User Reviews

Ironically, I saw this campy, Nazi-flavored fornication fest just last week at the old ABC theater in Brussels - still standing proudly in the face of video, DVD and what not in late 2007 - in its all too fitting German-dubbed version once upon a long ago distributed by Kraut-core giant Beate Uhse, proclaiming it had finally been allowed for that country's release. Now I realize that Germany's still reeling from its gruesome war history - they have only just acquired the rights to Brit sitcom ALLO ! ALLO ! for cable screening - but, considering how PRISONER pretty much takes the HOGAN'S HEROES approach to its SS shenanigans, this still strikes me as a tad preposterous. If credits are to be believed, it was jointly directed by former Playboy Playmate Gail Palmer and the ever reliable Bob Chinn, godfather of the long-running JOHNNY WADD series. In reality, Palmer's centerfold notoriety was rarely more than a marketing gimmick, her "creative input" largely limited to - as a Hustler critic fessed up several years ago - exchanging physical favors for good reviews ! Considering her signposted involvement in movies such as THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF CANDY, HOT LEGS and the title under review here, she need not have bothered...

In a bizarre sort of prequel to his already well-established incarnation as super-sleuth Johnny Wadd, the late John Holmes plays US Marine Joe Murray, stranded on an apparently deserted island - actually Hawaii - following an air raid (footage taken from TORA ! TORA ! TORA !) with only memories of his lost love, prostitute Mai Lin, for company. Unbeknownst to him, crazed Nazi colonel Hans Von Schlemel (Elmer Fox, billed as "Hans Mueller") has set up camp with a pair of strapping female sidekicks, Ilsa (superstar Seka) and Greta (Sue Carol), for the sole purpose of extracting strategic information from captured American army nurses through (mild) torture. Throwing Holmes in with the girls (always a good idea !), the Nazis sign their own death warrant as the loyalty of Japanese guard Jade Wong (the heart-breaker from Chris Warfield's wonderful PURELY PHYSICAL) takes a 180° turn upon sight of the King's mighty member !

The screenplay supposedly penned by Palmer (okay...) and future filmmaker Jeff Fairbanks (American PIE, EXPOSED) flat out refuses to take itself seriously once the going gets rough, something of a breach in tone as the ultimately tragic Holmes/Lin romance is treated with surprising delicacy. Their passionate tryst also provides by far the hottest sex. The movie opens up quite literally once Holmes hits the island and cinematographer Ken Gibb (who shot several of the ALL American GIRLS films, including the awesome original, for Bill Milling) has a field day with the stunning vistas as well as the fine flesh on display. Seka and Sue (whose only other recorded appearance was in a non-sex bit in the obscure GOODBYE GIRLS) make for an appealing double act that will delight fetishists, strutting around in khaki shirts 'n' shorts with black leather boots. Acting-wise, they're all over the place though, the platinum princess making a valiant if less than valid attempt to keep up with the scenery-chomping Fox, a solid character actor best remembered for playing studio boss Harvey Cox - teaming up with legendary Dave Friedman as Bernie Kuntz - in Ron Sullivan's delightful Matinée IDOL. Perky Nikki Anderson, who plays brunette nurse Carol (her blond counterpart Gloria being one shot wonder Brenda Vargo), went on to appear in decidedly minor Lewis Bros. flicks 11 (a limp take-off on Blake Edwards' 10, get it ?) and THE BLONDE and performs really well in her submissive oral number on His Hugeness here, along with Sue's "guns are for loving" auto-abuse as close to anything even remotely nasty this soft-centered "roughie" ever gets.

This is suppose to take place in world war 2,but there are some inaccuracies.Beside the haircuts you see john going to what looks like China town to see his girl friend Mai lin,under the name Miko Motto before he goes off to war.What dawned on me is that by this time most Japanese Americans were being put in Internment camp.Then after seeing her all of a sudden China town is bombed.Gail Palmer was being vague about this period,but,it dawned on me that this was suppose to be Hawaii and that old footage Palmer used was suppose to be the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor.So this was before Asian Americans were being interned.In spite of many of inaccuracies it's still very entertaining.Another thing old Adolph would not allow his leaders to have play mates in real life.I remember seeing this at the Capri theater.It was the soft core version and surprised they had one hardcore sex scene minus climax shot.That was the first time I saw some hardcore sex in the theater.Vinegar Syndrome has remastered it in it's original none Anamorphic wide screen version ratio, one by eighty five by one.Looking at it again it's funny when the three Nazi's in the Island ,one played by Seka another played by Sue Carol and the fat old commandant played by Heinz Mueller that in the day time all of them are wearing SS uniforms and at night black guard uniforms.Who are these characters? a member of the SS or the Black guard? there is an original score with a singer in the back ground as Holmes is trying to survive on the island. There are two hostages.one played by Nikki Anderson and Brenda Vargo.The movie does not tell who they play ,?Could they been military nurses? or Military women soldiers?Were Seka and Sue Carol were playing?I forgot the term ,but German women volunteered to help German soldier and farmers and other citizens while the German men were at war .It was a form of Nursing.Any how the sex was good,Between Mai Lin and john's love scenes was passionate.Then you have Seka and Sue is assaulting Brenda then Heinz whips her.Jade Wong plays the Japanese guard Suke,who later turns against the Nazis after John Holmes big Wadd ,but gets killed after words by Seka. The three mages to escape,right before it ends Gail Palmer advertises her next films including Canterbury tales ,which was directed by Bud lee ,not her. It includes three Remastered trailers of Caribbean films,include a trailer of Californian Gigolo ,in much better shape than the VCX print.Very Camp sexy and fun. 09/01/19

Shipwrecked American soldier Joe Murrey (a solid and charming performance by the legendary John Holmes) finds himself stuck on a remote Pacific island with a Nazi prison camp on it that's run by the sadistic Hans (robustly overplayed with scenery-gnawing gusto by Elmo Lavino) and his two equally wicked female assistants. Joe comes to the rescue of a pair of American nurses being held captive by the Nazi swine.

Director Bob Chinn keeps the engrossing story moving along at a brisk enough pace and, with the exception of a moving flashback sequence involving Joe's Asian girlfriend Sue Lee (the fetching Mai Lin), treats the material in a winningly lighthearted manner, with the campy depiction of the cartoonishly evil Nazis and the over-the-top silly torture set pieces complete with exaggerated sound effects both ensuring that this picture registers as amusing and inoffensive throughout. Seka and Sue Carol have a field day as the ruthless Nazi she wolves while Nikki Anderson and Brenda Vargo are sympathetic as the Yankee prisoners. The sex scenes are pretty hot and energetic; foxy brunette Jade Wong in particular has a especially arousing make-out session with Holmes. The use of stock footage gives this picture a nice sense of scope. The groovy-chilling score hits the right-on funky spot. A fun little romp.