If you use 70’s sleaze cinema as a barometer of that time,
it seems like the 70s were a rather rape-y time. From mainstream films like
“Death Wish” to cheesy flicks like Al Adamson’s “Jessi’s Girls”, a viewer was
treated to rape as if it was a part of life. Well, sadly, yeah, I guess it is.
Still, it just seems like any sort of action movie had a rape scene during
those years.
“The Black Alley Cats” (1973) just does away with any real
pretense and jumps to the raping in the first scene as our four heroines are
chased by 5 scuzzy dudes, pulled into what looks like a storage unit, and each
girl is attacked and roughed up. The guys leave as one guy shouts, “You know
you girls loved it!” or something to that effect. Classy.
From there, the only logical reaction is to get matching
satin jackets, dress up in hose, and lead a war against bad folks. And that is
what our plucky characters do. They knock out the guys who raped them and steal
all of their clothing. Then you never hear more about them. Good riddance to
bad rubbish, I say.
Oh, but then we find out that one of the girls is hired to
babysit for a rich doctor and his trophy wife. You’d think the viewer and the
characters would be safe in suburbia. Nope. The couple drugs the girl and they
both have their way with her as well as take photos for both their personal
collection and for blackmail.
Suddenly, the girl is ashamed to tell the other girls what
happened. Really? You were gang raped with these women. You’ve been committing
felonies with these same women. Yet, you can’t say, “This honky mutha and his
chick drugged me and used me like nobody’s business. Let’s get him!” Nope, so
we get another 10 minutes tacked on while the story decides to let the girls go
after the rapist doctor, but only does so AFTER he rapes another girl in the
group he was supposed to be patching up after she was shot.
Ultimately, the girls dose the couple with their own sex
drug, leave stolen jewelry behind, and call the cops so the two are busted.
Yes, I just ruined the end of the film for you. Two reasons
why. First, a lot of people consider this to be a lost film unless you find a
copy of the rip from a Something Weird VHS screener tape. The fact they made
that video indicates there should be an actual copy of the film somewhere, but
no one has come forward with it. I mean, Something Weird still has it available
as a download. Still, you really have to work at it to find this, unless you
search Youtube. Second, this kind of movie isn’t one you watch for the
suspenseful story; its softcore nonsense aimed at mostly men with a dose of
social justice to justify the obvious misogyny. If you want to see this movie,
you know what you want to see, and it ain’t a meaningful tale of female
empowerment.
Let’s be honest; the film sucks. Really. Bad acting. Crap
lighting. Over-the-top fake sex. Confused story. Characters who do not act like
real people. Still, even for being rather distasteful in its subject matter,
the film manages to move at a reasonable pace, and, casual raping aside, it is
a serviceable exploitation film.
If you are easily triggered, you might want to just avoid
this movie.
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