Although "Vendetta" is billed as a women in prison film, it plays more like women in a trade preparatory school, with conjugal visits. Once you get past the country club atmosphere, and focus on the stunt woman vs. the boss trustee, the film benefits. Sandy Martin as the head goon is a standout, while everyone else simply comes across as stereotyped "B" actresses. The movie is fast moving, has some welcome humor,and a mandatory shower scene. It is weakened by some seriously flawed stunt work that looks like no one is really hitting or kicking anyone. Nevertheless, the entertainment factor survives, as long as you suspend disbelief. - MERK
19 Reviews
V for vendetta
videorama-759-85939114 March 2015
Here's another example of typical B grade fare which made the eighties what they were. A slightly better prison/action vehicle here, though there are some "Are you shi..in' me moments?", especially as far at that Judge (Will Hare-that insane grandfather in Silent Night Deadly Night) was concerned. The premise isn't bad, also. Big Sis, a stunt woman, purposely gets herself arrested to avenge younger, cute sister's murder at the hands of a band of merciless female prisoners, led by notorious top dog, Kay (a nasty of acting from Sandy Martin, that female officer in Extremities). That's not the catalyst though, where I really did like how it was plotted. Sadly the film, again, gives way to sleaze, but does curb it a bit, where we again are in the sleazy confines of another corrupt run prison, though the staff aren't all rotten, although this is how it was intended. Of course, this doesn't make it excusable, but this is somewhat better than those Chained Heats, what have you. We see a familiar General Hospital face as a sleazy warden who services sexually starved prisoners. Not a badly made film, although a few amateur moments shine through, in a far from flawless pic. Oh, how you'll love it, you revenge fans, out there, you'll really crave this one.
Worth the watch
pmtelefon2 January 2022
Sleazy trash that delivers the goods!
EyeAskance7 March 2008
Exciting little pinch of 80s drive-in scruff details a stuntwoman purposely seeking a jail sentence in a reckless scheme to avenge the murder of her timid little sister, brutally killed by an athoritarian bulldyke inmate and her loyal minions.
Better than average direction and quite capable performances make this WIP flick worth a watch. The key villainess is especially well played...a truly imposing lady with a tucked-in shirt and a Jack Lord pompadour. Too, it's nice to see legendary cowpunkettes The Screamin' Sirens in a brief performance clip.
Hot grrrl-fights and every obligatory women's prison cliché in the book make this a good-time grindhouse throwback.
7/10...recommended.
Better than average direction and quite capable performances make this WIP flick worth a watch. The key villainess is especially well played...a truly imposing lady with a tucked-in shirt and a Jack Lord pompadour. Too, it's nice to see legendary cowpunkettes The Screamin' Sirens in a brief performance clip.
Hot grrrl-fights and every obligatory women's prison cliché in the book make this a good-time grindhouse throwback.
7/10...recommended.
Sleazy 80's women in prison flick
Captain_Couth15 October 2003
Vendetta (1986) is about a b-movie stunt woman who goes into prison just to find out who iced her little sis. I wanted to take a shower after I watched this movie, I've never felt so dirty. Typical, cheap, whitesploitation, low budget sleaze filled with unattractive female harness bulls, prison matrons and tired looking, road worn actors. I wouldn't recommend this movie to my worst enemy. It's that bad. No redeeming qualities, No fun. Bad acting, sloppy directing and no budget make this one a real dog. Movies like this give trashy films a bad name.
Woof, Woof.
Woof, Woof.
"Once you go brown, there's no turnin' around..."
Falconeer2 March 2007
"Vendetta" is a tough, stylish women in prison flick, with a good, solid story. Here we have a classic revenge tale. An innocent young girl named Bonnie is unfairly thrown into jail after she defends herself from a scumbag trying to rape her; she blows his head off, with the very gun that he was holding to her head. Talk about justice! Almost immediately after she is thrown inside a very nasty prison, she becomes a target for the butch dyke, Kay, and her henchwomen. It is obvious that this girl has never been inside a lock up facility, and after rejecting Kay's lesbian advances, the badgirl gang kill her. Basically they give her a savage beating, and throw her from a ledge, after shooting her up with heroin, to make it look like an overdose! They think they have gotten away with it, until a mysterious new prisoner shows up, and soon after, Kay's gang begin to die, one by one. This new woman, professional stunt woman Laurie Collins, is none other than the murdered girls sister! This is classic WIP material. The acting is all around good, and the action sequences, which include a lot of kick boxing technique are believable, and exhilarating. Unlike other films of this genre, the women are not all beautiful, with surgically enhanced bodies and perfect makeup. And this lends the film an extra level of credibility, and realism. There are no CGI effects, just a raw and realistic story from start to finish. Vendetta is also filled with some hilarious one-liners that you will be repeating with your friends long after the film is over. The lead butch dyke is especially a joy to behold. Unlike a lot of these cheap prison films, 'Vendetta' is actually well filmed, and every scene was bright and colorful, rather than dark and murky like most others. Reminiscent of the "pink" films coming out of Japan in the late 70's into the 80's; super violent films featuring tough female protagonists exacting their revenge on the scum of the earth. 'Vendetta' is highly recommended to fans of the genre, although you might have a hard time finding it.
