Women in Cell Block 7 review

 

WOMEN OF CELL BLOCK 7

Directed by	Rino Di Silvestro
Written by	Rino Di Silvestro, Jack Lyons

Starring

• Anita Strindberg: Hilda

• Eva Czemerys: Mother S.

• Jenny Tamburi: Daniela Vinci

• Cristina Gaioni: Religious prisoner

• Bedy Moratti: Pyromaniac

• Massimo Serato: Warden

• Elisa Mainardi: Prison Matron

• Olga Bisera: Gerda

• Valeria Fabrizi: Napolitana

• Paola Senatore: Musumeci

• Roger Browne: Inspector Weil

• Franco Fantasia: Chief Inspector

• Umberto Raho: Daniela's lawyer

• Gabriella Giorgelli

***DISCLAIMER***

So...one of the basic problems I had with this movie was figuring out who was who. Eventually I learned through their quirks and seeing some characters named what I was naming them myself, like matron and pyromaniac, others I weren't so fortunate with. For instance, I'm ASSUMING Hilda is the special agent character while Mother S. is who I would be referring to as “Mistress”. So, just in case, I'll just use my terms as I'm only 70% certain they're who I think they are. Not to mention some characters I just don't know the names of and seeing the cast list I can't pick them out. For instance, the agent has a father in the movie but I've no idea where he is there so...he'll just be the “agent's father”. The Mistress has a prison bitch so I'll just be referring to her as “Bitch” or “PB”. That said, let's get into things, shall we?

PREMISE

This is another bit I was confused about but I think I got it. Most of it might've been lost in translation since this is an Italian movie but was presented in English. I dunno.

Anyway, there's a crime organization trying to get back some drugs that were stolen from them but the guy who did the dirty dies in a car accident at the start of the film. The only one close to him at the time was his girlfriend, Daniela. Daniela is sent to prison for association to the crimes of drug possession, movie logic, and so an Interpol agent goes into prison as well in order to get close to her and find out where the drugs are being held. Because interviews aren't a thing. The only ones who know about this are those on her side. So, as far as the warden, prison guards, and other inmates are concerned she's a criminal serving out her sentence.

On the outside the agents father gets kidnapped and tortured by the criminals cause he has some sort of connection with the guy who first stole the drugs. I didn't catch what it was but his story is inconsequential cause he dies anyway. I will say this whole part confused the heck out of me cause not only did I not understand the connection but the whole kidnapping happens directly after a lengthy car chase where the father goes down a cliff but survives and they even make a point to show him getting out of the car and looking UP at his soon to be kidnappers. Like, did they drive down after him or something? Anyway, the father later dies after a botched escape attempt and he falls two or three stories through a building.

Back in the prison, the agent just...she just does horribly at her job. Rather than try and get the information from Daniela, or what she knows, when they're in the yard she asks the Mistress for a favor to share a cell with her instead. The Mistress character is like the “I can get things” kinda character with a huge level of blackmail on one of the guards. Will explain what that is later.

Daniela has a lawyer she meets with who, we find out later, works for the crime family trying to get her to confess she knows where the drugs are as Daniela pleads ignorance to the whole thing. The prison guards beat her and throw her in solitary as a means of convincing her to talk. Eventually, she does tell the agent in a recorded conversation in the hospital ward. The matron later poisons Daniela who dies and the agent, having done her job, also dies...? Her car gets shot at and goes off a cliff flaming. We hear her screams so I assume she dies. As it also turns out, cause there aren't enough of these moments, the warden is also shown to be working for the crime family and tells his boss where the drugs are. Life goes on in the prison.

Um...the end.

SEX SCENES

Given this is a sexploitation movie set in a prison, there's obviously going to be some sex and there's like two and a half scenes of it. Plus a characters tries with, I'm presuming, the main character. There's a little bit of self service and a lot of flirting.

The first one...I still don't know who was involved in it. I think it was the character some hated cause she was a lesbian so...show that off, I guess. A lot of breast play and light body kissing. Several ass shots, so I'm assuming a fetish on behalf of the director.

The second comes like RIGHT after the first. No scene in between, no set up. Just boom. Prison matron enters a room and there's already a naked woman waiting for her. They make out for a little while with more focus on eating out than anything. Like the first I didn't really know who the other woman was supposed to be. Though later find out it's the Mistress and this is the blackmail she has on the matron allowing her to get away with certain acts.

The third, like I said, is a sort of half one with an inmate gently teasing herself and then claiming she needs sex. She sees the doctor who says she's fine and so they have sex. I kinda blinked in the bit between the examination and when he was grinding on her. It was fairly close up to their faces and her chest so I don't know all that was going on though can guess as I'm sure you can as well.

ACTION

Like I said there's a lengthy car chase at the beginning. Nothing overly fantastic. Pretty barren village they drive through destroying a barell and flower car. Otherwise it ends up back in the country roads and ends with the chased going off a cliff but survives. The second chase at the end is more of a shoot out and kinda ends the same way with the chased going off a cliff except this time bursting into flames. That, and instead of a mans terrified scream there's a woman's.

There's really only one cat fight in the entire thing. Sort of a tag team cat fight with several close ups of clothes being torn off, breasts popping out, underwear being pulled down. It all starts cause one of the inmates gets upset with the lesbian inmate and things go from there.

