If there's one thing that's got to be more appealing than a WIP flick (Women in Prison), it's got to be an Asian WIP, I'm a pig. Which brings us to Scorpion's Revenge, the latest offering from Asia Pulp Cinema. Made in or around 1997, it's obvious from the get go that this flick is just a little behind the curve, perhaps a little too late in the game. But still, when one thinks of the elements that make women in prison flicks so great, Scorpion's Revenge does indeed have 'em. While it may not be quite as exploitative as its brothers and sisters, Scorpion's Revenge is still quite a throwback and my newest guilty pleasure du jour.

We're introduced to Nami as she's escorted into cellblock...whatever. She deals with the catcalling inmates with ease as she's one tough cookie that Nami. We learn through flashbacks that Nami's fianceé fell victim to an exploding car incident while Nami looked on in shock and horror. Unfortunately for Nami, she was convicted becuase the feds thought she was in it for the insurance money, and who wouldn't? The pay out was 1.2 million dollars. Sentenced for an unspecified amount of time in a sexilicious women's prison, Nami must defend herself against lesbian inmates and a warden who likes to quote scripture as he fondles and rapes, creepy. Nami's only friend is another Japanese inmate named Yukiko who also happens to be blind, are ya with me so far?

Eventually Nami devises a plan of escape and she winds up somewhere in the desert with Yukiko by her side. It's at this point that we learn a little bit about Yukiko's past. Turns out her Dominican(?) boyfriend was killed while she was raped by a couple of obnoxious frat boys out "lookin' for some bitches." Anyway, Yukiko got her revenge at the end of a sharp blade and wound up behind bars herself. Through it all, it seems as if no one is looking for our two escapees because they manage to shack up undetected with one of Nami's friends and in turn, take care of some unfinished business. It all gets pretty ridiculous towards the end, but in a fun late night TBS screening of Death Warrant kind of way.

Scorpion's Revenge almost feels like two movies in one. The first 40-minutes come across as a slightly toned down WIP flick, while the remaining 40 are nothing more than a bizarro world Thelma and Louise psychological thriller. The amazing thing here is that each half manages to retain its own share of cheese and stupidity throughout. I'm not going to lie to you here, things get pretty ridiculous. But, at the same time, some of the exploitation elements and plot twists are so outrageous, they really do need to be seen to be believed. It's all here. Catfights, lesbianism, revenge tactics, rape, murder and an impromptu dance number in the prison courtyard. It's R-Rated exploitation with a late night commercial cable sensibility...odd.

Presented in a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer at approximately 1.75:1 colors are fairly solid throughout and print damage is minimal, a few specs pop in from time to time. There is some slight artifacting in a few of the darker scenes but nothing of major concern. The transfer is a bit bright, but overall quite acceptable when considering the title at hand.

Audio is presented in either English or Japanese with optional English subs. The Japanese track is the clear-cut winner here with clear dialogue, music and effects. The Dolby Surround track is basic but serviceable, in other words it works. The English track is a mess. It's completely unbalanced and features a completely different (and not nearly as effective) music and sound effects track. The only thing to keep in mind here is that there are just as many (if not more) American actors as there are Japanese. Therefore when watching with the Japanese language track, there will be quite a bit of dialogue in English. During this English dialogue, there are non-removable Japanese subs, got it? Good.

Extras include a still gallery and a slew of trailers including Scorpion's Revenge and other Asia Pulp Cinema titles. Bottom line here, Scorpion's Revenge is a silly, if not all too entertaining exercise that should definitely hold its place in any respectable WIP DVD collection.

For more info visit Asia Pulp Cinema online by clicking here.