Caged Fury (1990) User Reviews (21)

You'd be furious, too....

[Mister-6 · 3/10 · 12 December 2000]

...if you went into this, expecting a MOVIE!

Let's just say as a movie, "Caged Fury" makes a great peep show!

Same old song: innocent farm girl goes to big city (LA, if I recall) looking for stardom, ends up in the kind of prison that is an actual front for a white slavery ring; her sister goes looking for her, ends up in the same prison.

NOW, here is where things get kind of confusing. You see, this movie doesn't know whether or not it wants to be a sleazy women's prison movie, a porn flick, a cop movie or a kung-fu flick!

I mentioned porn flick because this one has a big number of porn stars here, many under assumed names. If you're a fan, you'll recognize Kashcha, Ron Jeremy, Tyffany Million, Janine Lindemuller and Julia Parton.

It also has Erik Estrada (!!!) as a cop/detective looking for the girls and the huge, bulky Richard Barathy as his partner, who happens to know some beefy kung-fu moves that put all the baddies in their place. And not only are these two here, but there are also appearances by Michael Parks, Jack Carter, Paul Smith (yes, Beast Rabban from the 1984 "Dune" movie) and James Hong.

Anyway, there's loads of female nudity (it IS a women's prison flick, after all), kung-fu fighting, simulated sex, plenty of stupidity, truck-loads of prison stereotypes, entire continents of beautiful chicks and an ending where everything turns out okay. Oh, and did I mention Erik Estrada?

You can't expect much from movies like this, but at least "Caged Fury" throws in a lot more than other films do. Name another women's prison flick with Erik Estrada... that's what I thought.

Two stars for "Caged Fury", plus one more for Erik Estrada - he needs more work like this.

pretty girls just don't save this one

[Dudleytown · 4/10 · 23 September 2004]

When I popped "Caged Fury" into my VCR, I had no idea what to expect because I didn't have the VHS sleeve, so I thought I might be in for a kind of kick boxing movie... and I wasn't so far off. Let me explain. The film revolves around two sisters who get sent to this women's prison unjustifiably. Granted, lots of eye candy, but most of the scenes with any kind of nudity we're due to sexual harrasement and such... not much fun. Our hero is the top of the cake though. It's not explained how he is so talented at fighting, but he looked like a professional kickboxer! It was hilarious! There is no motive either for him to put his life on the line to save these two girls. Very bad though, but fun for a late night romp.

Prison porn

[lastliberal · 4/10 · 14 March 2009]

Pure 80s cheese for fans of women's prison flicks.

Kat (Roxanna Michaels), fresh off the farm, goes to L.A. to make it as an actress and gets thrown in a fake prison where the inmates are sold as sex slaves. Her sister Tracy (Elena Sahagun) comes to her rescue, along with Erik Estrada and Richard Barathy as a mullet-ed beefcake that karate chops his way though everyone. Of course, the two guys ride off into the sunset on their Harleys with the two women behind.

Typical lesbian, leather-clad warden (Mindi Miller), huge sadistic matrons, shower scenes, simulated sexual scenes, and lots of fighting. Lots of recognizable porn stars for the fans.

For serious fans of this genre only.

You'll laugh 'till you cry...

[funnypage · 9 May 2002]

...or cry 'till you laugh. One or the other. It's a terrible film, but you've got to be made of stone not to enjoy this. There is line drawn in the sand of the desert where all bad films dwell. It separates those films that are just bad from those that are so appallingly terrible they just have to be seen. The word tacky doesn't do this justice. you absolutely have to see this film. Get a couple of mates around and watch it with plenty of alcohol on standby. I promise you you'll enjoy it.

Plus, Dirk Ramsey? There's never been an action hero like him before. There never will be again. He should have his own theme tune.

For women's prison movie fans only

[smatysia · 5/10 · 7 November 2003]

Not a good film, objectively, but a sort of archetype of the women's prison movie genre. Roxanna Michaels was extremely gorgeous, and is worth the price of admission. Some of the other actresses are porn stars, sort of slumming in an R-rated picture. If you are someone who likes women's prison movies, (and you know who you are) you CANNOT miss this one. Anyone else should probably take a pass. Grade: C-

Waste of time.

