Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 18, 2023

Deep the jungle, there’s a place where women are imprisoned, held against their will while waiting to be sold off to the highest bidder. Human trafficking cinema gets a double dose of Brazilian focus with the double feature release of 1985’s “Amazon Jail” and 1987’s “Amazon Jail II,” with both endeavors making a box art promise of adventure and nudity, but only the original film has any interest in taking things seriously.

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Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

See above for reviews.

Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

See above for reviews.

Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Amazon Jail

• Commentary features film historian Fabio Vellozo.

• "Amazon Jail" (13:20, HD) is an interview with actress Elisabeth Hartmann, who shares the formation of her acting career, creating a deep love for performance. The interviewee discusses her position in a burgeoning industry, working with popular directors on various films. Some talk of "Amazon Jail" is included, including Hartmann's time with careless co-stars.

• Interview (23:45, HD) is a video conference chat with actress Vanessa Alves, who began her career with commercial work as a child, eventually graduating to musical performance, ultimately choosing to pursue the life of an actor. Memories from the "Amazon Jail" and "Amazon Jail II" shoots are offered, with Alves reflecting on producer behavior and difficult locations. The sexual content of scenes is analyzed. The interviewee also details other career adventures.

• "The Sadean Woman in Prison" (59:40, HD) is a video essay by Annie Rose Malamet.

• "Latin American Exploitation Cinema" (18:47, HD) is an appreciation piece by Dr. Victoria Ruetalo.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Amazon Jail II

• Interview (39:28, HD) is a video conference discussion of "Amazon Jail II" with director Conrado Sanchez, who began his interest in features at a young age, with his father involved in the production business. As a young man, Sanchez continued to make his way into filmmaking, gathering experience from veterans while striking out on his own. The interviewee recalls his early helming endeavors and some of the strange locations he worked on, including a farm where "many explicit animal sex movies" were created. Some technical and creative challenges are explored from the "Amazon Jail II" shoot, along with a recent revisit of the picture, with Sanchez stating he "thought it was worse than it is."

• Interview (23:45, HD) is a video conference chat with actress Vanessa Alves, who began her career with commercial work as a child, eventually graduating to musical performance, ultimately choosing to pursue the life of an actor. Memories from the "Amazon Jail" and "Amazon Jail II" shoots are offered, with Alves reflecting on producer behavior and difficult locations. The sexual content of scenes is also analyzed. The interviewee also details other career adventures.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Amazon Jail" and "Amazon Jail II" are not inspired offerings of exploitation, but the first film is certainly more dedicated when it comes to sleaziness. A/V presentations are solid, supplementary material gets as far as possible with interviewees who don't really want to talk about their "Amazon Jail" production experience.