Jackson County Jail

Yvette Mimieux is a tough, terrific actress, and she cuts an assertive and sexy presence on the screen (especially in these post-"Time Machine" years); however, this mangy Roger Corman production doesn't do much for her or anyone else. Woman traveling alone is unjustly incarcerated while driving cross-country; she escapes jail with help from a convict (Tommy Lee Jones), but the crooked police are not far behind. Though it eventually caught-on with early cable-TV audiences, "Jackson County Jail" is hardly more than a slapdash effort, an exploitation item not designed to empower women but to give drive-in audiences a thrill at seeing one abused. The pretentious finale aside, the picture doesn't even have the good sense to play up its redneck clichés or have fun with the jailhouse formula; instead, director Michael Miller and screenwriter Donald Stewart take things far too seriously, culminating in one ridiculous scene after another. * from ****