Director: Kurando Mitsutake
Year: 2014
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Action; Exploitation
Plot:
Attempting to escape from a mission, two hitmen traveling in the desert decide to pass the time by retelling the legendary revenge plot of a former client. Furious over the murder of his wife, a broken doctor turns to a drug-addicted prostitute in order to carry out his revenge. Training her in the form of combat, weaponry and other skills that would be required to perform her assignment, she finally comes to the end of her training session and is sent out to a secret meeting point in the middle of the desert for his place to take place. Posing as a corpse to be utilized in a necrophiliac club, she comes to life and sets out to take out the psychotic kingpin that had initially killed his wife.
Review:
This here was an exceptionally enjoyable and thrilling action film. One of the strongest features here is the strong story overall which manages to keep it's simplistic overview straightforward and to the point. With the easy backstory providing the necessary backdrop to the revenge motif, there's an easy way to get into the main thrust of the story by the ten minute mark as it settles on where it's going to go. Despite the cliche of drug-addict-turned-assassin that seems cribbed from several other entries in the genre, the montage series of training she undergoes in the middle of the film requires this to generate a fun air about it as we learn the reasoning for what he wants her to accomplish on her mission which starts this going off on a rather intriguing side-note. The idea of the two broken characters coming together in the form of blood, violence and brutality in order to both better their lives comes as an interesting new connection that emerges in the way this one carries out. By the two of them growing more confident together the more he trains her to finish her mission, the previously broken and damaged couple are able to reform themselves, what with her able to find a new life afterward while he able to overcome his deformity to help her when she needs it.
As well, the film's at its best with the strong exploitation offerings. Immediately offering female nudity from the first frames of the cold opening which in turn leads into a stellar assassination sequence, the film launches itself rather strongly into what goal it's going for. With the main villain here given a sex-fetish background, the opportunity for more of the freakishness he engages in where he chokes them, beats them unconscious until they nearly pass out or vomit on themselves to where he then he has sex with their body, these scenes are just the beginning for the opportunity later emerges to really up the ante. Introducing the concept of the necrophilia club out in the desert where it broaches several intriguing and potentially disturbing concepts in a fine matter. When you factor in the fact that the lead is then completely naked for the final third of the film while bleeding buckets throughout gives this the type of sleaze-riddled glory that makes for a wonderful exploitation outing. As nearly every woman here manages to get stripped naked at some point, there's plenty to love in this regard.
The cast here is truly enjoyable and helps to sell this one wonderfully. Asami is at her greatest here in the titular gun-woman, providing a chance for her to shine like never before. The role of drug-addict-junkie-turned-ruthless-assassin is a perfect role for her by allowing the weakness and broken mentality at the beginning to contrast expertly with the assured confidence and professionalism in the end, making for a perfectly sympathetic character as the trials and training commence. She handles herself expertly in the action scenes with some full-on martial arts and gunplay moments while her JAV past makes her comfortable with the nudity requirements for a fully-rounded role throughout here. The mastermind behind it all, played by Kairi Narita, doesn't do much beyond the tough-but-sensitive boss who trains her for revenge. He spends more time speechifying than doing anything but being that he's the driving plot device he sells his motivations which is all he really needs to perform. The scene-stealler here is the psychotic criminal kingpin, Noriaki R. Kamata, who is a real joy to watch. His perverted attitudes, maniacal laugh and gaunt, drug-abused body leave such a lasting impression thathe easily becomes the most dynamic and memorable part in the film. He's not really on-screen often enough for being as memorable as he becomes.
All told, the remaining aspect of the film is the finale where the revenge takes place which is somewhat of a mixed bag in the film. On the enjoyable side, the idea of seeing her completely buck naked performing these stunts and taking people out takes on a sleazy air of grindhouse enjoyment, where her bloodsoaked body looks good in the various forms of combat not only in the slow-motion gunplay but also the hand-to-hand martial arts. The idea of the ticking clock counting down the time to finish the assignment due to the idea of her blood-loss during the fight gives this a rather entertaining and original concept to give this a lot to like. However, the film does have a minor misstep in that the gunplay confrontations don't have the kind of energy that the hand-to-hand combat scene featured which makes it somewhat odd that it didn't feature any more of those in the film. That also would've set the clock countdown back a little further as well with the film possibly getting a little more action involved in order to replace the sluggish confrontations. However, there's not much else to say about this one.
Overview: ****/5
With a lot to like in this one with only a few minor issues here ironically involving the main aspect with the film, there's still plenty to enjoy in it's strong story and overall sleaze aspect throughout here. Give this one a shot if you're in any way interested in the sleazier side of action/exploitation efforts, enjoy the creative side or just plain curious while those who look for more substantial elements should heed caution.
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