[okpilak · 2/10 · 22 September 2023]

Once the opening scene of the woman in the prison is over, there really is no reason to keep watching. It was clear they suffered, as their clothes are very skimpy, lacy, and in some, don't hold the person in. But we have a young woman living on a ranch in Utah who has dreams of making it big as an actress in LA. It then becomes very predictable. So she gets framed, sent to Honeywell State Prison for Woman, a very 'butch' place. The warden wears leather with plenty of buckles. There are guards wearing a police uniform, which is not how prisons are run. And yes, Eric Estrada has a decent sized role and rides his Harley, and Richard Barathy, sporting a mullet, does a lot of kung fu. There are far better WIP movies out there (any with Ilsa would do), as this is a waste of time.

Wait, what's Erik Estrada doing here?

[grantss · 2/10 · 22 July 2022]

Incredibly bad, though you pretty much suspect that from the plot summary. Cheap, sleazy with hammy acting. The strangest thing though is that the cast includes Erik Estrada, in a minor role to boot. His star must have fallen massively since his CHiPs days.

Laughable Ridiculousness

[dwremy · 2/10 · 1 September 2019]

This movie is horrible-worse than most Women In Prison films...the premise is dumb, the script and the acting is horrible. I've seen better "So Bad It's Good" films-Caged Fury barely makes the cut. Still the ridiculousness of it all could make for a fun night of yelling at the television and laughing at the insanity. Naive girls from Utah getting lured with dreams of movie stardom suckered into a white slavery ring? A fake prison used to help shuttle new girls into the criminal organization? Two guys risking their lives to save someone they barely know? Erik Estrada disappearing for most of the movie and then popping up at the end? THIS IS DUMB, but you'll probably still laugh at the insanity....still, THIS IS TRASH.

A WIP Flick featuring Erik Estrada and Ron Jeremy? How Could This Go Wrong?

[ascheland · 4/10 · 24 July 2011]

Innocent women wrongly convicted when they put too much trust into the wrong man are thrown into a hellish prison, where the only break they get from the sadistic lesbians gleefully conducting cavity searches and psychotic male guards smacking them around is when they're allowed to take a long, steamy showers. Been there, done that, only "Caged Fury" has a twist, one that you'll decipher quickly enough on your own, and spend the rest of the movie wondering why the "prisoners" never catch on (the movie's explanation: women are stupid). Also, it stars Erik Estrada.

Our heroines are a pair of Utah farm girls, Cat (Roxanna Micheals) and Tracy (Elena Sahagan). Tracy is the wild sister, the one who ran off to New York and came back looking like a mad scientist's experiment to transform LaToya Jackson into Pia Zadora, but retaining a country gal's love of baseball caps and acid-wash denim. Despite their father's (Michael Parks) misgivings, Cat wants to follow in her big sister's footsteps, only she wants to go to L.A. instead of New York because she's independent that way. As she heads west in her Taurus station wagon she's flagged down by Rhonda (April Dawn Dollarhide), a hitch-hiker fending off a fat hick rapist. Though Rhonda has no stated itinerary, she has a contact in L.A., "fashion" photographer Buck (Blake Bahner). Girls may go for Buck's studly good looks, but they stay for his charming style, such as when he asks his guest from Utah: "Cat, as in p—sy?" The movie's other conceit: the men of Los Angeles are sleazy pigs — except Erik Estrada and Richard Barathy, who rescue Cat from a biker gang rape at the ersatz metal club Buck takes the girls to (Buck would've saved her, but he was busy sexing up Rhonda in a realistically grimy/unrealistically roomy restroom).

After Cat thanks Estrada for his chivalry with her body (hey, she pretty much HAS to), Buck takes the girls to an audition that's so intentionally cheesy the actors get eyestrain winking at the camera. But just when Cat's about to catch on that she's auditioning for—gasp!—a porn video, she and Rhonda are booked on solicitation charges and sent to prison. Lucky for Cat, her big sister Tracy's got her back. Unfortunately, Tracy's not any smarter than she is, since Tracy's plan entails getting sent to the same prison and, well, she hasn't quite worked out all the details. Guess it's up to Estrada and Barathy, the only decent men in all of L.A., to save them. Uh-oh, Estrada gets shot and spends the last act in an ambulance being tended to by a sexy nurse. So it's Barathy, with his lethal kick-boxing skills and luxurious mullet, who finally takes down the bad guys. But first, how about some lesbianism, hot showers and a cameo from Ron Jeremy?

