Synopsis
Raw violence and hot rage explode behind bars.
A young woman is falsely convicted of a bank robbery and sent to a maximum-security prison run by a corrupt warden, where she is forced to suffer various indignities.
The Naked Cage
Cast
Shari Shattuck Angel Tompkins Lucinda Crosby Stacey Shaffer Christina Whitaker Nick Benedict John Terlesky Faith Minton Aude Charles Angela Elayne Gibbs Carole Ita White Lisa London Leslie Scarborough Valerie McIntosh Larry Gelman Suzy London Flo Lawrence James Ingersoll Seth Kaufman William Bassett Chris Anders Al Jones Sheila MacRae Rick Avery Christopher Doyle
Director
Producers
Writer
Casting
Editors
Cinematography
Assistant Directors
Executive Producers
Lighting
Camera Operator
Art Direction
Set Decoration
Stunts
Clay Boss Al Jones Simone Boisseree Aaron Norris Rick Avery Jeannie Epper Jon H. Epstein Gary Epper Sharon Schaffer Debbie Lynn Ross Geoff Brewer Debbie Evans Eurlyne Epper Jadie David Kym Washington Longino Sheryl Sue Jones Bea Ellen Cameron
Composer
Sound
Makeup
Studios
Country
Language
Alternative Titles
La jaula desnuda, Τα Κελιά της Διαστροφής, La Cage aux vices, Im Keller des Grauens, A gabbia nuda, Τα Κελλιά της Διαστροφής, 裸笼, Пустая клетка, Uma Prisão Chamada Inferno
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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USAR
23 Jul 1986
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France
Releases by Country
France
23 Jul 1986
- Theatrical
USA
01 Mar 1986
- TheatricalR
Popular reviews
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One of those movies that I bought on a whim and didn’t really have high expectations for, but it ended up being a prime slice of forgotten USA up all night WIP mayhem and right up my alley.
The intro with Christina Whitaker and John ‘chiseled jaw’ Terlesky was rad and if they didn’t get busted so early on I could’ve watched a whole Bonnie and Clyde style ruckus with them pillaging and probably would've still loved it… but they did get busted... and fortunately for us they dragged innocent angel horse farmer Shari Shattuck into it and naturally she gets sent to jail. Calamity ensues—prison fights, an evil warden, a deranged nutso prison guard named officer smiley, drugs, solitary…
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WIP films always feel like 90 mins of sameness, which is absolutely fine by me as I love fictitious stories of scantily clad or naked ladies fighting cellmates in the shower and having cafeteria catfights whilst warring with the evil wardens.
Naked Cage is notable though as the acting is above average and the budget seems to be larger for this type of film. Its more serious in tone than most other WIP films. There's actually an engaging story and a likable lead as well to! One of the film's main antagonists was a shades wearing crooked cop creeper named Officer Smiley. I wanted to break his face everytime he was onscreen so he did his job I guess. The bit with the cellmates breakdancing in the yard was rather odd but their moves were crisp. Loved the chaotic ending!
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i was not prepared for the amount of nudity in this, i probably should’ve gotten a hint from the title that’s on me
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Felt like this only minimally succumbs to the pitfalls of wip/exploitation to meet some bare requirement, and otherwise just straight up rips. Doesn't have the artistic merit of a Female Prisoner Scorpion, but shot really well and aesthetically it's a perfect piece of late 80s American genre cinema. Big hair and colored gels. Everyone's wearing either purple or green and they all have a purpose. Even the ones you hate it's cause they were drawn up so effectively. Was expecting this to be sleazy and cheap, but every time there's a chance to get really mean, they cut away. Even in terms of characterization I found myself surprised at the amount of times they chose to go with "nah let's have these women stand up for each other instead".
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Wow, what a movie! I was gearing up for some mindless WIP shenanigans, I never expected engaging and exceptionally defined characters integrated into a well constructed and satisfying story arch.
