Tag Archives: Meiko Kaji

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss’s Head (1975) Review

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Kelly Warner
"New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Seizo Fukumoto, Yuriko Hishimi, Meiko Kaji, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Ryuji Katagiri, Nenji Kobayashi, Hideo Murota, Mikio Narita, Ko Nishimura, Bunta Sugawara, Asao Uchida Running Time: 94 min. By Kelly Warner Now this is more like it. I was a bit disappointed with the first New Battles film, and if writer Koji Takada’s account of things is correct, so was director Kinji Fukasaku. The first film of the trilogy is … Continue reading →

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Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song (1973) Review

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Kelly Warner

Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Cast: Meiko Kaji, Masakazu Tamura, Yumi Kanei, Hiroshi Tsukata, Yayoi Watanabe, Sanae Nakahara, Akemi Negishi, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Junko Ando Running Time: 89 min. By Kyle Warner After apparently feeling that his job was done, director Shunya Ito left the Scorpion series after the third film, Beast Stable. Stepping into his place would be Yasuharu Hasebe, a director with no shortage of experience working in the exploitation genre, including three Stray Cat … Continue reading →

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Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973) Review

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Kelly Warner

Director: Shunya Ito Cast: Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Reisen Lee, Yayoi Watanabe, Koji Nanbara, Takashi Fujiki Running Time: 87 min. By Kelly Warner Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable is a very different movie from the two that came before it. Meiko Kaji’s Matsu the Scorpion is on the lam after having narrowly survived her prison escape in Jailhouse 41. Wanted posters with her face are all over the city streets, warning that … Continue reading →

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Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972) Review

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Kelly Warner

Director: Shunya Ito Story: Toru Shinohara Cast: Meiko Kaji, Fumio Watanabe, Kayoko Shiraishi, Yukie Kagawa, Yuki Arasa, Hideo Murota Running Time: 94 min. By Kyle Warner In the opening moments of Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, we find our antihero Matsu the Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) chained up in solitary confinement. She’s been locked away for a year after the bloodshed she caused in the previous film. The series’ familiar theme song … Continue reading →

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Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) Review

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Kelly Warner
"Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Shunya Ito Cast: Meiko Kaji, Rie Yokoyama, Yayoi Watanabe, Yōko Mihara, Akemi Negishi, Keiko Kuni, Yumiko Katayama, Emi Jo, Isao Natsuyagi, Fumio Watanabe Running Time: 87 min. By Kelly Warner Almost every ambitious leading man or lady is on the lookout for that iconic role that will shoot them to superstardom, netting them a legion of fans and hopefully a mountain of cash. Roles that earn awards can prove … Continue reading →

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Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 (1968) Review

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Kelly Warner
"Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Keiichi Ozawa Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Izumi Ashikawa, Eimei Esumi, Jukei Fujioka, Shoki Fukae, Joji Hidehara, Seishiro Iwate, Meiko Kaji, Hatsuko Kawahara, Ichiro Kijima, Toshizo Kudo, Kayo Matsuo, Hideaki Nitani Running Time: 97 min. By Kelly Warner Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 catches up with our gangster protagonist Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) as he rides a train out of Tokyo to reunite with the woman he sent away at … Continue reading →

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Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 2: Hiroshima Death Match (1973) Review

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Kelly Warner
"Battles Without Honor and Humanity Vol. 2" Blu-ray Cover

AKA: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima Director: Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Kinya Kitaoji, Sonny Chiba, Bunta Sugawara, Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Hiroshi Nawa, Asao Koike, Shingo Yamashiro, Hideo Murota, Tatsuo Endo, Yoshi Kato, Kinji Nakamura, Gin Maeda, Nobuo Kaneko, Toshie Kimura Running Time: 100 min. By Kelly Warner After the huge financial success of Battles Without Honor and Humanity in January 1973, two sequels were fast-tracked and released that same year. Based … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (1971) Review‏

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Crazy Riders ’71 Director: Toshiya Fujita Writer: Tatsuya Asai, Hideichi Nagahara Cast: Meiko Kaji, Takeo Chii, Tatsuya Fuji, Yoshio Harada, Takeo Chii, Yoshio Inaba, Bunjaku Han, Michiko Tsukasa Running Time: 87 min. By Kyle Warner Director Toshiya Fujita returns to the Stray Cat Rock series for the fifth and final installment, Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (aka Stray Cat Rock: Crazy Rider ’71). While I thought that the previous … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (1970) Review

