12/20/09

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs

(mini-review)

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs is a "pinky violence" film. These were exploitation films from the 70's that involved hot Japanese women, brutal violence, and plots of revenge. In this lurid tale, a heady cop is locked up for murdering a suspected rapist. When the government needs to quietly "take care" of a group of filthy ruffians who have kidnapped a politician's daughter, they bail out our zilch broad to do their dirty work. Man, this is a nasty flick. We are treated to graphic depictions of rape and castration as soon as the opening credits roll. I'm not cuckoo for ultra-violent sleaze, but I won't take points away for it.

The acting is shockingly stellar. And my goodness, could Miki Sugimoto be any more beautiful? She even looks good when she's bruised and bloodied. This is an actress with endurance. Director Yukia Noda piles on the torture, but she never flinches. Everything is well-coordinated and the production values are slick. The action rarely lets up. The pace races all the way to the destructive finale, a finale full of gore, fire and car chases. Again, I don't particularly enjoy rape sequences, but if this type of flick tickles your pickle, you'll adore Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs.

By the way, the title seductress kills people with a red pistol and a pair of red handcuffs. How cool is that? This is one of the many features that influenced Kill Bill, which makes it all the more cooler. More cooler...I need to work on that.

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