The Lady in Red

Often the crime scene was overpowered by the men, The Woman In Red points out an opposite vision of preestablished status quo, where a young woman after passing by many plights insert herself in world of crime on late twenties, a stunning performance of the gorgeous Pamela Sue Martin arouse attention nothing less than Tarantino that had great regards of the little masterpiece.

Deeply overshadowed by majors releases at its time, it somehow thru the time arouse awareness of many defenders, watching this picture for first time I'd realize the filthy environment of house of pleasures, the harassment on the industry and on the jail as well a corruptive world where just the strong can survive.

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Resume: First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.

If they had called it "The life of a Gun Moll", nobody probably would have gone to see it. So they went with the Dillinger angle, but forget it this is Pamela Sue's film.

If you ever wondered how "good little" girls end up being window dressing for some of the most notorious gangsters that ever lived, this film gives a good look at her rebellion against her strict religious up bringing and her descent into crime and prostitution.

Pamela Sue is so cute, you have a hard time believing she is a hardened criminal, but she just about pulls it off.

Great watch Small shots and the unknown subtley with the signature style from the 70's is completely gone in movies today. Someone's gotta start makin' retro throwback modern 70's movies...with all the cgi crap we have now just imagine how priceless they could make em now!

"The Lady in Red" is the kind of movie that those of us fans of cult cinema and b-movies live for. It's an unheralded classic, and a movie that totally rises above its inauspicious "grindhouse" or exploitation roots.

I believe the movie's success may have been undercut by advertising that suggests it is about Dillinger. It isn't. It's the story of Dillinger's alleged girlfriend, the one who supposedly betrayed him to the feds. The story is, if anything, more interesting than Dillinger's, and packs a feminist punch. It shows a path to crime more heartbreaking than any famous bankrobber's.

The protagonist is thrown out of home and ends up in jail. There's a whole genre of women in prison movies, and they almost all feature a sadistic lesbian guard. Yet, none of them are this good, and none of the guards are as horribly believable as the one in this movie.

The movie only spends about half an hour there, and is yet more believable and impactful than all the women in prison movies combined. The only way out for the protagonist is prostitution, which is where she comes into contact with crime figures she is destined to join.

Dillinger is, in fact, just another guy she meets, and that's a massive strength. To her, he was no hero. He was just another man, a potential user, thief, murderer, whatever.

This is the world through the eyes of a down-on-her-luck woman who had little choice but to turn to crime.

How fitting that it would be so roundly ignored, even after all these years.

Polly Franklin (Pamela Sue Martin) is an innocent farm girl obsessed with 42nd Street. She gets caught up with the Dillinger gang's bank robbery. She gets a red dress from a reporter and loses her virginity to him. Her father beats her and she runs away. She is befriended by Rose at a sweatshop but her life descends into prison and forced into prostitution by the ruthless warden.

It's produced by the Roger Corman family. It's a bit rambling. Pamela Sue Martin used to be a star in the 70s and 80s. I missed most of that since I didn't watch Dynasty. I don't really see the range although she has some charisma. The biggest issue is that this story is simply a series of incidents. Some parts are less compelling than others. This could have been an interesting prison movie but that part is pretty quick. The sweatshop confused me a bit. This needs some better directing.