The early 70's were a glorious time for exploitation cinema. Women in prison, blaxploitation, gory horror, and silly action were all on the menu and new movies were coming out in droves ranging from wildly entertaining to painfully boring. Filipino producer/director Cirio H. Santiago was one of the pioneers of exploitation movies and this is one of his more popular titles as a director. It was released in a time where female black action stars were all the rage with Pam Grier leading the pack as Coffy and Foxy Brown and Tamara Dobson making a name for herself as Cleopatra Jones. Santiago's take stars Jeanne Bell (a former Playboy Playmate) as TNT Jackson and although she does not have the same screen presence as some of her peers, she still provides some of the ass-kicking moves and crazy one-liners that make these movies what they are.

TNT travels to Hong Kong to investigate the disappearance of her brother. After a quick alley fight, she meets up with a nightclub owner named Joe (Chquito) who helps her find some answers to the mystery surrounding her sibling. She soon meets a dude with a killer afro named Charlie (Stan Shaw) who clearly wants to get her in the sack and she finds out about a large heroin operation involving Charlie, his boss Sid (Ken Metcalfe), and another guy named Ming (Max Alvarado). TNT gets herself deeper into the operation when she agrees to team up with Charlie to prove her worth. After a couple of drug transactions go sideways, the bad guys start to suspect that TNT is somehow responsible. Things take another turn when it is revealed that Sid's girl Elaine (Pat Anderson) is actually an undercover cop and it is obvious that almost every character has their own agenda and their own things to gain by double-crossing one another. Yes, the plot is convoluted but that is to be expected from some of these films. Let's be honest, most viewers are here for the action, the dated costumes and art direction, and the hopes that they will see one or more of the ladies without their clothes on.

Of the many movies that I have seen featuring female action leads, this one just does not measure up. It has a few memorable moments (as do most exploitation flicks) but as a whole, it is not something you need to have in your library. From a historical perspective, it was quite popular and is the movie that put director Santiago on the map. From an entertainment perspective, however, it is not very engaging. The fight scenes are poorly staged and I spent more time trying to spot when Bell was using a double than caring about the outcome of the fight. A catfight between Bell and Anderson in a graveyard that should have been a sexy set piece plays as rehearsed and boring. Then again, all I could think about was how much I would rather be watching Pam Grier and Roberta Collins tussle in the mud in The Big Doll House. All of Bell's fight scenes come across as slow and unimpressive which is a real drag when the movie is being sold on the strength of this "one mama massacre squad". Ken Metcalfe as the villain is a disappointment as his line deliveries are stiff as the fight scenes. It is also pretty hard to take a dude seriously when he's slapping a woman around while wearing a see-through pink shirt. The best part of the movie by far is Stan Shaw. This cat constantly made me laugh by how smooth he thought he was.

You could do worse than this flick (Velvet Smooth for example) but you can also do way better as Pam Grier has shown. Aside from a topless fight scene in a hotel room and Anderson getting out of the shower, you don't get a lot of skin so you are in this mainly for the story and action. Although the movie has definitely made its mark in exploitation cinema, it doesn't have a main character that makes it memorable for more experienced fans. I was more interested in Pat Anderson (who has previously worked with Santiago as a stewardess in Fly Me) than I was in Bell. Anderson and Bell both went on to work with Santiago again in Cover Girl Models and The Muthers respectively but both of their careers had all but fizzled out by the end of the 70s. Ken Metcalfe (who also co-wrote the script with Roger Corman regular Dick Miller) seems to have been based in the Philippines and worked with Santiago and fellow Filipino directors Eddie Romero and Bobby Suarez many more times throughout his career in supporting roles. (Josh Pasnak, 6/27/13)

Directed By: Cirio H. Santiago.
Written By: Dick Miller, Ken Metcalfe.

Starring: Jeanne Bell, Stan Shaw, Pat Anderson, Ken Metcalfe.