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Machine Animal Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Writer: Ryuzo Nakanishi Producer: Masami Kuzu Cast: Meiko Kaji, Tatsuya Fuji, Bunjaku Han, Jiro Okazaki, Toshiya Yamano, Eiji Go, Yasuhiro Kameyama By Kyle Warner The Stray Cat Rock series continues with the fourth entry, Machine Animal. Like the films that came before it, Machine Animal was a quick production, filmed over just two weeks and released a little over two months after … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970) Review

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Sex Hunter Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Producer: Masayuki Takagi Cast: Meiko Kaji, Rikiya Yasuoka, Tatsuya Fuji, Jiro Okazaki, Yuki Arikawa, Tomoko Aki, Yoko Takagi, Akemi Nara Running Time: 93 min. By Kyle Warner I first saw Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter almost a decade ago. At the time, I was totally unaware that it belonged to a series of films (Part 3 of 5, in fact). When I … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (1970) Review

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Kelly Warner

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Wild Jumbo Director: Toshiya Fujita Producer: Toshiya Fujita, Shuichi Nagahara Cast: Meiko Kaji, Bunjaku Han, Takeo Chii, Tatsuya Fuji, Yusuke Natsu, Soichiro Maeno, Akiko Wada Running Time: 94 min. By Kyle Warner After the success of Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss, a follow-up film was rushed into production and released just three months later. Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo is a messier, cheaper looking film than … Continue reading →

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Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970) Review

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Kelly Warner
"Delinquent Girl Boss" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Alleycat Rock: Female Boss Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Writer: Hideichi Nagahara Cast: Akiko Wada, Meiko Kaji, Koji Wada, Bunjaku Han, Yuka Kemari, Hanako Tokachi, Yūko Shimazu, Yuka Ohashi, Miki Yanagi, Toshimitsu Shima Running Time: 80 min. By Kelly Warner After Roger Corman’s 1966 outlaw biker film The Wild Angels (which starred Peter Fonda pre-Easy Rider) became a surprise hit in Japan, Japanese studios were quick to cash in and make … Continue reading →

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Retaliation (1968) Review

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Kelly Warner

Director: Yasuharu Hasebe Writer: Yoshihiro Ishimatsu, Keiji Kubota Cast: Joe Shishido, Meiko Kaji, Hideaki Nitani, Tamio Kawachi, Eiji Go, Tatsuya Fuji, Jiro Okazaki, Shoki Fukae, Shoki Fukae, Kaku Takashina Running Time: 94 min. By Kyle Warner There are two primary types of yakuza film. The genre began with films about chivalrous gangsters. These classics depicted yakuza as outlaws, yes, but they lived by a code, they were often romantic, and … Continue reading →

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Blind Woman’s Curse (1970) Review

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Kelly Warner
Blind Woman’s Curse | Blu-ray (Arrow Video)

AKA: Black Cat’s Revenge Director: Teruo Ishii Cast: Meiko Kaji, Hoki Tokuda, Makoto Sato, Hideo Sunazuka, Shiro Otsuji, Toru Abe Running Time: 85 min. By Kelly Warner Teruo Ishii was an incredibly prolific filmmaker, directing nearly fifty movies in the 1960s alone. Referred to in Japan as “the King of Cult”, Ishii dabbled in many genres: he made exploitation films such as the Joys of Torture series, a large collection … Continue reading →

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Lady Snowblood: Blizzard from the Netherworld (1973) Review

Posted on January 13, 2011 by JJ Bona

AKA: Blood Snow, Shurayukihime Director: Toshiya Fujito Writer: Osada Norio, Koike Kazuo, Kamimura Kazuo Cast: Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza, Noboru Nakaya, Takeo Chii, Yoshiko Nakada, Kaoru Kashiwada, Akemi Negishi, Sanae Nakahara Running Time: 97 min. By Reefer It is unfortunate that Fugita Toshiya’s Lady Snowblood might be remembered most only for it serving as the main source material for Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 hit and Asian cinema … Continue reading →

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