Having taken a break from his poorly-made horror films of the late 1960s, Filipino director Eddie Romero here treats us to one of those popular '70s exploitation movies, which depict multi-national women as ass-kicking heroines. This cheaply-shot, competently-made movie is a lot of fun for fans of such genre films. I would, however, only recommend this to people who are acutely aware of the many flaws of the Filipino exploitation movie; namely their lack of effects, their sometimes poor pacing, and of course bad acting everywhere you look. But fear not, as SAVAGE SISTERS is actually one of Romero's better movies and contains a wealth of action and incident to keep things moving nicely along.The plot is pretty lightweight and consists of the basic "hunt for stolen gold" storyline overused so much over the years, with all the expected double-crossing, gender humour, and guys acting badly in silly costumes you would expect. Heck, they even throw in a prison scenario to appease W.I.P. fans. SAVAGE SISTERS is a pretty sexy film but tends to tease rather than bombard the viewer with explicit shots, exemplified by the unfinished strip-tease in a bar (a scene that goes on forever but gets nowhere!). It is a violent film but not very gory at all, aside from a couple of cheaply amusing effects shots.The leading cast members are attractive enough girls but good performances are few and far between. The only semi-professional turn comes from Gloria Hendry, who excels in her clichéd role of the sassy, dominating woman who doesn't take nonsense from any man! Romero regular John Ashley lurks around the scenery as W.P. Billingsley (?!) but instead of being the hero as usual he's instead a swarthy, sweating anti-hero for a change with a fine line in sexism and double-crossing. All of the usual Filipino character actors can be spotted fleshing out minor roles here, particularly the omnipotent Vic Diaz who really seems to be enjoying himself as a one-eyed bandit. Even cult favourite Sid Haig shows his face beneath a bushy beard as an overacting terrorist. With lots of action, gun battles, explosions, and car chases, SAVAGE SISTERS can hardly be called high art but it is pretty entertaining for what its worth.

I was warned that this would not be a typical women-in prison film. Cheri Caffaro may have tempted us with clothing that she was about to burst out of, but the key words are "about to." Even the shower scene with Caffaro and Rosanna Ortiz was a bust. Even Gloria Hendry in a bathtub was covered in soap. Even the matron (Rita Gomez), who jumps into bed with all the officers, hides herself well.It's all about some crazy General, who has 10 stars and wears medals on his T shirt, who is after a million dollars the rebels stole. He enlists Capt. Morales (Eddie Garcia) with the promise of a star. Hendry takes Caffaro and Ortiz and they make a plan of their own with a shifty John Ashley, who plans to double-cross them. Funny, but a big disappointment for WIP fans.

From the outset, it's clear that Savage Sisters is an action comedy, as John Ashley's character W.P. Billingsley, comfortably ensconced with an armful of beach bunnies, flippantly introduces us to a tale of revolution, piracy, and military ineptitude. There are occasions when the film almost slips into the realm of Jess Franco-style video nasty, but it always pulls away at the last moment, maintaining a frisky, lighthearted attitude to the end. Ashley is at his best as the unscrupulous Billingsley, who double crosses partners and changes sides at the drop of the hat, but the rest of the cast is also clearly having great fun. Sid Haig and Vic Diaz make a great villainous twosome, Cheri Caffaro displays surprising depth as revolutionary Jo, and Eddie Garcia and Leopoldo Salcedo score points as a pair of over the edge Filipino army officers. The script is credited to 'Harry Corner' and 'H. Franco Moon', but these are surely pseudonyms for someone much more accomplished--perhaps Ashley himself. Technically, Savage Sisters looks great, with well framed set-ups and carefully lit cinematography, and Les Baxter's marvelous and colourful score will have soundtrack fans salivating for a CD reissue. Popcorn movies don't get any better than this.

I have been a fan of the Eddie Romero-John Ashely potboilers since they first aired on WNEW-TV and Wor-TV in NEW York during the late 70's. I was akid then, and far less descriminating. But now I can appreciate their films for the hip,knowing, winking humor, and technical expertise. One of the last in the cycle, SAVAGE SISTERS is an easy-going entry with all involved having a pretty good time playing dress-up. The always reliable Sid Haig is fun as a middle-eastern terrorist - in the south Pacific!!!