Optimistic new psychiatrist at a girl's reform school/work camp faces a struggle for authoritative power while trying to change the brutal conditions of the young inmates behind bars. Starkly filmed in black-and-white, this melodramatic second-biller has some surprising resonance and good performances--but also florid "tough girl" dialogue that renders it strictly a dated genre item, at times bordering on camp. Anne Francis (as the riot cell temptress who's already had a baby), Anne Jackson and Rosita (Rita) Moreno are three of the teenagers doing time; each has her share of strong scenes, however the attempt to bring the plot together with a legal interrogation in the final reel doesn't work. **1/2 from ****
Review of So Young, So Bad
