For young people today it's hard to believe that there was a time when certain movies were made that weren't headed for regular theatrical release so much as for drive-ins that were scattered around the country. While some still remain (and should be treasured) there are few drive-ins these days, enough so that some have no idea what a drive-in was. And yet there was a time when stars were made roughing through the trenches of low budget films only to become big later in life. Such was the case with Pam Grier who found bigger roles later in life after having paid her dues in Blaxploitation films like this one.The story is simple: in some small spot in the Philippines two very different women are sent to a women's prison, one a seemingly upright revolutionary determined to help the people and another a would be harem girl on the outs with her "boss". Neither one takes a liking to the other and are more likely to kill each other than those around them. Never the less, the pair find themselves having to work together when they are handcuffed to one another during a transport and escape still chained together.While Karen (Margaret Markov) wants to rejoin her fellow revolutionaries with information they can use all Lee (Grier) wants to do is get as far away as possible along with the money she stole from her gangster lover. Their trek across county in search of assistance and an escape makes up the majority of this movie. Along the way we get to learn about the ruler of the island, connections to dirty cops and bounty hunters (including the great Sid Haig) who want nothing more than to take on the job of finding these two women. Will they escape? Watch and see.The movie contains everything that was essential to drive-in movies, especially exploitation films, at the time. If you have a women in prison film expect to see gratuitous nudity and at least once a shower scene that allows women to be displayed. Cat-fighting in these films is a must and can be checked off the list for this film. A lesbian guard is almost always in attendance, another check off the list here. And corrupt officials are always to be found, one more check on the list completed.What makes this film work is first off the plot device of two women, one black and one white, chained together who must work together to get where each one wants. The easiest comparison for this is the film "THE DEFIANT ONES" where Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier found themselves in the same situation. While not a rip-off of that film it does use the same device. The other thing that makes it work is the acting ability of all involved. The three main leads, Grier, Markov and Haig, made a living in many low budget flicks in their time. What many may not recall is just how good they were in those films. There are many low budget films with some of the worst acting in them. This isn't one of them.As with most Arrow Film releases (which I always praise) this one is no exception to the rule. They have once again outdone themselves for fans of the film and the genre. The transfer of the film has never looked better. That's always a plus when it comes to films that have more or less been tossed aside and not given their due. Arrow always makes each release look as close to a new film as possible with the best transfers around.As for extras they have done more than many as well in that department. Not only do you get the best looking print of this film to be found as well as one that has had the sound retooled, you get a commentary track with filmmaker Andrew Leavold, and interview with Margaret Markov, and interview with Sid Haig, an archive interview with director Eddie Romero and the trailer for the film. All at a reasonable price. Not only that but the first pressing also includes a booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by Temple of Schlock s Chris Poggiali and extracts from the original press book, illustrated with archive stills and posters. Wow! Fans of the movie, fans of Pam Grier and Sid Haig and fans of the drive-in will delight in the release of this film. For me it just showed once again how great a job Arrow Film continues doing and makes me anxious to see each month just what they have to offer.

