Jackson County Jail

Yvette Mimieux is a tough, terrific actress, and she cuts an assertive and sexy presence on the screen (especially in these post-"Time Machine" years); however, this mangy Roger Corman production doesn't do much for her or anyone else. Woman traveling alone is unjustly incarcerated while driving cross-country; she escapes jail with help from a convict (Tommy Lee Jones), but the crooked police are not far behind. Though it eventually caught-on with early cable-TV audiences, "Jackson County Jail" is hardly more than a slapdash effort, an exploitation item not designed to empower women but to give drive-in audiences a thrill at seeing one abused. The pretentious finale aside, the picture doesn't even have the good sense to play up its redneck clichés or have fun with the jailhouse formula; instead, director Michael Miller and screenwriter Donald Stewart take things far too seriously, culminating in one ridiculous scene after another. * from ****

"Jackson County Jail" is raw, tough and compelling mid-seventies exploitation coming from the nearly inexhaustible vaults of producer Roger Corman. The film definitely isn't as violent or sleazy as many contemporary and similarly-themed movies, like for example "I Spit on your Grave", because the emphasis here merely lies on the thoroughly unpleasant atmosphere of hopelessness. So, instead of a nasty and gratuitous rape 'n revenge flick, this is more of a powerful drama centered on the suffering (physically as well as mentally) of the poor protagonist and the cruel injustice of this world. Underrated actress Yvette Mimieux is truly terrific as the strong leading lady Dinah Hunter. She's a feisty publicity woman in Los Angeles, avidly defending women's position in marketing, but her clients don't share her visions. When she also catches her husband with a much younger and exotic wench, Dinah impulsively decides to meet up with her sister in New York. She also decides to travel by car for this cross-country trip instead of by plane; a choice that she will deeply regret quite quickly and for the rest of her life. In a very short while, Dinah's car and everything in it gets stolen by youthful thugs, she's nearly assaulted by a filthy restaurant owner and then she's the one put in jail because she doesn't have any papers! But in jail the nightmare only gets worse, as Dinah is barbarically raped by the crazy deputy Hobie. She manages to kill him and escapes together with convict Coley Blake, who witnessed the whole thing, but from this moment onwards they are considered fugitive cop-killers by all police department of the neighboring counties. "Jackson County Jail" fully relies on a solid script by Donald Stewart (frequent adapter of Tom Clancy novels), tight direction by Michael Miller and stellar performances from both Yvette Mimieux and Tommy Lee Jones (still in the earliest phases of his awesome career). There are a couple of moments of adrenalin- rushing action, like the chase with the sheriff and the climax, but the strength of the film lies within the grim portrayal of America's underbelly-society. Highly recommended for fans of genuine 70's cult cinema.

Fundamentally "Jackson County Jail" has all the makings of a crass exploitation picture but is, in fact, a hard-hitting pro-feminist expose of American mores. It also gives that fine and underrated actress Yvette Mimieux one of her best roles as a young businesswoman whose drive across America turns into a nightmare that begins when her car is hi-jacked and goes all the way downhill from there to rape and murder. Of course, whether the audiences of the day caught the film's underlying message or just enjoyed the blatant sex and violence is a different matter but it has certainly built up something of a cult reputation and is well worth seeing.

"Dinah Hunter" (Yvette Mimieux) works for an advertising agency and after an extremely bad day comes home only to find her husband with another woman. Determined to make a new start in life she decides to leave Los Angeles and drive to New York. But on the way she makes the mistake of picking up two hitchhikers who end up stealing her car and leaving her unconscious along the side of the road. To make matters even worse, after managing to stumble into a nearby restaurant she finds that her problems are only just beginning. Now, rather than reveal any more of the story and risk ruining the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that I found at least one particular scene involving Yvette Mimieux to be quite graphic and brutal. In any case, I thought she did exceptionally well as did Tommy Lee Jones (as "Colin Blake") who also put in a fine performance. On the flip side, I didn't care too much for the ending and would have preferred a bit more finalization. All things considered I rate this movie as slightly above average.

In the pantheon of exploitation flicks, the fugitive genre is one of the most important ones. "Jackson County Jail" is a key example, with an arrested woman (Yvette Mimieux) fleeing with an inmate (Tommy Lee Jones). There's lots of fun in store. This movie does have one particularly rough scene, but it adds to the story. Mimieux's character is one who you hope will succeed; after seeing what happens to her, how can you not? Jones's character is a loser who tries to do the right thing. It manages the proper balance of action and drama. Worth seeing.

The rest of the cast includes Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds), Severn Darden (a character actor in the '60s and '70s) and Nan Martin.