Martial Law 3 opens with our hero, Benedetta Bernardelli (played by Lyen Parker) facing the wall as part of her interrogation. She's accused of giving her top secret password to an unknown agent, who used it to access sensitive files. The interrogators want (a) answers to who knew her password and (b) to impress their superiors by doing a thorough job of her.

Underneath all of that grunge is a woman who could be very pretty if it weren't for those tattoos. For me, that was a distraction. A woman can use her body for art without turning it into a billboard. Still, if you can look past that, you'll enjoy the scenes that follow.

First up is the Parrot Perch torture. Unfortunately, we never get a full-body shot, even though Parker was truly suspended during the filming. Instead, we get a close up of her head, then a close-up of her ass just before the probe goes in, followed by a roaming camera that wanders and zooms in and out. We do get a bit of a full-body shot, but the shadows and the camera angle make it hard to truly appreciate the female form suspended from the bars.

I expected better from a company that has such a long history of making these sorts of movies. By now they should know how to film and crop a scene like this. However, not all is lost! The real star of this scene is the guard, played by Lady Ariel, who I think needs to spend some time being interrogated, too. I'm sure with the right persuasion, she'd confess to all sorts of things.

When a stint on the Parrot Perch fails to extract a confession, the interrogators switch to a different tactic. They bring in Bernardelli's sister (played by Leticia Yako) and give her a working over. Now, normally I'm not into heavy girls with thick bottoms, but Yako is making me wonder if there isn't something to a girl having a nice juicy ass. Maybe the current trend of using Plus-size models in mainstream magazines is something worth exploring, because Yako's ass has a very delightful way of clinching and flexing when the rod finds her skin.

I really love the guard's pose during this scene. Not only is Lady Ariel pretty, but she can swing a good stroke with the cane, and then with a whip, and then with a heavier whip. She even adds a little flourish to the whip strokes that I've never seen in any Mood Pictures before. I'm hoping we see more of her in the next Mood Pictures film. She does the "cold-hearted emotionally-detached camp guard that enjoys abusing prisoners" thing very well.

This scene surprised me. It's hotter than I expected. Trust me, you'll like it. Particularly if you're into asses.

After the sister receives a fair number of strokes, Bernardelli is brought in to see the interrogator's handiwork. Bernardelli immediately agrees to cooperate and is given a trial in a kangaroo court. She's sentenced to 150 lashes, in three sets of 50, with the last 50 postponed for twelve months for this reason or that (which makes me wonder if we won't see a sequel involving her and, hopefully, the hot camp guard). In any event, she gets 50 lashes, a break, and then 50 more.

I love the guard. If Mood Pictures decides to finish the series with one more film, they should bring Lady Ariel back. Not only can she swing the whip with a dramatic flourish, but she also bears a striking resemblance to the punished guard in Martial Law, played by Kate Lust.

See what I mean? If you've seen Martial Law, you'll know that the script almost writes itself. Imagine, Bernardelli is brought back to receive her final 50, except the guard decides to just go ahead and do it on her own without the tribunal, for a bit of sport. The tribunal finds out and the guard is sentenced to 100 strokes, too. That's nearly identical to the plot in "Martial Law" and brings the storyline around in a perfect arc. But it only works if both Lyen Parker and Lady Ariel agree to do another film. A boy can dream.

As for the movie, it's not as strong as the first "Martial Law" film, but it is leaps and bounds better than the second one. To be honest, the best part of this film happens right in the middle, with the whipping of Yako by the lovely Lady Ariel. Parker's punishment was ok, but just ok. I've seen better in other Mood Pictures films, such as the aforementioned Fear. If Parker had fewer tattoos, this could have been so much more entertaining.

I didn't care much for the shadows and the out-of-focus camera effects. I understand that the producers were trying to create ambiance, but there are times when it becomes annoying. When the action starts, I want to see the guard and the girl. Instead, I see a little silhouetto of a woman, Scaramouche, Scaramouche.

Finally, I have a problem with the ending. After Bernardelli is punished, the screen fades to black and we get an interview with Lyen Parker, fresh from her whipping. What about the stolen password? Is there any follow-up to that? A five-second shot of the interrogator telling the camp guard, "Tell HQ to bring in another suspect" would have been a good way to close that loop and imply that this isn't just a one-shot deal, but an ongoing institution.

Also, a positive. Lyen Parker looks better with the lights up than when hidden in shadows. Watch the interview and you'll see what I mean.