'Amazon Hot Box' comes from the same period as those Jack Hill led Filipino "chicks in chains" flicks of the early seventies ( see 'The Big Doll House' and 'The Big Bird Cage' for the best of the genre). Fans of them will really like this one. As always, the movie is set in some unnamed Banana Republic. What sets this movie apart is the female actresses and their characters. I have a sneaking suspicion that this was written by or had some re-writes by a woman. The women feel to real compared to what men write. While they do inhabit this world and those trappings, the females are multi dimensional and the men are stock characters. Really unusual for these films but it works. I doubt a man would come up with that so the actresses probably had some input and they are all on point. Actress Tristan Risk (Val) get's the best arch and lines to work with and shows what a great actress she is, I won't spoil it. Ellie Church is one of the most wicked wardens ever brought to the screen and her relations with a evil religious man is at first comical but then very real and hurtful. One of the film highlights for sure is that dynamic. There is also reference to older women (Samara Scott) and their relationships with younger women (Jordan Phipps), the secret agents, that was refreshing and felt authentic. The lead "new fish" is played by Kelsey Carlisle and she is really good, as are her inmate friends.
The men are about as useless and stupid as they come. None of them are interested in the women, yeah right! They are funny. The real standout is the hapless guard who Val keeps getting over on. At first you think he will be a lecherous pervert but he's a dope like the rest of them. Most of the comedy comes from the men but the women have some good lines too. The president and his captor are hilarious additions.
My biggest complaint is that it should have been longer. I could have spent more time with these women. Newcomers to these kinds of movies may not enjoy this as those more familiar with the Filipino women-in-prison style and approach will, but I enjoyed 'Amazon Hot Box' a great deal, and think it deserves to be much better known than it currently is. A tough and cool movie with plenty of fun and thrills. This is not safe for the kiddies.
The men are about as useless and stupid as they come. None of them are interested in the women, yeah right! They are funny. The real standout is the hapless guard who Val keeps getting over on. At first you think he will be a lecherous pervert but he's a dope like the rest of them. Most of the comedy comes from the men but the women have some good lines too. The president and his captor are hilarious additions.
My biggest complaint is that it should have been longer. I could have spent more time with these women. Newcomers to these kinds of movies may not enjoy this as those more familiar with the Filipino women-in-prison style and approach will, but I enjoyed 'Amazon Hot Box' a great deal, and think it deserves to be much better known than it currently is. A tough and cool movie with plenty of fun and thrills. This is not safe for the kiddies.