Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Meiko Kaji, Rie Yokoyama, Isao Natsuyagi, Fumio Watanabe, Yayoi Watanabe,
Yôko Mihara, Akemi Negishi, Hideo Murota, Mikio Narita, Reisen Lee, Koji Nambara, Seiya
Satou, Takashi Fujiki, Kayoko Shiraishi | Written by Fumio Konami, Hiro Matsuda & Tooru Shinohara
UK certification 18 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 266 minutes | Directed by Shunya Ito
What we have here are three of the most bizarre – and queerly fascinating – films that you are are ever likely to see. Three films that belong to that weird "grindhouse" sub-genre of women-in-prison, and the three films said to have been the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Let's take them one by one, shall we?
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972, 87min)
Wrongly imprisoned after being set up by her bent cop boyfriend, Nami Matsushima (Kaji) is a woman out for revenge. The film opens with her escaping with a fellow prisoner; they are caught, and both thrown into solitary confinement where they are constantly abused, and even raped, by the guards and other prisoners. But Matsu remains stoic throughout and never breaks, no matter what horrors are inflicted upon her.
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972, 92min)
Matsu is still in prison, hidden away in a dank dungeon (because the warden really, really hates her). She has gained legendary status among the other prisoners, among whom she is know as Scorpion. She's still regularly tortured by the cruel guards, and she silently puts up with their abuse. One day, while they are working on a chain gang in a quarry, Matsu and some of her fellow convicts escape, and they go on a rampage of revenge against the men who have abused them.
Female Prisoner #701:Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973, 87min)
Having escaped from prison, Matsu is sharing a rundown apartment with a prostitute and working in a sweatshop sewing job. But before long, she comes to the attention of the local yakuza gang, and she's on the run again.
The Female Prisoner series of films is both arthouse and exploitation. Director Ito, working with a pretty low budget, combines theatrical flair and damned clever filmmaking to tell his tale of female strength and resolve. The films are visually stunning, despite the fact that they are often filled with scenes of violence and brutality. But the true star of this series is the strikingly beautiful Meiko Kaji, who has a barely any lines of dialogue in the first and third film and none at all in the second. Her acting is sublime, and she manages to convey her inner strength with nothing more than her facial expressions and her eyes – oh, such big beautiful eyes. Her silence simply belies the rage that lurks within her, and makes the Scorpion that much more powerful when she does strike. Based on a popular manga series, these are true masterpieces of violent 1970s cinema.
EXTRAS ** The original theatrical trailer for each film; and inserts with the first two films that have essays by Matt Palmer, the co-curator of the Wild Japan: Outlaw Masters festival. The third film has liner notes by Craig Keller, a producer for The Masters of Cinema DVD series.