Trash with style
bkoganbing30 October 2020
Young Michelle Newkirk is raped by Greg Bradford who holds a gun to her head but she gets it away from him and kills him. But she's the one tossed into one of
those for profit prisons. There she runs afoul of Sally Martin's gang that runs the prison and is killed. So her sister stuntwoman Karen Chase gets herself thrown in the
same prison to take some vengeance.
Private prisons for profit is a hot button topic and a serious film about it is certainly in order. But Vendetta ain't it. It's drive in trash, but done with a bit of style.
More chick fights than you'll see on women's wrestling. Karen Chase has some moves.
Private prisons for profit is a hot button topic and a serious film about it is certainly in order. But Vendetta ain't it. It's drive in trash, but done with a bit of style.
More chick fights than you'll see on women's wrestling. Karen Chase has some moves.
WIP at its best.
kimberlymhn29 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
After watching Jess Franco's dreadful 'Women of Cellblock 9', where the women are simply eye candy torture victims, it was great to see this one. A hard as nails stuntwoman Laurie Collins (Karen Chase) gets herself imprisoned in the same jail her sister was murdered in and sets about wiping out those responsible. Like most movies of this type, the script leaves a lot to be desired, with prison guards who seem to vanish whenever convenient and nobody twigs that it just MIGHT be the new girl with martial arts skills who is reducing the prison population! What is good about 'Vendetta' is the cast (notably the head bad girl Kay played by Sandy Martin) really do look like convicts, rather than the perfect bodied playboy starlet types who usually end up in movies like this. Real life stuntwoman Karen Chase is no pin-up and is believable in her role as she kicks her enemies to death as well as showing decent acting talent. The ending of the movie is as daft as the rest of it - Laurie has killed several women and perhaps an abusive guard but she's released!. it is however made clear that she knows her killing rampage has not changed a thing - her sister will not be coming back.
Vendetta is a must see for fans of female 'B' movies & deserves a decent DVD re-release.
Vendetta is a must see for fans of female 'B' movies & deserves a decent DVD re-release.
No Return Policy
akoaytao12343 September 2023
Vendetta 1986
A Female Car Stunt woman is faced with the sudden death of her sister in prison who was falsely imprisoned after defending herself against her rapist. Now with scorn in her veins, she tries to piece together what happened during her sister's stay in prison.
Very 80's exploitation that was surprisingly hitting very pointed issues like rape, sexism and drug addiction BUT with 80's neon and dance like fight scenes.
Not really much information about this film BUT it is shockingly well written and timely depiction of female prejudice that some modern films still has problems depicting. Personally, the story could have definitely been juiced up or less predictable at times, the acting can get laughable, the action is more dancing than actual kicks BUT the message of the film is just admirable. It rises above its 'Women in Jail' limitation to be honest. The ending really grounds it well.
Its by no means a masterpiece but admirable fun run-in-the-mill film.
A Female Car Stunt woman is faced with the sudden death of her sister in prison who was falsely imprisoned after defending herself against her rapist. Now with scorn in her veins, she tries to piece together what happened during her sister's stay in prison.
Very 80's exploitation that was surprisingly hitting very pointed issues like rape, sexism and drug addiction BUT with 80's neon and dance like fight scenes.
Not really much information about this film BUT it is shockingly well written and timely depiction of female prejudice that some modern films still has problems depicting. Personally, the story could have definitely been juiced up or less predictable at times, the acting can get laughable, the action is more dancing than actual kicks BUT the message of the film is just admirable. It rises above its 'Women in Jail' limitation to be honest. The ending really grounds it well.
Its by no means a masterpiece but admirable fun run-in-the-mill film.