A woman who's dating Deathstalker II, is sent to prison under the falsity of helping him rob a bank with his side bitch. In the prison, we meet several characters that play integral roles in the storyline. From the incarcerated muscle that protects inmates for payment, to a lady-liking female warden, there's multiple storylines to follow. Racial tensions, secret liaisons, revenge plots, undercover officers, drug addiction, and even a secret pet bird, The Naked Cage doesn't seem to waste much effort while having something going on every burner.
I actually…
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An enjoyable watch about an innocent woman sent to prison for bank robbery. Some excellent scenes in the prison cafeteria which are a hallmark of prison films. Then just head on over to the showers, but actually this has a solid story in it, too that grows with the high quality exploitation into a bonkers all-women prison riot. Numerous characters written and acted to catapult you into the plot and the action. Your weaklings, your strong ones, bad ones, and good ones in a cool WIP with break dancing that keeps on going. Pretty good cheap, lurid, entertainment from the Cannon Group.
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If women-in-prison movies have taught me anything, it is that the justice system is completely fucked. The Naked Cage finds Shari Shattuck's character Michelle being held hostage by bank robbers. These aren't just any criminals. One of them is her estranged husband. Then she gets arrested for robbing the bank, that she was seen leaving with a gun to her head.
The prison that she goes to is filled with a colorful cast of characters. Sure, they might be WIP tropes but they felt more fleshed out. It is as if someone wanted to tell a full story instead of making sure bullet points were shown. Then there is the violence. The Naked Cage doesn't hold back. A woman is…
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i really do not like wip films but i luv shari and she's great in this despite the fact or perhaps because she is but an innocent horse girl falsely imprisoned for a crime she didnt commit! otherwise no thank you
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For a women-in-prison film with that title, this is shockingly not straight sleazy exploitation, and when it is; it doesn’t feel excessively so as the scenes play into the film’s structure.
#70/95 of Summer of Trash 2023
Watch a women in prison film
Sure, there’s plenty of shower scenes to show nudity. But none of them feel (entirely) gratuitous as actual scenes with consequences happen during them. There’s a rapey guard with ridiculous sunglasses and instead of using that as a jumping off point for the usual plethora of assaults to shock and stimulate; Paul Nicholas cuts away from the actual act and only has one scene of this nature.
I almost feel the script (which he also wrote) is…
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Cannon produced women in prison movie isn't bad so much as that I just didn't really care all that much about anything that was happening in this movie past like maybe the twenty minute mark, maybe half hour let's say. Really good opening act tho before it fairly quickly bogs down into your standard innocent trying to learn the ropes of how to survive in prison movie.
On the bright side it's competently made and acted at least, I just found it hard to increasingly care about what was gonna happen as it went on with its various plot lines involving this friend the innocent protagonist makes in the prison trying to free herself from heroin addiction and being re-strung…
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It never establishes any sense of suspense or real drama and for every kinda cool thing it does it’s immediately followed by preposterousness.
It’s never as brutal as you’d expect but somehow it’s very watchable.
A few fun shots, over the top performances, a ridiculous penitentiary dress code and a pretty great performance by Shari Shattuck as Michelle go a long way.
If this was inexplicabley re-released in a theatre, I’d make the trip.*Sebastian Maniscalco is Faith Minton as Sheila!
**I wonder how many 80’s synth-pop songs had the word Heartbeat in them? I’m setting the over-under at 43.
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Women-in-prison films aren’t really my jam. Mainly because if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen a dozen. The stock characters, the formulaic plotting, the exploitative lesbianism, the predictable fights between rival cliques… This one dutifully follows that well-worn algorithm. This came up in my Amazon Prime Video recommendations, so I put it on for a low-stakes watch during a rare Friday afternoon off work. Visually, The Naked Cage is extremely well-produced by WIP movie standards. Some shots border on arty, and the color transfer is excellent. Several attempts at character development are made too. The acting is on the south side of mediocre. All in all, an okay bit of mid-80s sleaze, but you’ll probably forget about it immediately afterward.