While serving at a hospital in a small South American country four American nurses are kidnapped by a group of bandits and then sold to some revolutionaries who insist that they train them in first aid and other necessary health skills. At first the women are very reluctant to help out and look for a means to escape. Over time however one or two of the women begin to take a more positive approach but in any case still don't like being held as prisoners against their will. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it I will just say that this was a slightly different type of "Women-in-Prison" film in that it didn't have a warden and vicious inmates clawing at each other. But there are some characters in this movie who manage to fill in all the same. Likewise, as the movie continues things change for the women—and not for the better. Anyway, while all of the females were rather pretty I kind of liked "Bunny Kincaid" (Andrea Cagan) the most. Obviously, others may disagree. Be that as it may I rate this movie as about average.

Four American nurses -- sensitive Lynn Forrest (an excellent portrayal by the ravishing Margaret Markov), sassy Ellen St. George (a marvelously fiery Rickey Richardson), feisty Sue Pennwright (luscious brunette stunner Laurie Rose), and vacuous airhead Bunny Kinkaid (busty blonde babe Andrea Cagan) -- working in the oppressive war torn third world country the Republic of San Rosario are kidnapped by a ragtag army of revolutionaries who are in desperate need of proper medical assistance. The naive and apathetic ladies all get a harsh crash course in bitter world politics, with Lynn in particular eventually becoming a firm believer in the rebel army's cause. Director Joe Viola, who also co-wrote the sharp and engrossing script with Jonathan Demme, relates the gripping story at a constant snappy pace, stages the exciting rough'n'ready action set pieces with considerable brio, further spices things up with amusing moments of inspired humor, and certainly doesn't skimp on the tasty gratuitous female nudity (all four gorgeous leads have topless scenes). The violence is extremely bloody and brutal while the overall tone is properly gritty and tough-minded. The radical left-wing politics are a tad too strident at times, but still on the money sincere and provocative. This film scores bonus points for its refusal to neither glamorize nor sanitize the revolutionary way of life: It's shown as pretty grungy and thankless, with danger lurking just around the corner. Moreover, this movie cites various credible and interesting reasons for why people join a revolution: Some are noble, others not. The sturdy cast all contribute sound performances: The actresses playing the nurses are all earnest and appealing, Carmen Argenziano shines as dedicated and passionate army leader Flavio, Charles Dierkop makes for a perfectly hateful villain as the slimy and vicious Major Dubay, plus there are nice turns by Zaldy Zshornack as consummate soldier Ronaldo, Rocco Montalban as scuzzy bandito leader Carragiero, and Jose Romulo as zealous hunter Ronaldo. Restie Umali supplies a deliciously funky, rattling, get-down groovin' score. Felipe Sacdalan's fairly polished cinematography boasts a few flashy scene transitions. Well worth seeing for 70's grindhouse aficionados.

Hellcats (aka The Hot Box, 1972) continues the jungle sleaze tradition, co-written by the future director of Silence Of The Lambs, Jonathan Demme. Director Joe Viola and Demme had already worked for Corman on the low-budget biker flick Angels Hard As They Come. They now headed to the Philippines to film the story of four deliberately vacant nurses (including its token black actress) kidnapped by the 'Peoples Army', a ragtag bundle of greasy drunks and lechers, and forced to spend most of their incarceration topless. Despite their hysterical over-acting, they slowly become politicized gun-toting radicals, once they are shown parallels between the corrupt local government and the Nixon administration. It's a real pre-Watergate oddity, doling out its heartwarming liberal sentiments while blatantly exploiting its female flesh.

If you expect sweaty chicks behind bars you're in for a major dissapointment.The gals spend like one minute in the "hot box". Some third world rebels kipnap 4 American nurses to help their revolution. At first they protest but later they "wake up" and start diggin' the rebels' political aim. Jonathan Demme, who scripted this, has made some fun Women-In-Prison flicks for Roger Corman like "Caged Heat" and "Black Mama, White Mama" but this halfbaked "Exploitation With A Cause" is pretty boring despite massive doses of nudity and decent acting.People who saw this at a drive-in in the early 70's must've been a bit confused.