Purely Joyful Movie!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

"Susan Reed" (Ally Sheedy) is having a bad day. First, she gets fried from her job and then when she gets home early she finds her boyfriend with another woman. So she packs her suitcase and heads for New York. Along the way she picks up a female hitchhiker named "Bess" (Jennie Vaughn) who promptly steals her car and the rest of her belongings leaving her stranded in Macon County, Georgia. She immediately heads to a convenience store to make a phone call but the clerk mistakenly thinks she's there to rob him. To make matters even worse they get into a scuffle just as the police happen to arrive and she is subsequently arrested and put in jail over the weekend pending her arraignment Monday morning. If that wasn't bad enough she then gets raped by the deputy that night. Now if any of this plot seems familiar it's because it is almost identical to an earlier film (starring Yvette Mimieux in the lead role) titled "Jackson County Jail" produced in 1976. As far as comparisons go this movie was less intense but on the other hand the acting of Ally Sheedy and David Carradine (as "Coley") seemed a bit more polished in this particular film. Since the similarities were so striking and I enjoyed both movies I have rated this film the same as its predecessor. Slightly above average.

"Jackson County Jail" reigns supreme as one of the all-time great'n'gritty hicksploitation gems from the 70's. This tepid belated entry in the hicksploitation genre starts out awkwardly, but does get slightly better as the story unfolds. Alas, this picture never acquires the powerful harsh edge of the original because of Victoria Muspratt's wildly uneven direction, a pretty sloppy script (the opening scenes that set up the main character's dire predicament are especially clunky and rife with heavy-handed contrivances which strain credibility something fierce), a few ill-advised attempts at goofy humor that don't fit with the generally serious tone, the clumsy use of songs on the soundtrack (the brutal rape in the jail cell would have worked a lot better without a song playing over it), and the fact that the main character's transition from spoiled businesswoman to hardened criminal seems extremely abrupt and hence unconvincing. Fortunately, the action scenes are staged with some competence and the film moves along at a snappy enough pace. Moreover, the three leads do sound and praiseworthy work considering the lackluster material: Ally Sheedy makes for a strong and sympathetic damsel in distress, David Carradine projects a winningly lived-in sense of weary resignation and stoical compassion as a shrewd and resourceful felon who goes on the lam with Sheedy, and always dependable veteran character actor Charles Napier handles the role of a tough no-bull small Southern town sheriff with his customary sturdy professionalism. A strictly so-so flick.

"Macon County Jail" has some pretty lame acting. Ally Sheedy appears to be either hysterical or comatose, and David Carradine acts like he would rather be somewhere else. All of this mediocrity allows Charles Napier's performance to stand out, and he is without question the most interesting character in this soggy jailbreak saga. The script seems extremely contrived, and clichés abound, all of which makes the gratuitous car crashes and explosions totally predictable. Sheedy's abrupt change from meek victim to gun toting desperado is anything but believable. Several weak attempts at humor leaves the film with a curious lack of identity, when contrasted with the brutal rape scene. - MERK

If you must see a bad movie, this is a good one. Ally Sheedy and David Carradine were at low points in their careers when they made this movie, so they were available but are too good for the cheesy, sensational plot. The villainous sheriff is good, too, but mainly Sheedy and Carradine have to deal with his hapless minions who are no fun--they fall over too easily.