Got More Absurd the Longer the Movie Ran
Uriah4316 June 2022
This film essentially begins with a young woman by the name of "Bonnie Cusack" (Michelle Newkirk) going out to a bar with her older sister "Laurie Collins" (Karen Chase) for a simple night of dancing and having fun. After finding a table, Bonnie decides to get a breath of fresh air and meets a young man in a pickup who invites her to have a drink with him in his truck. Once inside the truck, the man turns violent and after producing a pistol begins to rape her. It's during this time, while resisting, that she manages to grab the gun and kill him. Needless to say, the sound of the shot causes a commotion inside the bar and as Karen runs outside, she notices that the police are in the process of arresting Bonnie. Not long after that, Bonnie is found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to prison. Needless to say, this miscarriage of justice doesn't resonate well with Karen and when she hears the news that Bonnie has mysteriously committed suicide, she instantly realizes that a coverup has taken place. So, in order to find the people who murdered her sister, she deliberately commits several crimes in order to get sent to that same prison. What she doesn't count on, however, is the level of chaos and corruption there which will make things much more difficult. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film had the potential for being quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, like so many action movies made during this particular time, the director (Bruce Logan) put a higher emphasis on action than on realism and as a result the scenes got more and more absurd the longer the film went on. Only in Hollywood. Admittedly, I found it a bit interesting to see Roberta Collins (as the Correctional Officer, "Miss Dice") on the other side of the bars for a change, but even so everything was simply too ridiculous for me to rate this movie any higher than I have. Below average.
pretty bad
sandcrab27710 December 2019
As bad as it sounds, but the bad gal rules!
JulieKelleher5717 February 2003
VENDETTA is as bad as its description sounds. The shower scene in the beginning is the only reason for pre-pubescent boys to watch it. Sorry fellas -- no more naughty bits. Characters two-dimensional and trite, storyline as lame as it gets. (Don't worry -- no spoilers here!) BUT, it's worth one look for Sandy Martin, who plays the non-lesbian lesbian drug dealer. Ms. Martin has a field day with her role, acting circles around the others. Also check out Miss Dice, who is played by Roberta Collins -- though you'd swear she was Marta Kristen, Rebecca Demornay, or Tess Harper, depending on your generation.
Pretty Satisfying (SPOILERS)
david_barnett127 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I highly recommend this movie to all who get a guilty pleasure from seeing good looking chicks beating the living crap out of one another.
As has been said elsewhere, a stunt woman goes berserk when her sweet little sister (Bonnie) is unjustly imprisoned for doing nothing more terrible than defend herself against a would-be rapist, with fatal results for the nasty man! In order to avenge her late sister she hijacks and proceeds to trash in spectacular style, the valuable automobile belonging to the judge who had sentenced her sister. The same judge then sends her to the slammer for one year. By a happy coincidence it is the very same slammer in which Bonnie was killed.
It does not take our heroine long to work out what had happened to dear little Bonnie and once she has identified the killers, they begin to be taken out, one by one.
The fight scenes in which the evil ones are sent to eternity are truly excellent.
I have to concede that any tenuous connection between the events in this flick and the real world is purely coincidental.
The movie ends with the heroine, who has recently killed several women as well as gravely injuring a nasty male prison officer, being released to be driven away by her still loving boyfriend.
As an aficionado of rubbish exploitation movies, I can recommend this to all similarly inclined persons.
Great stuff!
As has been said elsewhere, a stunt woman goes berserk when her sweet little sister (Bonnie) is unjustly imprisoned for doing nothing more terrible than defend herself against a would-be rapist, with fatal results for the nasty man! In order to avenge her late sister she hijacks and proceeds to trash in spectacular style, the valuable automobile belonging to the judge who had sentenced her sister. The same judge then sends her to the slammer for one year. By a happy coincidence it is the very same slammer in which Bonnie was killed.
It does not take our heroine long to work out what had happened to dear little Bonnie and once she has identified the killers, they begin to be taken out, one by one.
The fight scenes in which the evil ones are sent to eternity are truly excellent.
I have to concede that any tenuous connection between the events in this flick and the real world is purely coincidental.
The movie ends with the heroine, who has recently killed several women as well as gravely injuring a nasty male prison officer, being released to be driven away by her still loving boyfriend.
As an aficionado of rubbish exploitation movies, I can recommend this to all similarly inclined persons.
Great stuff!
It was GREAT back in the mid-eighties!!!
zerodegreesk8 April 2002
This was on Showtime late night or something like that when I saw it as a ten or so year old. It was pure heaven. The exact film I was wanting to see at that age. A prison, a women's prison story, drug-dealing lesbians, murder and revenge. Aw YEAH!!!! Check this out for the SWEET shower scenes that I remember in the back of my mind. It was quite a few years back, so maybe it wasn't that good. But I loved it back then. The head lesbian gangster's great!