The issue with "Caged Fury" isn't quality. It's bad, sure, but we knew that going in. But why isn't it more fun? There is evidence it's trying to be a parody in the vein of "Reform School Girls," but its humor makes the women, not the genre, the butt of the joke. What's more, "Caged Fury" has no deliciously campy performances. Ty Randolph, as the dominatrix-outfitted warden, does what she can but she's no Pat Ast or Sybil Danning; and Ron Jeremy and Erik Estrada, who have lent camp cache to other direct-to-video projects, are given little to do here. "Caged Fury" also doesn't cut it as exploitation. Director Bill Milling has several adult video credits ("A Scent of Heather," "Blonde Goddess"), but with "Caged Fury" he stays safely inside the confines of an R-rating, not even daring to push into "hard-R" territory. Yeah, you get your T&A, some full-frontal glimpses and some violence (a fork in the eyeball being the goriest set-piece), but the sex is so tame it's not even worth mentioning. A guy who directed hardcore porn skimps on the sex scenes? Guess Milling wanted people to see him as something other than a porn director, but sometimes it's best to stick with what you know.

Great fun

[Bogus Nature Boy · 7/10 · 13 May 2002]

There are some films in this world that are just so bad that they're hilarious, and Caged Fury is one of these. The hero of the story is Dirk Ramsey, a be-mulleted kung-fu superman who attempts to rescue the inmates of a women's prison. He kicks through brick walls and tackles entire gangs with only his wits and his ridiculous wig to protect him. Dirk's one liners are cornier than extremely corny corn, and the actor playing Dirk is obviously overweight and out of shape. However, this means that the fights within the film are some of the funniest martial arts scenes ever committed to film as poor old Dirk struggles to lift his leg above his waist. Most of the actresses in the film are porn stars, and spend the movie swoonig over Dirk and his burly chum Victor. I thoroughly recommend this film for anyone who enjoys a good laugh. Make a night of it; invite some friends over, stick on some Europe or Iron Maiden and watch this movie in the context that it belongs in, a celebration of pure 1980's cheese.

Caged Fury provides the anticipated allure of attractive ladies behind bars but lacks the quality expected of a noteworthy film

[kevin_robbins · 3/10 · 26 January 2024]

I recently watched Caged Fury (1990) on Prime. The storyline revolves around women who audition for a supposed Hollywood opportunity, only to find themselves in prison facing assault and torture. When they mistakenly kidnap the wrong woman, a biker and his associate come to her rescue to save her and help her seek revenge.

Directed and written by Bill Milling (Body Trouble), the film stars Kascha (Backdoor to Hollywood 7), Gregory Scott Cummings (Cliffhanger), Sydney Coale (Princess Warrior), and Michael Parks (Red State).

This prison genre movie delivers all the expected elements - shower sequences, nude searches, and encounters with male and female security guards. The cast is visually striking, but the writing and acting are reminiscent of soft porn. The heroes, while ridiculous and random, contribute a touch of hilarity fitting for the low budget addition to the genre. However, a twist at the end falls short of its intended cleverness.

In conclusion, Caged Fury provides the anticipated allure of attractive ladies behind bars but lacks the quality expected of a noteworthy film. I would give it a score of 3/10 and recommend it only with the appropriate expectations.

A deliciously trashy and absurd chicks-in-chains exploitation romp

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 18 November 2007]

Sweet innocent Kathie Collins (foxy Roxanna Michaels) and her rowdy gal pal Rhonda Wallace (a delightfully raucous April Dawn Dollarhide) are wrongfully incarcerated in a brutal women's penitentiary where the vicious staff led by sadistic lesbian Warden Sybil Thorn (essayed with lip-smacking wicked aplomb by Mindi Miller) grossly mistreat the fetching female inmates. It's up to rough'n'tumble nonstop one man a**kicking martial arts machine Dick Ramsey (beefy wonder Richard Barathy, who sports a truly hideous mullet) to rescue the lovely ladies. Writer/director Bill Milling really pours on the entertainingly outrageous cheese something scrumptious: we've got ineptly staged fight scenes aplenty (including the inevitable wild barroom brawl), slick cinematography by Kenneth H. Wiatrak, a constant snappy pace, a wailin' 80's head-banging rock soundtrack, a pleasingly leering protracted shower scene, vigorously hammy overacting from a game cast, one doozy of a surprise plot twist (the prison is actually a front for a nefarious white slavery ring!), a funky, pumping score by Joe Delia, an exciting last reel jailbreak sequence, and a handy helping of tasty distaff gratuitous nudity (the gorgeous Elena Sahagun in particular looks positively delectable in her birthday suit). Popping up in nifty supporting roles are Erik Estrada as Ramsey's rugged buddy Victor, Michael Parks as Kathie's overbearing dad Mr. Collins, Greg Cummins as slimy guard Spyder, Paul L. Smith as the hulking brute head guard, Jack Carter as smarmy modeling agency big shot Mr. Castaglia, and James Hong as weary Detective Randall Stoner. A total over-the-top ridiculous and hence hugely enjoyable schlocky hoot.

