Five Loose Women (1974)

Five Loose Women: Directed by Stephen C. Apostolof. With Jabie Abercrombe, Rene Bond, Tallie Cochrane, Donna Young. Five inmates break out of a remote minimum security prison for women. Four are hardened convicts, the fifth was wrongfully convicted. As the authorities chase them down, the cons terrorize or kill anyone who gets in their way.

“No one will mistake u0026quot;Fugitive Girlsu0026quot; (the most common title for this film) for great cinema. The ultra-low budget, editing errors and continuity blunders alone guarantee that. But taken for what it is – a 1974 exploitation quickie, a drive-in nudie flick about female criminals – this movie really works. With the legendary Edward D. Wood Jr. contributing one of his finest screenplays and also acting in two different roles, the film wonu0026#39;t disappear. u0026quot;Fugitive Girlsu0026quot; is good entertainment! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe acting ranges from passable to good, the dialogue ranges from classic Woodian nonsense to decent, the music often works very well, and technically…well, this aspect doesnu0026#39;t usually manage to impress. Director Stephen Apostolof deserves credit, certainly, for the superb pacing and for bringing out the best in actresses Tallie Cochrane, the u0026#39;70u0026#39;s adult superstar Rene Bond (now supposedly deceased) and the strangely overlooked but genuinely charismatic Margie Lanier.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRarely do these no-budget grindhouse flicks deliver like this one does, and not because of overt sex or violence; u0026quot;Fugitive Girlsu0026quot; succeeds on itu0026#39;s own quirky charm and likability. Donu0026#39;t get me wrong, Iu0026#39;m not saying this is a *good* movie, but a great one for itu0026#39;s genre. Despite all of this, u0026quot;Fugitive Girlsu0026quot; rarely receives extended mention in Ed Wood discussions, probably because itu0026#39;s such an oddity. It isnu0026#39;t family friendly like, say, u0026quot;Plan 9 From Outer Spaceu0026quot;, doesnu0026#39;t feature any of his most famous players from his earlier period (like Criswell in u0026quot;Orgy Of The Deadu0026quot;), and this film barely qualifies as softcore, much less hardcore (such as u0026quot;Necromaniau0026quot;). You get the idea. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Fugitive Girlsu0026quot; is top-shelf exploitation and recommended viewing for Wood cultists, Rene Bond fans, B-cinema specialists and grindhouse followers alike.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(10 stars for genre excellence, not general brilliance)”