los Angeles, Susan Reed (Ally Sheedy) is discharged from her position in the office of a manufacturer of toys, due to the bad results on the sales of a doll designed by her. When she arrives home earlier, she finds her mate having intercourse in the garage of their house. She leaves him and decides to move to New York, for a new job. While traveling, she gives a ride to a hitchhiker, who robs her car, money and documents. While asking for help in a road store to a moron, she is accused of assault and is arrested in Macon County jail. There, she is locked in a jail side by side with Coley (David Carradine), a violent prisoner, by Sheriff Dempsey (Charles Napier). During the night, she is raped by the son of Dempsey, she kills him and escapes with Coley in a trunk. From this moment on, the couple is chased by the local police force considered as cop killers. What a bad movie this "Macon County Jail" is! I bought the VHS, since I like the actress Ally Sheedy. However, I do not know why she accepted to make such a bad and corny movie. The screenplay is horrible, the characters are shallowly developed and the unlucky coincidences with the character Susan Reed are unbelievably ridiculous. I believe the possibilities of such a bad luck is totally impossible. The corny end, without further explanation how the problems were resolved, is terrible. The histrionic, absurd and silly performance of Ally Sheedy is a complete disappointment for her fans. Watching this movie is a waste of time! My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Foragidos" ("Fugitives")