| Swamp Women aka. Cruel Swamp, aka. Swamp Diamonds Directed by Roger Corman (U.S.A �1955) Here�s an entertaining swampsploitation quickie from one of the most consistantly successful independent filmmakers of all time. Corman�s Swamp Women is a sordid tale of prison escapees, stolen diamonds, and very short shorts. Lt. Lee Hampton is the least feminine police officer since the butch one from Cagney and Lacey. She spends her days in pursuit of the criminal low lives of New Orleans. Lee�s just been given the most dangerous assignment of her entire career. The Nardo gang are a trio of femme fatale diamond thieves who are incarcerated in a Louisiana women�s correctional institution. Before their capture, Josie the icy blonde leader of the criminal clique was able to bury the entire $200 000 booty of girl�s best friends on a marshy island in one of the state�s most inhospitable swamp regions. Her associates are the homicidal Vera, and the ditsy oversexed Billie. Ever since they were sentenced, the three have been looking for a way to bypass the parole board in their pursuit of freedom, and the retrieval of their jewel encrusted nest egg. But the case isn�t closed as far as the state of Louisiana is concerned. The Governor orders New Orleans� finest to hatch a hair-brained plot to retrieve the missing diamonds. Not so that they can be returned to their rightful owner of course; but so that they can go �missing� once again in the good Governor�s slush fund. The N.O.P.D. concoct an ingenious plan to allow the Nardo gang to escape, and lead them straight to the loot. Lee goes undercover as a prison inmate to infiltrate the gang, and once she gains their trust she leads them �over the wire� in a subtly police assisted prison break. Lt. Hampton tags along with the gang, and they agree to give her a quarter of the diamonds for her instrumental help in the successful escape bid. After procuring practical swamp clothes, a rubber dingy, and several firearms from an outside sympathizer, the four escapees head into the swamp to collect their retirement fund. Lee has a warning for her less than trustworthy cronies, who probably aren�t enamoured with dividing the diamonds four ways with a relative stranger. �I�m a good shot� she warns Josie and the others. �If you try anything, I�ll kill all three of you�. �And if you try anything, we�ll kill you� Vera retorts. Unfortunately for the Nardo gang, the dingy springs a leak and deflates faster than a socialite�s arse at a liposuction clinic. Fortunately for the gang, a young oil magnate named Bob Mathews, his gold digging girlfriend Marie, and their nondescript guide are passing through the bayou in a tiny motorboat. Bob is planning on buying the entire swamp, and replacing the unsightly smelly vegetation and wildlife with far more attractive oil wells. Josie hails the trio from the bank. Ever the good Samaritan, Bob orders his guide to motor over so that they can provide assistance. As they land on the bank, Vera shoots the guide in �self defence�. The psychopathic redhead also wants to fill Bob and Marie with lead, but the undercover Lee stops her. The murder sparks the first of many catfights throughout this film, and Josie quickly breaks up the melee between her fueding cohorts. The director wisely realises that his female leads aren�t showing enough skin, so that evening the gang members inexplicably cut down their jeans into short shorts skimpy enough to make even Daisy Duke blush. Not exactly practical swamp wear, but a definite plus for Corman�s oversexed young male demographic. With their fashion alterations out of the way, the Nardo gang, the undercover policewoman, and their hostage couple retire for the night. The rest of Swamp Women is a rollicking mix of catfights, alligator wrestling, betrayal, and an alligator attack apparently shot in the producer�s Malibu pool. Although this isn�t Corman�s best picture by any means, it�s an entertaining enough example of an obscure exploitation sub-genre. It can almost be described as swamp noir. Every character has despicable traits, even the hostages. Marie is more than willing to sacrifice her boyfriend to escape, and Bob is ready and eager to shack up with any or all of his captors to save his own skin. An interesting example of early Roger Corman. Entertainment : 2 out of 4 Watchability : 2.5 out of 4 Overall : 2.25 out of 4 Reviewed by Blake |
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