I suppose there's also a prison riot but it ends with the inmates getting what is best described as a shower with hoses giving us another chance to see some boobs.

THINGS INCONSEQUENTIAL

I realized I never mentioned the “riot”, but that's probably because it wasn't really thought of. It just...sort of happened. Most of the inmates never really cared about each other, the Mistress only cared for her own needs, the problems were hardly spoken of and if they came up I thought they were other things. Like the food being bad. I suppose it's why Daniela reacted like she was about to throw up but I only thought it was cause she was being poisoned. The riot just goes on because the agent wants Daniela out of solitary and cause one night she's screaming everyone, including the Mistress, suddenly care. The riot happens with them standing in unison in the yard then they're sprayed with hoses. Like like being knocked back, as I'm sure you might be thinking, but more like a semi intense shower. The ground doesn't even turn muddy. It's not even a minor inconvenience. It all ends with the warden just meakly saying he'll look into bettering the conditions.

There's also the pyromaniac, whom everyone knows is a pyromaniac and she gets her hand on some matches and sets a fire in her room being shared with Daniela. Rather than go after the pyromaniac they grab Daniela who's freaking the hell out and throw her in solitary. The pyromaniac they just don't really mention again. No one confronts her or slaps her. Her fire just gets put out and she's carried out softly by a guard.

There's the religious woman there too and she's teased as a result because of it. It doesn't really lead to anything. No one says “Pray for me” or anything like that. She's just...there.

I already mentioned the father who doesn't really have much in the way of the movie aside from being there as well. But I've said enough about him.

There's an assassination at the beginning of the movie where, on the brightest day of the summer, someone pokes a rifle out the car window at a busy airport and shoots a couple people. We're...kinda informed who they are but no one really mentions them ever again cause the whole thing is about drugs anyway. The assassin is the guy who takes the drugs and dies shortly after anyway so...

This isn't really inconsequential, but it kinda is. When we're given the convoluted story we're thrown into the prison and introduced to a couple characters then a whole WHACK of them. Two by two we hear them conversing in the yard and you're wondering “Is this person important?” When all's said and done, none of them are! It just adds to the confusion you feel for the first half of the movie where things are only cleared up by the end. Sort of. Enough so you're not scratching your head anymore.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I mean, it's not a bad movie, it's what you'd expect for a movie of this make for the time it was made. Lots of random sex, breasts, violence, and a sour note ending that's just par the course. The prison doesn't change, Daniela and the agent die, and...yeah. Everyone who's left is either evil or just in prison. There ya go. Order restored. The End. It's quite literally there on the final few frames. The words in big, blocky red letters. However...

MY ENDING

Cause I love crafting such things and, as I always say, if you're gonna say something negative it's best you have something positive in how it could be done. So I gave it some thought and came up with this. I've only changed a few things, removed a few convoluted bits, but kept the story with the intended ending's feel. I mean, here's the overall problem with the ending. While it was given as “business per usual” it really doesn't for the following reasons;

-Two inmates died within a one month or even a one week period

-There was a prison riot

-Allegations of rampant abuse. Those let out are gonna tell their stories.

-As soon as people find out an inmate was in prison pre trial for accessory it's gonna bring questions

Basically, the warden won't be a warden for very much longer.

But I'm gonna keep it having a dark ending so here we go.

First off, no assassination at the beginning. It was just useless and it can be done without. Or at least if there is, make it in a less populated place. Though I suppose maybe they got like a grant from Pan Am? Either way, let's get rid of that. Second, the warden should at least know of the agents doing. It just makes sense and the warden being in the know makes for my ending being better anyway. I know he could just set the agent and Daniela with time together but he'll have to come up with excuses. Perhaps asking her to investigate the Mistress. Sort of a favor for a favor, given we have to extend the movie some. Plus it keeps the agent busy and sets up the other encounters. But the ending, right.

For starters, both Daniela and the agent don't die. Kill the inspector in that car chase, but the agent survives and is brought back to the prison. None of the guards know about her being with Interpol as do none of the inmates. So she was just gone for a tiny bit. The matron is informed though and as such, she “gifts” the agent to the Mistress as a means of keeping the blackmail in check. She informs the Mistress of the agents true identity and this grants the Mistress a form of blackmail over the agent cause inmates don't really like police in prison. So the agent can't really do anything and since her bitch has been jealous of the time the agent and Mistress were spending together during the movie, the Mistress essentially gives the agent to her. The agent becomes the bitch's bitch, as it were.

As for Daniela, she's actually given a good bit of luxury to her cell and life moving forward. Everyone was so concerned that they would be thrilled to see her on the road of recovery. The guards get her enough of what she wants and the rumors go that Daniela can get inmates whatever they want as a result. This means those tired of the Mistress looking down on them now go to Daniela who's still pretty much being propped in place by the warden and prison matron. No longer do they have to worry about the Mistress' blackmail because others would just claim it as attention seeking.

So the drugs are still found, the warden remains in power without question, in fact his control is tightened through Daniela, the Mistress is slowly ousted because of her lust for power thinking she had the Matron where she wanted her, and life goes on but the power structure shifts. It's still a dark ending because the bad guys aren't brought to justice, there's no senseless killing on the “just because” variety, and the two would-be heroines are brought down as low as they can be brought with the agent forced to watch the corruption play out.

It's just my idea. Anyway, to close things off per usual, here are some screenshots!