Good Movie
honib200424 May 2005
I Love this movie it was so good and I cant wait for it to come out on DVD. This movie was a good 80's prison movie The acting was not that bad for it to be a b movie I think this is one of those good stay home on the week-enders and watch with your friends Does anyone know if this is coming out on DVD? There is another movie that goes with this hand and hand--it is called Concrete Jungle. They are both good and you can watch both together So please if you have not seen these movies run out and get them both. This hard trying to write all of this comment. I am running out of things to say. Why does it have to be a least 10 lines. I am almost at ten lines. Go out and get the movie Vendetta you wont regret it
where can I get this movie?
kittykitty50510 March 2006
This was one of my favorite movies back in the 80's. I had rented it as a teen, & accrued a huge overdue fee for not turning it back it on time. I cant remember too much of what actually happened in the movie, other than, the main character gets sent to prison on purpose to avenge the death of her sister. She kicks butt & takes down all the bad chicks who were involved in her sisters death. Awesome fight scenes!! Loved it!! The heroine in this flick can totally kick butt! She was a one woman wrecking crew & didn't stop until everyone got their just deserts!!!If anyone knows where I can get a copy, please let me know. Would really like to see it again. :)
Great if you're in the mood
TonyDood10 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Have you ever really, really been angry at the world, so angry you'd just about break the law...so angry you just didn't think you could take it anymore? This film might be for you...
"Vendetta" is an odd one. It rides the fine line between being sleazy B-movie and a "real" movie. A little bit more nudity and it would easily qualify as something made for the cable TV pud-pulling crowd. More bloody violence and it would work for the gore market. A little less of everything and it might just work as a TV movie for a niche cable market. It has some snappy dialog and some smart themes, but it also has female prisoners allowed to wander around at will, kill each other at random and dress in Madonna-inspired underthings. I found it hard to believe even in the 80's that these women were allowed to sport 10 foot high mall-hair, whore make-up and frilly lace bras. Would that really be regulation? Even functional?
So a realistic view of a women's prison this is not. But who cares? It has Sandy Martin! She has to be one of the most under-used talents around...she is in lots of movies and always makes her mark on them ("Napoleon Dynamite" is probably what she's known most for today I'd imagine) but never really gets to show what she can do. In "Vendetta" she does, and she all but steals the show. As much as you want her to pay for the terrible things she's been involved in, she's so fun to watch you can't help but root for her too on some level.
The rest of the cast is serviceable. The fights may seem strange today because they're rather more realistic than audiences might be used to--they almost look to be in slow motion considering how action scenes are cut today (which isn't necessarily a bad thing--Kill Bill for example). But the action keeps coming and is quite satisfying in a low-rent kind of way...if you're in the mood.
This is a cheap film, 80's campy, very unrealistic most of the time, and hardly earth-shaking, but when I'm in a bad mood and feel like the world is against me I can think of few better movies to purge that feeling than one in which the wronged lead heroine, who is essentially a good person, destroys all the monsters who have ruined so many people's lives with vigilante justice...to answer the warden's very thought-provoking question, "Did it bring your sister back?" No, but watching this movie, I'm glad she did it all anyway, and I think I would've too, if I could've, and life was a movie.
"Vendetta" is an odd one. It rides the fine line between being sleazy B-movie and a "real" movie. A little bit more nudity and it would easily qualify as something made for the cable TV pud-pulling crowd. More bloody violence and it would work for the gore market. A little less of everything and it might just work as a TV movie for a niche cable market. It has some snappy dialog and some smart themes, but it also has female prisoners allowed to wander around at will, kill each other at random and dress in Madonna-inspired underthings. I found it hard to believe even in the 80's that these women were allowed to sport 10 foot high mall-hair, whore make-up and frilly lace bras. Would that really be regulation? Even functional?
So a realistic view of a women's prison this is not. But who cares? It has Sandy Martin! She has to be one of the most under-used talents around...she is in lots of movies and always makes her mark on them ("Napoleon Dynamite" is probably what she's known most for today I'd imagine) but never really gets to show what she can do. In "Vendetta" she does, and she all but steals the show. As much as you want her to pay for the terrible things she's been involved in, she's so fun to watch you can't help but root for her too on some level.
The rest of the cast is serviceable. The fights may seem strange today because they're rather more realistic than audiences might be used to--they almost look to be in slow motion considering how action scenes are cut today (which isn't necessarily a bad thing--Kill Bill for example). But the action keeps coming and is quite satisfying in a low-rent kind of way...if you're in the mood.
This is a cheap film, 80's campy, very unrealistic most of the time, and hardly earth-shaking, but when I'm in a bad mood and feel like the world is against me I can think of few better movies to purge that feeling than one in which the wronged lead heroine, who is essentially a good person, destroys all the monsters who have ruined so many people's lives with vigilante justice...to answer the warden's very thought-provoking question, "Did it bring your sister back?" No, but watching this movie, I'm glad she did it all anyway, and I think I would've too, if I could've, and life was a movie.
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