Kûga no shiro: Joshû 1316

Robber/murderer, Misaki Sayama is a new prisoner in a maximum security training facility known simply as the Island where she must 'train' with the other prisoners or face strict punishment at the hands of the sadistic guards. Now she must formulate an escape plan with the other prisoners while avoiding the guards if she hopes to survive.

This is the second Japanese WIP flick that I've seen in less than a weeks time (the first was Chain Gang Girls) And while both films have similarities (naturally) I found that both were different enough not to seem redundant. I, personally, enjoyed this film more and felt that the story was a bit more realized.

Eye Candy: 27 pairs of breasts (not all unique, just by count of scenes); 17 asses, 10 unique bushes & 2 simulated sex scenes

My Grade:C+

DVD Extras: none

This WIP flick is an odd one. The marketing and title would make you believe that this is a Jess Franco meets Pink Cinema type of exploitation flick.

Sadly that it ain't. Yes there is some nudity (mainly in one shower scene), but otherwise this is very tame (the gals sleep in their clothes for goodness sake)- and the violence is pretty limp. Indeed it seems to be hinting at a rehabilitationary theme with our not-so-intimidating-but-would-like-to-be-so chief warden.

I really don't know what market this is aimed at. Production values aren't bad, and the inmates are pretty cute- but then it simply fails to deliver after teeing all of this up. Maybe I missed the point. Maybe I've been watching too much Franco ....

Pretty, rebellious prisoner Misaki Sayama (Aki Hoshino) awakens to find herself on a remote island, in a rehabilitation establishment where she is called by a number (1316), made to wear a tiny tight black vest, and forced to take part in daily cross-country jogs. Unhappy with the gruelling exercise regime, Misaki prepares to escape, little realising that her movements are being monitored by director Sakamoto and head warden Asakura, who have their own plans for the unruly upstart.

Like all good women-in-prison films, Death Row Girls is packed with sexy, young hotties wearing next to nothing, or better still, nothing. Like all good women-in-prison films, there are numerous shower scenes and vicious cat-fights. And like all good women in prison films, there's one beauty, tougher than the rest, who is is determined to beat the system no matter what the cost.

Unfortunately, although Death Row Girls ticks all of these boxes, it still fails to make the WIP grade thanks to a story that simply fizzles out in the final act, and a dearth of genuine sleaze and nastiness: I ask you, what good is a women-in-prison flick without midnight visits from a sadistic lesbian guard, the application of electrodes to the most sensitive parts of the female anatomy, and a rousing finalé that sees the desperate, downtrodden women rise up to take bloody revenge on their captors? (The answer: not much!).

However, even though it doesn't qualify as a particularly great WIP flick, Death Row Girls is still pretty enjoyable exploitation trash, with loads of Asian eye candy, a smattering of soft-core sex, and even a pervy dwarf (whose inclusion raises my rating from 6/10 to 6.5/10, but doesn't do enough for me to round my score up to 7 for IMDb).

All the women wear identical black halter tops, very nice touch, over fatigues. We really don't know much about anything and the weak ending reveals little. The cat fights are few, brief and tame. I did enjoy watching the film, although the usual WIP conflicts are absent. Not even one female guard.

This film had to be shot in a week or less. There wasn't that many set-ups. Assembly, talking to the warden, bath scene, bedding down, eating, a brief run, stick training and wandering around down below. Perhaps, a couple more scenes, I don't want to give too much away. Not many have speaking parts either. If they had another day to film something, like a riot, or do some explaining, it would have been so much better. They likely ran out of money or time. On the same day I watched Samurai Princess, an awful, brainless and misleading film shot in freezing weather, so Death Row Girls looks good by comparison