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Amos Lassen wrote on 08/23/2010:

“Stuck!”

A Tribute to the Way It Was

Amos Lassen


“Stuck” is a tribute to those old women in prison films and stars Karen Black and Mink Stole . Written and directed by Steve Balderson, it is a gorgeous, black-and-white noir character piece that feels less like homage and more like a newly discovered classic in the babes-behind-bars genre. The film adheres closely to the things that make a women in prison movie. It takes a serious and reverent approach resulting in a solid movie that truly delivers a punch. Starina Johnson plays Daisy, a lily-white, virginal young woman accused of murdering her invalid mother. Because of eye witness testimony of a nosy neighbor lady (Karen Black), Daisy is wrongly convicted and sentenced to die by hanging. Once she gets locked down, we're introduced to the small group of prisoners who constitute the rest of the principal cast, and the requisite sadistic guard nicknamed Amazon (Stacy Cunningham). It's at this point the film really becomes a stage play, the intimate setting and proximity of the players serving to inhibit the growth of Daisy's character. Through her interactions with the other women and a polarizing experience at the gallows, it becomes evident that Daisy's life truly begins when she's facing death as a short-timer.

The main focus here is on the performances, and each leading lady has more than enough to emote here.
“STUCK!” contains several moments that hit hard, making it actually better than most of the movies that inspired it. The director’s choice of a small cast and keeping the action contained to a minimal setting not only works to maintain the atmosphere of being locked in a jail cell, but it necessitates a great deal of creativity from a film making point of view. The fact that the movie works so well falls squarely on the shoulders of the actors, but competent camera work and editing (and some truly impressive lighting) aid in solidifying the feel of a true cult film.
The very cute Starina Johnson (the pony-tailed babysitter in Watch Out) is Daisy, a never-been-kissed shop assistant whose life is dominated by Taking care of her mother (September Carter). Mama at a depressed point, decides to take her own life and Daisy tries desperately to stop her but fails and she is accused of matricide, found guilty and sentenced to die. On Death Row, she has four companions all of whom are waiting to die.
In a strong cast, the stand-out performance is Stacy Cunningham as the guard, nicknamed ‘Amazon’ by the inmates. She is fantastic, making the character both unrelentingly brutal and human at the same time. She torments and abuses the prisoners which firs with her sadistic streak. Cunningham never goes over the top, never loses the reality of the character and comes across as a very human monster.
There’s violence, there’s tenderness, there’s powerful tension and an incredible lesbian love scene between Daisy and Dutch which, against all known conventions, consists of nothing but two clothed women talking and holding hands. It comes across as not just passionate but borderline erotic and this is achieved by good dialogue, restrained direction and wonderful acting.
In contrasting to the prison scenes is a subplot about Daisy’s neighbor, Karen Black, whose testimony landed Daisy in prison. She is unnamed in the film but knows what she saw but did she actually see what she thought she saw? We know the truth but she is worn down by doubt and she caused an innocent girl to be sentenced to death? Black drags every ounce of torture and tragedy out of this situation and makes us remember what a diva she once was.
“Stuck!” is a powerful, skillfully managed slice of women-in-prison drama that never really becomes camp even when it is tongue is in its cheek. Excellent performances, a terrific script and fine direction brings it all together and it is an experience.