Macon County Jail (1997)

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Exaclty brutal and stupid were the people in the nineties in my neighbourhood -so I loved the movie back then-because I felt like I could free myself like Ally in this film. And the clothes poorer townpeolpe were wearing was typically for the nineties...black manlike trousers and Shirts and Pullovers for the women..etc...Poor it is-but this film told a romantic Story about my stupid and Long lost neighbourhood. I knew all the types of guys you can find in this film...really..and I was Ally Sheedy with the fake black Ray Ban...and in my neurotic state of mind I was dreaming of a man like David in this movie...which indeed is a bit unrealistic-since I learned in psychotherapy you will not find bad guys getting nice.... It may be that nobody will need such a film-today-but when understanding the sometimes very odd 90ties and what it meant to live with violent and strange people back then-this film is a unique lesson !1994 being 18 and something under 30... was exactly like in this film !By the way the Music in this film was excellent !!!Even nowadays !!!

"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.

This film was so bad that the content of the movie is not even reviewable. The performances by Ally Sheedy and David Carradine represent their darkest cinematic hour. In their defense, if that's possible, the budget for this film had to have provided for only one take for every scene. I simply can't think of any other reason how a film could be so poorly put together. At one point I really thought that Sheedy and Carradine were intentionally "bad acting", and that the film was intended to be a "quasi" spoof. It wasn't. But here's the interesting thing about this movie. The movie was so bad that it was, in an odd way, fascinating to watch. I'm sure Ally Sheedy blushes anytime she's within earshot of a mention of this film. It's always interesting to see someone with talent do something remarkable, whether good or bad.

Ally Sheedy is a brilliant actress who can always be relied on to play a part really well. Every film I have saw this talented actress is has been good.She made a great team with David Carradine as the pair who go on the run and encounter all kinds of mishaps along the way whilst being pursued by the determined Sherrif Dempsey. It's interesting to see Ally Sheedy's change from a relatively easygoing lady to a criminal on the run-and very believable too. The only criticism I have of this film is that it could have been a bit longer but saying that, it was a great film with good performances from everyone.If you're an Ally Sheedy fan like myself, then watch it and enjoy.