Entire Story In Fewer Words Than Are In This Sentence:
Two prisoners caned after failed escape attempt

Victim Appeal:
Normally, I don't review the later installments of a numbered video series until I have covered all the previous ones, but I'm making an exception for "Strict Prison 4". There are two reasons for this: Amy Hunter and Pandora Blake. This is one of the rare P4F films where the "victims" are genuine spankos instead of hired vanilla girls, so along with "The Spy" (starring Niki Flynn), it is one of their most interesting releases in terms of cast. Amy and Pandora travelled all the way from the UK to Bratislava to work with Peter Schober and company, and this is the first full-length movie I have seen with either of them. That's why I wanted to give it a critique right away. Besides, this is spanking porn, so it's not like you won't be able to follow the plot unless you've seen "Strict Prison 1-3"!

What we have here, then, are two spankees who not only look sexy, but put a lot of heart into the film, both with their acting and with their willingness to take a proper thrashing for the enjoyment of the audience. Naturally, they play inmates at the prison, and according to the official synopsis on the P4F site, they have "too much time on their hands" (you don't say!). Pandora is the more active of the two and initiates a breakout attempt. Her lines are a bit difficult to understand at times, but it's not as bad as she made it sound in her self-critical rant on her blog. Actually, I find that the lazy mumbling adds to her "tough girl" character, which contrasts nicely with Amy's more emotional and fearful portrayal (moreover, P4F were kind enough to add subtitles for the viewers with less than stellar English listening comprehension).

Gratuitous Sadism:
As the movie opens, Amy and Pandora are sitting in their cell while the sounds of a girl getting beaten and screaming can be heard from another part of the prison. Apparently, the two are no strangers to the corporal punishment in this institution themselves. "Suppose they come back and do what they did last time?" asks Amy, frightened and in tears. Pandora tells her to calm down while she is trying to come up with an escape plan: "We've got to think of something... I can't stand to listen to your snivelling any longer!" Confident that they could pick the door lock with a suitable metal object, Pandora feigns stomach pains to get to the infirmary and have a look around. Amy is hesitant, but goes along with the plan, calling the guards for help.

They take the prisoner to the infirmary, examine her blood pressure, give her a vitamin injection and take her temperature (surprise, no fever). The scene is filmed with Pain4Fem's usual fondness for slow procedure, and Pandora makes some cute, pitiful "I feel so terribly sick!" faces. The guards tell her that she can stay in the room for an hour. They will see how she feels afterwards. When they leave, Pandora springs into action. Despite being handcuffed to the bed with one hand, she manages to obtain a small piece of metal.

Claiming that she feels better, Pandora is escorted back to her cell. She proudly hands the smuggled object to Amy, who starts picking the lock. However, one of the guards has his doubts about the stomach pains episode. When he and his female colleague go back to have another look, they catch the prisoners red-handed (guess they should have waited until nightfall, eh?). "You know the consequences: a punishment!" barks the guard. "We will come back." Time for Amy to do some more crying.

Needless to say, the punishment is of the "ferocious beating of the buttocks" variety. The two inmates are sentenced to 35 strokes of the cane each for trying to break out. In addition, Pandora gets 15 whip lashes on her back for the mischief in the infirmary. She takes the whipping while tied to the cell bars. Afterwards, Amy is caned, followed by Pandora. During the main punishment, a rather elaborate restraining frame is used, the same one as in "The Spanking Machine". It makes for a highly sexy "standing on two feet while bending slightly forward" position. The thrashings dished out by the male guard (Peter Schober) are towards the upper end of the P4F spectrum, making them pretty hard overall - not the super-severe level that some other Eastern European filmmakers are infamous for, but vicious enough to produce nice marks and plenty of genuine distress.

Best Reactions:
Sadistic viewers should find themselves thoroughly entertained. The punishments are applied with a slow, steady rhythm and deliberate gusto, and they are recorded from a good variety of angles. Departing from the usual P4F custom, both spankees count the cane strokes aloud. Amy's reactions are tearful and openly anguished, with a lot of sobbing and howling. One time, after stroke 21, she adds a polite "Thank you!" even though she wasn't asked to - such are the habits of being the Head Girl at Northern Spanking for all these years, I guess. Her cries reach fortissimo during the last five, extra hard swishes, which are "special", as the guard puts it.

Pandora is the more restrained of the two - while her reactions are no less vocal or pained than Amy's, you get the feeling that she is trying a bit harder to keep her composure. There is always a hint of anger in her cries, and it is delightful to listen to. She only gets three of the "special" strokes (pity), but they are very nice indeed. I especially liked the out-of-control, piercing scream after the last one, followed by a suddenly very meek "Thirty-five...!". When the guard is through with her, the tougher of the two prisoners is "snivelling" quite a bit herself.

All scenes are good, including the back whipping, but I have to give the nod to Pandora's caning. As a matter of personal taste, I just like the subtly defiant reactions better. Moreover, Pandora is fully undressed during the punishment (Amy simply has her prisoner's gown pulled up), and she gets more vivid welts, including a bit of blood.

Best Line:
After Pandora is brought back to her cell from the infirmary and the guards leave, she signals to Amy that she has indeed found a suitable object to pick the lock. She starts searching in her bra and jokingly asks her cellmate: "Do you want to have a feel?" I'm going to select that little flirtatious remark as the best line of the film, even though Amy's laughing reply ("You dirty bitch!") is pretty good, too. I liked the whole moment because it looked genuinely spontaneous rather than scripted.

Nice Psychological Touch:
Of all the CP movies with a prison setting that I've seen over the years, I think this is the only one featuring an actual escape attempt. I'm sure other stories like this exist, but I don't remember any right now. In any case, "Strict Prison 4" is one of the more elaborate examples. It's funny that we don't get to see this plot line more often, isn't it? Nine out of ten mainstream prison films are all about the big breakout. But not in spanking porn. Maybe it's because, in the porn version, the outcome is too foreseeable. Obviously, the inmates have to be caught and soundly thrashed! It's a bit like watching "Titanic" - you know the bloody ship is going to sink, so whatever suspense there is has to come from the details.

I certainly enjoyed the details of this story, with the feigned illness, the trip to the infirmary and all that. Even though you know exactly what is going to happen, there is a certain tension. Actually, it's a pity that Pain4Fem didn't make more of the idea and let the prisoners get caught before they even manage to leave their cell. There is unused potential here. I'm not asking for outdoor scenes, search dogs and helicopters. But a scene with Amy and Pandora sneaking around in the building would have been a lot of fun. Maybe there is an idea here for the next team of inmates, in "Strict Prison 5".

How Good Is It Really?
A very watchable title from Pain4Fem, chiefly carried by its excellent cast. Amy Hunter and Pandora Blake are a joy, both during the acted scenes and the CP segments. Obviously, this is an absolute must-have for their fans, but it is also a good video in its own right - coming with the usual proficient craftsmanship of P4F, an entertaining little storyline and two great, fairly severe caning scenes.

What You Learned:
When you handcuff Pandora Blake, make sure to tie both hands. Or, better still, leave one free, but arrange to have a surveillance system in the room - then thrash her for whatever mischief she gets up to.