Swamp Diamonds (1955)

"You dirty little dumb broad!", 2 July 2007

An undercover female police officer is sent to prison to infiltrate a gang of female convicts and help them escape. By gaining their trust, the police hope that the gang will lead them to a fortune in diamonds buried somewhere in the swamps of Louisiana. But things don't go quite as planned. Greed and lust take over as the women start fighting each other over the diamonds and their male hostage.

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed Swamp Diamonds (or Swamp Women if you prefer) more than a lot of people seem to. Don't get me wrong, I can see all of the problems with this Roger Corman effort that others have pointed out – dodgy acting, padding galore, plot holes, etc. And to find any entertainment in the movie, you've got to get past scenes that tend to drag and plod. But once you do, Swamp Diamonds is a joy of 50s exploitation. It's got it all: a crazy story, buried treasure, escaped female convicts, Beverly Garland, guns, over the top acting, short-shorts, alligators, and "Touch" Connors ("Touch"? What's up with that?) Together, these elements combine to make this one quite a bit of fun. It's not perfect, but I've got no problem rating Swamp Diamonds a 6/10.

This is another movie that I might not have discovered if it weren't for Mystery Science Theater 3000. Maybe I was just having fun with the movie, but I'll give this episode of MST3K a 4/5 – worth seeking out.

6/10