A women-in-prison-in-Hollywood movie.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 10 May 2014]

Trashy late-'80s/early-'90s American women-in-prison flick Caged Fury stars Roxanna Michaels as naive wannabe actress Kathie Collins, who travels from Utah to Los Angeles looking for fame and fortune, but who only finds misery and suffering after falling for a scam that sees her sent to a women's prison where the inmates are sold as sex slaves. When Kathie fails to call home after a few days, her big sister Tracy (Elena Sahagun) decides to try and find the missing girl, putting her own life in jeopardy in the process.

Unlike the majority of women-in-prison movies, which are usually keen to get to the sleazy prison action as quickly as possible, Caged Fury spends a good third of its running time following Kathie as she falls in with drifter Rhonda (April Dawn Dollarhide), meets slimy Hollywood photographer Buck (Blake Bahner), goes sightseeing in downtown L. A., visits a scuzzy rock bar, almost gets raped by a gang of bikers, is rescued by friendly mercenaries Victor (C. H. I. P.s star Erik Estrada) and Dirk Ramsey (mulletted martial artist Richard Barathy), and auditions for a movie that turns out to be a porno (which forms part of the scam that results in her and Rhonda getting banged up). All of this is mildly entertaining, particularly with all the ghastly 90s fashion and music on display, but nowhere near as much fun as the action that takes place after the poor girl is thrown behind bars

Ruled by lesbian dominatrix Warden Sybil Thorn (Ty Randolph), Honeywell State Prison is home to numerous unfortunates who are forced to saunter around in sexy lingerie, take regular communal showers, and satisfy the wicked guards' needs, meaning that the film is loaded with nudity from desperate aspiring starlets and a handful of porn-stars masquerading as actresses (including Kascha, Tyffany Million, and Janine Lindemulder). Some of these women are complete bitches and cause trouble for Kathie, but this is swiftly dealt with by mean guard Spyder (Gregory Scott Cummins), who delights in punishing the inmates. Already stunned by her terrible predicament, Kathie is even more shocked when Tracey also gets herself thrown into jail as part of her ill-considered rescue plan.

Things look up for the girls when Dirk, a veritable one-man killing machine, storms the prison (which turns out to be directly opposite Mann's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard!); he karate chops and kicks his way through numerous guards (including porn legend Ron Jeremy), is overpowered and locked up, kicks his way through a solid brick wall, and squares off against the prison's massive head guard (played by Paul L. Smith, Bluto from Popeye!). Meanwhile, the sisters manage to escape and free many of the other inmates; with chaos all around, Warden Thorn orders her men to kill all of the prisoners. While they're busy blasting unarmed women in their cells, Spyder pursues Kathie, gets a fork jammed in his eye for his trouble, and is ultimately impaled on a crowbar by Rhonda.

While not quite as mean-spirited or as sexually graphic as some women-in-prison movies (especially those from Europe and South America), this cheesy, nudity-filled, karate choppin' dollop of low-budget silliness still offers enough random sleaze and violence to make it a good time for B-movie fans and women-in-prison aficionados.

6.5 out 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

How to make it in Hollywood?

[Coventry · 3/10 · 15 December 2015]

