La cage aux vices

Writer / director Paul Nicholas, who'd previously done the Linda Blair classic "Chained Heat", returns to the Women In Prison genre for this diverting bag of cinematic trash. Although it doesn't offer anything that W.I.P. fans haven't seen before, it still goes through its paces adequately, offering gore, atmosphere and titillation in respectable doses. The supporting cast is largely nondescript, but there are a few performers that stand out, which I'll get to in a moment. The movie does have a fair bit of set-up; the main character doesn't get to the prison until 16 minutes of screen time have gone by. But once she's there, there's plenty of sordid melodrama to keep an exploitation fanatic amused.

Lovely Shari Shattuck of 'The Young and the Restless' fame stars as Michelle, whose bank is held up by her no-count husband Willy (John Terlesky, "Chopping Mall"), who's met a ferocious femme fatale named Rita (Christina Whitaker) who has put him up to it. The robbery goes awry, and after all is said and done Rita falsely claims in court that Michelle was a willing participant, which gets Michelle sent to the slam for three years.

You get what you pay for with "The Naked Cage". Lesbian encounters? Check. Shower scenes? Check. Repulsive male characters such as rapist guard Smiley (Nick Benedict)? Check. And of course there's the usual corrupt warden (B movie veteran Angel Tompkins, "The Teacher") who's always got something going on. The ladies in this thing are enjoyable to watch; Shattuck is appealing as the "good girl" heroine who definitely takes her lumps before this is over. Faith Minton has an undeniable presence as butch top con Sheila. Buffs will note the presence of Carole Ita White ('Laverne & Shirley'), who'd already appeared in "Hellhole", "Chained Heat", and "The Concrete Jungle". Larry Gelman ('The Bob Newhart Show', 'The Odd Couple', "Chatterbox") has a cameo as the prison doctor. But it's the intense Whitaker who dominates things with a campy portrayal of a vindictive and vicious character.

All in all, if you're a devotee of this genre, you may not be blown away by "The Naked Cage" but you should have a pretty good time.

Seven out of 10.

A young woman (Shari Shattuck) is falsely convicted of a bank robbery and sent to a maximum-security prison run by a corrupt warden, where she is forced to suffer various indignities.

When you sit down to watch a women in prison movie, you already expect it to be exploitation all the way, with gratuitous nudity and very likely a girl-on-girl sex scene or two. While this film certainly does that, it is a little less blatant and for that it maybe deserves a little credit.

Not that this is good. The basic plot point is that a woman kidnapped at a bank gets sent to prison for the robbery she had no part of. This really makes no sense, but because it jumps from the cops showing up directly to the prison, we never see how such bungling could occur.

While the women in prison movie genre was on its last legs by the mid 1980s, that fact did not stop schlock movie producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus from grinding out their own contribution. Typical for one of their productions, it was made on a low budget, which does show here and there (mainly with some cheap sets.) However, director Paul Nicolas does manage to inject some stylish touches here and there. And while the movie could have used a bit more sleaze, there is a decent amount of nudity and other exploitation touches here and there. However, the story is kind of a mess. There are some murky details, as if important information got edited out or was never filmed in the first place. And some scenes seem to play out of order. Central story details also unfold slowly, but Nicolas does go from scene to scene at a brisk pace so there are no boring or tedious moments. And there is some welcome camp, mainly with some really broad performances by the cast. While I am (oddly) not a big fan of the women in prison genre despite the treats many of these films offer, I will say this: If you like this particular genre, you will likely find this effort to be decently done.

I recently watched The Naked Cage (1986) on Prime. The storyline follows a woman unjustly imprisoned in a women's facility, where she must navigate cliques among the inmates and contend with a corrupt warden who has her own twisted desires. The warden controls the prison through spies who can make life easier or harder for inmates. As the young woman starts to understand the dangerous dynamics inside, even her allies begin to turn against her. Can she survive, or will the prison system destroy her?

Written and directed by Paul Nicholas (Night of the Archer), the film stars Shari Shattuck (Spy Hard), Angel Tompkins (The Teacher), Nick Benedict (Get a Job), and John Terlesky (Deathstalker II).

This is a classic 80s prison drama, complete with all the era's iconic elements. The cast of gorgeous women, 80s hairstyles, and a lively soundtrack make it fun to watch. There are some entertaining action scenes, like the opening robbery, the fight sequences, and the predictable but enjoyable prison riot at the end. The film also has its fair share of girl-on-girl action, nudity, and the inevitable shower scene-though that didn't play out quite as expected. The warden's office looking like a set straight out of a porn film was unintentionally hilarious. However, as you'd expect, there's inconsistent acting, over-the-top situations, and predictable plot points-though they're fun in a campy way.

In conclusion, The Naked Cage is a fun 80s prison drama, but you'll need to manage your expectations. I'd score it a 5-5.5/10 and recommend it only if you're looking for some nostalgic, over-the-top entertainment.

I was really surprised. What could you expect of a movie named "the Naked Cage", produced by Cannon Group and Golan-Globus Company? I myself was expecting crap, but it was fine. This film depicts prison for women and terrible things happening there. Michelle is falsely accused in a bank robbery, and goes to prison where she faces a lot of cruelty and horrible things. Worth watching this movie.