Savage Sisters (1974)

If you've seen at least one Filipino action film made in the 1970's than you pretty much know what to expect with this but with all the sleazy aspects of the story this film seems to just fall short in terms of exploitation. Story takes place in a Banana Republic where two female revolutionaries are locked up but while in jail their group robs a General of $1 million dollars. Jo Turner (Cheri Caffaro) and Mai Ling (Rosanna Ortiz) are being prepared for torture by sleazy hooker turned sleazy cop Lynn Jackson (Gloria Hendry) but they get busted out to try and get the money back.*****SPOILER ALERT***** Jo and Mai learn that their revolutionary gang was murdered by a group led by a thug named Malavael (Sid Haig) and have stolen the one million and are now trying to find a way off the island. Lynn is told by her slimy boyfriend W.P. Billingsley (John Ashley) about the money and convinces everyone that they should steal it back with everyone getting equal shares but eventually he shows his dishonest side and the three women decide to do it on their own.This is directed by Eddie Romero who has made and starred in practically every action film shot in the Phillipines during the 1970's and even though he had to work with low budgets he became very adept at using whatever he had and producing some pretty entertaining films. Romero also directed "Black Mama, White Mama" and the ending to that film is almost exactly like the ending to this and I'm pretty sure it was shot at the same pier. This is an entertaining action film but I do think that it fails on an exploitation level and with the exception of maybe 3 nip slips this has no nudity to speak of. I'm not going to defend myself if called a sexist (because I don't think that I am, not a big one anyway) but a big attraction to these low budget Filipino black action films is both the violence and the nudity. This film has scenes that offer hookers, brothels, female prisons, whip wielding S&M guards, Hendry in a bathtub, and a General who uses his fingers but with all this going on the film is noticeably careful not to show much skin. So okay, I was deeply disappointed by that but at the same time how can I not recommend a film that stars the beautiful and luscious Hendry (Live and Let Die) and Caffaro (Ginger) and let's not forget Haig who yet again delivers one of his patented over the top sleazy performances. Not a great exploitation flick but a pretty entertaining actioneer that fits in well with the genre.

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.

You have to give credit to this Filipino actioner for at least trying something different, and that's with making the movie more or less a comedy. However, the comedy is so lazy, so uninspired, and so utterly unfunny that sitting through the movie is more painful than had it kept the comedy out! (Also, the comedy sometimes has a mean-streak in it, giving some scenes a bitter taste.)It's not that the movie is just bad with its comedy, it's also badly made. The "action" is poorly choreographed, and the mayhem has the intensity of seeing a group of people running by you. As well, there is some unbelievably slipshod editing; characters suddenly appear (or disappear) with no explanation as to how they got there or where they went. Added with a prologue that suspiciously looks like it was filmed and added in at the last minute, there seems to have been some problems during the shooting, or that they were frantically trying to save the movie in the editing room.Oh yeah, don't let the "R" rating fool you. The rating seems to be more for several utterances of the "ultimate" four-letter words. The action isn't graphic, the sex happens off-screen or just out of camera range, and I don't think there's one instance of actual nudity by the ladies. You have to ask yourself why if they were headed for an "R" rating with the language, why they didn't use the opportunity to spice things up.

'Savage Sisters' comes from the same period as the Jack Hill led Filipino "chicks in chains" flicks of the early 70s ( see 'The Big Doll House' and 'The Big Bird Cage' for the best of the genre). Hill wasn't involved in this one mind you, the director is Eddie Romero, also responsible for the classic 'Black Mama, White Mama', who also appears in a supporting role as Captain Morales. The three aforementioned movies all co-starred blaxploitation icon Pam Grier. Grier isn't along for the ride in 'Savage Sisters', the Grier role is taken by Gloria Hendry ('Live And Let Die', 'Black Belt Jones'), and while the prison side of things isn't as important as the others in the series, fans of them will really dig this one. As always, while filmed in the Philippines, the movie is set in some unnamed Banana Republic. General Balthasar (Leopoldo Salcedo) plans on smuggling one million dollars US out of the country. A group of local revolutionaries plan on stealing the money and form an uneasy alliance with some bandits, led by the wily Malavael (the legendary Sid Haig, a regular in these kinds of movies), and his bumbling sidekick One-Eye (Vic Diaz, another familiar face). Malavael not surprisingly double crosses the revolutionaries and makes of with the cash. Meanwhile Jo Turner (Cheri Caffaro) and Mai Ling (Rosanna Ortiz), each with varying commitment to the Revolution, are captured before they can rendezvous with their comrades, who include Turner's lover. While in prison they are interrogated by tough hooker turned cop Lynn Jackson (Hendry). She is later convinced by the shady W.P. Billingsley (John Ashley, who also co-produced) to break the two women out of prison and help them track down Malavael, with the secret intention of getting hold of the cool million for themselves. However, Billingsley's plan of betrayal may not go exactly as planned as Jackson begins to bond with her "savage sisters" on the jungle journey. Newcomers to these kinds of movies may not enjoy this as those more familiar with their style and approach, but I enjoyed 'Savage Sisters' a great deal, and think it deserves to be much better known than it currently is. A tough and cool movie with plenty of fun and thrills.