I actually never heard about Bill Milling before, but solely based on this movie he is already a true cult/exploitation hero in my book! Why? Because if you single-handedly realize the production of a film like "Caged Fury", which is basically a montage of severely perverted masculine fantasies, and then still manage to cast a handful of respectable actors (like Michael Parks, Paul Smith, James Hong and Erik Estrada), well then you are one cool bastard; and that's a fact! Milling had been making adult-entertainment movies since the mid-70s already, but ended his career in the late 80s and early 90s with a couple of cheap and sleazy exploitation movies. "Caged Fury" is clearly inspired by the successful trend of so- called "Women in Prison" movies, even though the heyday of that particular cult sub-genre was already long over by then, and that basically means that the plot and logic are subordinate to showing naked flesh and gratuitous violence! The artistic high points in the film thus exist of scantily clad blond babes worming themselves through narrow ventilation shafts and images of the lesbian head- warden parading around in kinky S&M outfits. And yet, somehow I'm deeply persuaded that "Caged Fury" could have been a much better film and even a sleeper hit if only Milling & Co tried a bit harder. The plot contains a few inventive ideas, ambitiously attempts to blend martial arts elements and even comes with a surprise-twist ending. The cute and innocent Kathie Collins leaves her countryside home and overbearing father to make it as an actress in Hollywood! She naturally meets up with the wrong people, wrongfully gets accused of prostitution and ends up for 3-6 months in a secluded woman's prison. When she hasn't checked in with her family for weeks, her older sister Tracy goes looking for her, but she falls for the same false promises and unrealistic dreams as her sister. Their fate lies in the hands of Kung-Fu macho duo Victor (Ponch from "CHiPs") and Dirk Ramsey (a weirdo with an impressive mullet and mustache), as they slowly discover that the prison is merely just a cover-up for a girl-slaves trading organization. Apart from the couple of impressive aforementioned names, the cast mainly just exists of adult film stars, like the inevitable Ron Jeremy or the luscious Janine Lindemulder. There are some excellently repulsive roles for Gregory S. Cummins and Paul Smith as misogynist prison guards, but the real hero obviously remains Dirk "Mullet" Ramsey. He's a late 80s action symbol who kicks in cement walls with his bare feet and seduces all the pretty women even though he's one of the ugliest people in the world. Best part of the film is unquestionably the ending, when it suddenly gets revealed that this so-called prison institution is located right in the center of Hollywood Boulevard! Sensational!

Dirk Ramsey is the MAN!!!!

[hookeinator · 8 February 2006]

This has got to be one of the funniest films of all time; featuring the most underrated action hero ever to grace the silver screen. For those of you who have yet to watch this masterpiece, Dirk Ramsey is the MAN! He is far superior to Spiderman; his intellect makes Batman look like a dunce, while his strength, even Superman would struggle against the might that is Ramsey. And did I mention that he oozes sex appeal? Throw in sleazy Eric Estrada as his side-kick Victor, and you have all the ingredients for one hell of a viewing. Also, all the 'ladies' on offer apart from Cat and Tracey Collins, are porn stars in real life, you've gotta love this film.

A film that tries, and fails, to be many things

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 6 December 2023]

CAGED FURY is a typically exploitative women-in-prison flick that tries to be everything at once and fails miserably at every opportunity. Part of it is a routine police procedural, with cameoing stars Erik Estrada and James Hong dragging their reputations through the mud. Part of it is a cheesy action flick, with muscle guys fighting in the dark. Some of it is pure exploitation, featuring some real-life adult film performers in straight roles (Ron Jeremy included). And most of it is made up of your usual prison cliches, from the lesbian warden to the breakout attempt and softcore fumblings. None of it is any good.

Caged Fury

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 8 September 2022]

At one point in this movie, the female inmates begin to fight and Crazy Daisy (Tiffany Million, once a GLOW girl and later an adult star) says, "I seen this in Chained Heat!"

Yes, you sure did.

While Cirio H. Santiago also made a movie called Caged Fury just six years earlier, this one - directed and written by Bill Milling (who also wrote Silent Madness and Savage Dawn; he also directed adult films under the named Philip Drexler Jr. (A Scent of Heather), G. W. Hunter (Heart Throbs), Craig Ashwood (All American Girls), William J. Haddington Jr. (When A Woman Calls), Chiang (The Vixens of Kung Fu (A Tale of Yin Yang), Jim Hunter (Up Up and Away), Luis F. Antonero (Temptations) and Bill or Dexter Eagle (Virgin Snow).

Wikipedia claims that Fernando Fonseca (The Unholy) and one of my obsessions, Philip Yordan, wrote this, but I see no other evidence anywhere. Fonseca only wrote one other film, South Beach Dreams, and Yordan and Cannon never worked together, which is a fact that still makes me sad.