When two trouble-making female prisoners (one a revolutionary, the other a former harem-girl) can't seem to get along, they are chained together and extradited for safekeeping. The women, still chained together, stumble, stab, and cat-fight their way across the wilderness, igniting a bloody shootout between gangsters and a group of revolutionaries.From a story by pre-fame Jonathan Demme, this is partly an homage to the 1958 classic "The Defiant Ones", which structured the same type of situation for its leading characters, played by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. Then we bring on director Eddie Romero, who was an actual Filipino director who worked primary in the Tagalog language. Well done, AIP, for not bringing in your own guy.There were a number of jungle revolutionary films in the early 1970s, starting with Jack Hill's "Big Doll House" (1971), also starring Pam Grier. Actually, Grier was the queen of 1970s Filipino jungle women-in-prison films, also appearing in Hill's "The Big Bird Cage" (1972), plus Gerardo de León's "Women in Cages" (1971). Grier really made her name in these type of films before transitioning to "Foxy Brown".Grier's co-star Margaret Markov also appeared in "The Hot Box" (again written by Jonathan Demme). She starred opposite Pam Grier again in "The Arena" (1974). She never quite reached the level of Grier because during the making of the latter she started dating producer Mark Damon (who had risen to fame through Roger Corman); the two later married and Markov retired.The Arrow Video disc features an audio commentary with filmmaker Andrew Leavold, director of "The Search for Weng Weng". He loves to recommend the documentary "Machete Maidens Unleashed", and I would second that if you want to see how "Black Mama" fits into the whole Filipino action film cycle.We also have new interviews with stars Margaret Markov and Sid Haig. Markov covers the entire breadth of her career, even spending time discussing Rock Hudson and Gene Roddenberry on "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971). Haig had many films in Philippines, so he has a few tales to tale. We are treated to a previously unseen archive interview with director Eddie Romero. (Exactly why an interview would have been filmed and not used, I don't know.) What is missing? An interview or commentary from David Sheldon, as on the disc for "Sheba Baby". Sheldon has contributed by far the best audio commentary in years, and we really need more of those from him.***

How do you go from an opening 20 minutes that holds such naughty promise (a women's prison full of bewbs and illicit lesbian fantasy) to a remaining 70 minutes that almost does away with that entirely and leaves us with a bunch of clothed men? Pam Grier and Margaret Markov, two bad "B"s on the run almost play second fiddle to a supporting cast of revolutionaries, bad cops and gangsters. How do you squander such jiggly potential? Maybe if you develop those supporting characters who gobble up so much of the screen time, this wouldn't be an issue. Play up the humor a bit, more ladies with less clothes, you get what I'm saying. This is not difficult. It's always worth it to see a mad as hell Pam Grier (you don't mess with her), but this movie needed a lot more of that. It needed a lot more of the titillation it seems to promise. It's a slog even at 90 minutes. Everything about this movie promises a lot more ass-kicking than it delivers.This is awful. 3/10

The title pretty much lets you know what you're getting. It's a grade-C howler but not as blatantly funny as I was hoping. Directed by exploitation film specialist Eddie Romero from a story that originally came from Jonathan Demme (long before directing "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia"), this low-budget 1972 action movie was obviously filmed in the Philippines but set in some anonymous third world country. Playing hooker and small-time drug dealer Lee Daniels, blaxploitation superstar Pam Grier plays the first half of the title role, while long-forgotten Margaret Markov is the other half, Karen Brent, an unlikely Patty Hearst-like political revolutionary looking to partner with her comrades to overthrow the oppressive local government. Naturally antagonistic toward each other, they are in a women's prison camp where they wear inexplicably bright yellow mini-skirts as uniforms. Run by a closeted warden and lecherous matron, the prison is just an excuse for a lengthy shower scene and some half-hearted cat-fighting as Lee and Karen are pitted against each other. Of course, they escape but shackled together a la "The Defiant Ones" and continue the cat-fighting until they attack a couple of nuns to steal their habits.Meanwhile, various groups of unsavory men are in pursuit - the loutish drug lord looking for Lee who stole $40K from him, the rather passive revolutionaries looking for Karen, and the incompetent police (who suffer the humiliation of exposing their privates to the drug lord). Needless to say, everything eventually comes to a head but not before gratuitous nudity by a number of Filipino women, a dog wears Karen's panties and some of the worst of 1970's men's fashion (one beer-bellied revolutionary wears a leather halter top with a straight face). There is a rather sad ending, but what's truly sad is how much of the potential black comedy is missed entirely in this hilariously preposterous exercise. Sadly, Grier is disappointing in this outing because her character is not allowed much to do beyond dealing with all the "jive", while Markov is an Amazonian blonde whom I am convinced is trying desperately to be credible. Since no one displays any talent for acting, the rest of the cast is not worth noting, except balding, bug-eyed Sid Haig, who uses his standard psycho persona as the drug lord. The 2003 DVD contains only the original trailer as an extra.