Review: The Slams


After double-crossing his accomplices, thief Jim Brown (in an interesting anti-hero performance) stashes the loot before getting caught and thrown in the slammer. Whilst inside, everyone from the Warden (Quinn Redeker, AKA the impossibly tanned Rex Stirling from TV’s “The Young and the Restless”), to his lackey Captain Stambell (Bob Harris), and several prisoners are willing to help Brown out if he cuts them in on the loot. Towering, deep-voiced Ted Cassidy is the sadistic ‘leader’ of the white prisoners, Frank DeKova is the well-connected, imprisoned mob boss. Judy Pace is Brown’s girl on the outside.

 

Watchable 1973 Jonathan Kaplan (a protégé of Roger Corman, he’s mostly recognised by me for helming the classic blaxploitationer “Truck Turner”) blaxploitation-tinged prison escape movie boasts a few good performances (notably the imposing and sadistic Cassidy, AKA TV’s Lurch, and slimy Bob Harris, while Pace is her usual blank self), and passes the time quite acceptably so long as you don’t think about it much (DeKova’s imprisoned mobster character is pretty silly).

 

Worth a look especially if you’re a Jim Brown fan or a prison movie lover (Kaplan does a little more with the material than most of the directors for these types of films). Cute cameo by cult fave Miller as a cabbie Brown encounters at one pivotal point in the film, too. Screenplay by Richard L. Adams (“I Escaped From Devil’s Island”).

 

Rating: C+

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