Kat Collins (Roxanna Michaels) is living out the first stanza of Poison's "Fallen Angel:"

"She stepped off the bus out into the city streets

Just a small town girl with her whole life

Packed in a suitcase by her feet

But somehow the lights didn't shine as bright as they did

On her mama's TV screen

And the work seemed harder

And the days seemed longer

Than she ever thought they'd be"

After kissing her daddy (Michael Parks) goodbye and leaving Utah for Hollywood, she meets Rhonda Wallace (April Dawn Dollarhide) who gets her work with a photographer named Buck (Blake Lewis). After posing, the girls head off for the Sunset Strip and get into it with some bikers, which seeing as how this is a 1990 direct-to-video movie gets rapey and then they get saved by good guy bike enthusiast Victor (Erik Estrada) and American Combat Karate school leader Dirk (Richard Barathy).

Buck then introduces the ladies to a porn director, but that ends up setting them up as prostitutes and sent off to Honeywell Prison, which is where this movie really gets going. You know exactly all of the WIP moments you're getting and the guards are as bad as you'd think they'd be. They're led by Spyder (Gregory Scott Cummins, former San Diego Chargers punter) and include Pizzaface (Ron Jeremy), Paul Smith remembering everything he once did years ago in a similar role in Midnight Express and Mindi Miller (Sugar from Penitentiary III) as Warden Sybil Thorn, an S&M catsuit wearing evildoer named for two WIP legends: Sybil Danning from Caged Heat and Dyanne Thorne, who forever will be Ilsa.

So while Roxanne is getting indoctrinated into white slavery, her sister Tracy (Elena Sahagun) figures that the best plan is to do the exact same things her sister did and get put in the same prison. She's also helped by giallo-level policework from Detective Randall Stoner (James Hong). Of course, Estrada and Barathy have to rescue her, but Estrada catches a bullet, so the white kung fu expert has to fight his way out of this lingerie hell, which magically releases them right in front of Mann's Chinese Theater.

This movie is also replete with adult stars as prisoners, including Kascha using her more mainstream name Alison LePriol, Janine Lindemulder - who knows a little something about the big house after serving a six-month federal prison sentence for tax evasion - as Lulu (you may recognize her, if you didn't watch adult movies, as being on the cover of Blink 182's Enema of the State album cover or for her relationship with Jesse James and Julia Parton (yes, a relative of Dolly and once the publisher of HIgh Society).

As for the bad guys putting this all together, there's Jack Carter as the big bad Mr. Castaglia, as well as Beano, who you may remember from Deathrow Gameshow, as Tony "Two A Day" Tarentino. This movie feels like it knows way too much about the dark side of Los Angeles, what with Jeremy in the cast and Big G being played by Bill Gazzarri.

So Gazzari's...

The three hundred feet or so on Sunset Boulevard that started at Gazzarri's and ended at the Rainbow and the Roxy Theatre was where rock and roll lived in the 90s (although the place was hot from the 60s on, with The Doors being a house band and the Miss Gazzarri's Dancers counting Catherine Bach and Barbi Benton as alumni). When Gazzarri died in 1991 and the club closed down in 1993, it was damaged in an earthquake and went through many name changes before becoming the nightclub 1 Oak. If you want to see the club, I recommend The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. Nearly every major metal band played Gazzarri's, including longtime house band Van Halen, Ratt, Cinderella, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Guns N' Roses, Warrant and Faster Pussycat, as well as bands you may not know if you didn't read Hit Parader and Rip! Like Shark Island, Hurricane and, if you saw the aforementioned Decline, Odin.

This movie is pure sleaze. I mean, it's a women in prison movie. Would you want it any other way? Why are you watching it if you're just going to judge me? You've read this far. You're complicit.

Ladies, have no fear, Ponch is here!

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 30 January 2012]

There's often a great deal of fun to be had finding little known B pictures like this one. At least writer / director Bill Milling did his part in keeping the Women-In-Prison genre alive with his cheesy effort here.

Sweet and sexy Roxanna Michaels plays Kat Collins, a gal who moves to L.A. in the hopes of being an acting star, and manages to get herself "arrested" and sent to a prison where she and various other very attractive ladies are treated as sex slaves and even auctioned off to interested parties. Her concerned older sister Tracy (Elena Sahagun) follows her trail determined to find out what happened. Meanwhile, two detectives, played by Erik "Ponch" Estrada and hulking Richard Barathy, are on the case.

