Plot: What’s it about?
Ginger (Cheri Caffaro) has just called on to report to an investigation agency, one run by the venerable Jason Varone (William Grannel). The mission is to track down a drug dealer named Rex Halsey (Duane Tucker), which seems like a simple task. But Ginger has been called in due to the failure of two other agents, both of whom were lost during their attempts to bring Halsey and his minions. So now its up to the beautiful, but lethal Ginger to complete the mission, though she’ll have her hands full, in more ways than one. She takes a special briefcase with spy supplies from Varone, then sets out to begin this most dangerous assignment. When she arrives, Ginger begins to analyze Halsey’s gang and find the weakest member, which shouldn’t be hard in this case, given the goons that surround him. She soon targets Rodney, a young punk from a rich family who handles Halsey’s blackmail racket. But she needs more than his “hard information” and after a quick tease, she bolts and finds herself surrounded by female gang members. After a wild conflict of fists, feet, and naked bodies, Ginger emerges and hooks up with Cathy, a once innocent young woman who is now involved in crime. A little lesbian action isn’t enough to keep her around however, as Halsey’s gang puts the squeeze on her. Can Ginger bring down Halsey’s operation, or is he simply too much, even for a mean bitch like her?
This is what 70s drive-in mania was all about, movies loaded with naked women, sex, and of course, random acts of violence. The stunning Cheri Caffaro (Too Hot to Handle, Up Your Alley) takes on the title role in Ginger, which means she is naked often, beats up some dudes, and yes folks, she cuts off a man’s balls with piano wire. As if that isn’t enough reason to see Ginger, you have to think about the vast amounts of naked flesh and it isn’t the women, even the dudes aren’t shy about showing off their assets. So we have ample breasts, and even “other” things on display, the kind of exploitative nonsense we all love. Although Ginger is built up like a female James Bond, she is much more brutal and sexual than 007, though he has her beat when it comes to actual spy skills and gadgets. In addition to removing a man’s nuts, she also has a “loser gets naked” fistfight, a lesbian encounter with a former enemy, a wild dance to arouse a man’s erection, and before its all over, we even have some bondage. This is sleaze, to be sure, but it is fun sleaze and is a blast to watch, no doubt about it. You won’t find much in terms of storyline or character development, but rest assured, Ginger delivers when it comes to entertainment. So for fans of cult cinema, especially exploitation, then Ginger is well worth a purchase. The disc might not be so hot, but this is one you’ll revisit time and time again.
Video: How does it look?
Ginger is presented in full screen, which seems to be an open matte treatment. I would have loved a new anamorphic widescreen version, but I suppose we’re lucky to have this one on DVD at all. The image is about what you’d expect from a low budget 70s movie, with tons of grain and softness throughout. The lighting wasn’t great in this production, so shadows are frequent and detail is sometimes lost in the shadows. But these are inherent flaws and as such, you can’t take Monterey Media to task over the problems. I do think a widescreen option should have been created for this release, but outside of that, I’d say Monterey Media has done the best they could, given the limited source material involved.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is basic and unremarkable, but sounds clean and clear, so I have no serious complaints. A few age and budget related flaws creep in at times, but on the whole, this is a nice, though unmemorable treatment. The one liners and other hilariously inept dialogue all come across well, so no classic moments will be missed. The music is a little restrained at times, with a slight hint of distortion in some scenes, but this never proves to be much of an issue, so no need for concern on that front. You won’t be overly impressed here, but this is a nice, solid audio treatment that covers all the basic bases.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a talent file on Caffaro, as well as a selection of still photos.