Barathy in particular is just a riot, a gruff, tough, brute with a priceless head of hair who the ladies on hand just go crazy for. Whether he's kicking his way through a wall or confronting the massive head guard (Paul L. Smith, 12 years after playing a not dissimilar role in "Midnight Express") or just "acting", the guy is full of entertainment value. But there are enough other familiar faces on hand to help make this thing palatable: James Hong as a detective, Michael Parks as the father of the two girls, Jack Carter as a lecherous sleaze ball, Gregory Scott Cummins as ultra creepy guard Spyder, and even Ron Jeremy as one of the guards. Jeremy isn't the only porn star to be seen, though, as there are others here acting under pseudonyms.

The soundtrack, featuring some rocking tunes by a group named Poison Dollys, is enjoyable, and as befitting any movie of this type, we do get an eyeful of our hottie inmates, striking sexy poses and dressed provocatively - when they are dressed; there's enough nudity to keep people happy.

The bottom line, though, is that this is all just depraved enough - and silly enough - to make for a good time for interested B movie aficionados. One performer in this who's particularly a hoot to watch is Ty Randolph as the crazed warden, Sybil Thorn (a nod to Sybil Danning and Dyanne Thorne, perhaps?). A noticeable absence of any slickness (the movie does look pretty rough, overall) helps to accent the effective grindhouse appeal. Pretty entertaining overall.

Note: Estrada, Smith, Hong, and Parks also all take associate producer credits.

Seven out of 10.

7 stars: for women-in-prison movie fans. 3 stars: for wussies

[mfoxartist · 7/10 · 3 September 2023]

But you probably wouldn't be here if you weren't a women-in-prison (WIP) movie fan! I agree with the reviewer who said Caged Fury ranks in the upper echelon of WIP movies, though not quite in the top rank. But it has a lot going for it, including all the usual tropes you'd expect, and a few inventive twists that are nice bonuses.

I always give at least a star for good production values, and despite a handful of flaws this film is solidly put together. As are all the women, some of whom can barely act but a few who are pretty decent. Is it cornball? 100%. Is there gratuitous nudity? 100%. Is it completely illogical and far-fetched? 98%. But there is a smidge of plausibility -- in theory, at least -- that makes it all go down easy.

So, take a load off, enjoy your favorite beverage and/or herb, and let the movie help you escape reality for 90+ minutes. There are certainly less pleasant ways to pass the time.

Retro 'women in stir' movie

[lor_ · 10 May 2023]

My review was written in March 1990 after watching the movie on RCA/Columbia video cassettes.

The first of Menahem Golan's 21st Century pics to go direct-to-video, "Caged Fury" is a haphazardly slapped together but entertaining throwback to the women in prison genre of the early 1970s. It's unrelated to a 1984 Filipino-made release of the same name.

Pic is set in the underbelly of L. A., where unscrupulous Jack Carter and Beano prey upon young girls like Utah-born Roxanna Michaels who heat to lotus land to become actresses. She goes to an audition, the videotape of which is used by Carter & Beano to frame her for a jail sentence.

It turns out to be a fke prison, run by entertainingly exortic domiatrix "warden" Ty Randolph (in the film's most impressive role). This is a front for white slavery and it takes Michaels' older sister Elena Sahagun and pals Erik Estrada and Richie Barathy to save the heroine and expose the scam.

Fast-paced pic is virtually a catalog of genre cliches, but suffers from poor editing. Several brief scenes seem placed out of order and the finale is loaded with contradictions.

Cast does a good job, particularly Michaels as the heroine and karate expert Barathy kicking every heavy in sight. Porn star Ron Jeremy, previously featured in Golan's "52 Pick-Up", pops up as a prison guard and the film opens memorably with statuesque porn star Kascha (billed here as Alison LePriol) crawling around in her lace undies trying to escape from stir.

"Get Up And Get In The Chair!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 24 September 2021]

CAGED FURY is about Kat (Roxanna Michaels) who leaves home to seek her fortune as an actress in Hollywood. A series of disastrous events land her in the slammer. This, in spite of Erik Estrada's intervention on her behalf, by using his kung fu skills on a biker gang!

Now, stripped of her street clothes and her dignity, Kat must learn to survive among her fellow inmates in their skimpy uniforms. Let the rampant nudity begin.

Of course, the prison guards are all graduates of the Marquis De Sade's school of intense charm. Dear lord! One of them is Ron Jeremy! At the top is the Warden, a demonic dominatrix with an eeevil eye for the ladies.

Can Erik Estrada, Kat's sister, and a Carlos Santana lookalike locate Kat before it's too late?

Truly, this is why cinema was invented...