Scorpion - Female Prisoner 701: Grudge Song

Description

The series that inspired "KILL BILL" the last Female Prisoner Scorpion picture starring Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood). The film opens with Nami Matsushima (a.k.a. Matsu, a.k.a. Scorpion) once again on the lam. The police track her down at a wedding, but she manages to escape. Badly injured, she is saved by a man who works in a strip joint and holds a grudge against the police for torturing him. Can the Scorpion trust a man again? Should she?

Customer Reviews:

Finding love again only to have it destroyed........2007-07-05

Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701: Grudge Song not only marks Kaji Meiko's last performance as Matsushima Nami, aka Sasori--the Scorpion--but it also marks a change of directors with Hasabe Yasuharu taking the director's chair from Ito Shunya. Kaji was unhappy with this switch of directors and the resulting film, so this film marks the end, if one does not count non-Kaji related Female Prisoner Scorpion films, of one of the great heroines of 1970s Japanese cinema.

Like the previous film, Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701: Beast Stable, this film begins with police in hot pursuit of Sasori. Fleeing from a wedding, not her own, a bleeding Sasori encounters a man named Kudo Teruo, a man whose body, and manhood, is horribly scared by his encounters with the police during the latter years of the 1960s when he was a student activist. Daily Kudo checks on Sasori bringing her food and other such necessities and slowly against her instinct she slowly falls in love with him. Sasori, who is nearly completely silent in all of the Female Prisoner Scorpion films, goes under a transformation and one can tell that her features have softened. Being that Kaji rarely speaks in these films, her face speaks volumes and seeing the affection and naïveté on her face fills the viewer with compassion for her especially when one has the knowledge that she will soon again be betrayed.

Although Kaji Meiko herself was not satisfied with the outcome of Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701: Grudge Song, I think that it is a bit stronger that the previous film in the series. While the police never had a shining image in the series, the negativity towards it that many filmmakers held towards it really comes to the fore in this film. This is readily shown in how the police deal with Kudo in both flashback and within the time of the film. Kudo was forced not only to betray his fellows years ago, but also Sasori. Both Kudo's fellows and Sasori could represent a change of conservative society, but such efforts are destroyed by the police, i.e. the state. This might be reading too much into this film, but such tactics as fear and violence used, even against their own, by the police reek of a strong control mentality.

sasori saikou!.......2006-11-10

To me, the most attractive part about this episode is the starring of of my all-time favorite actor, Tamura Masakazu. Trust me, his old movies and dramas are hard to find! (And he didn't have the dandy style yet!) He's still very young, probably in his late 20s or early 30s. He once said that he doesn't want to appear with guns on screen. But here, you see him shooting throughout the movie. Moreover, he's a young activist in the 1960s social moements. If you're a Tamura fan, you would definitely drool watching him tortured by the police! Sasori is cool as usual, and it's the first time I see her falling for a guy! If you're looking for gruesome and campy stuff, this one may disappoint you, cos it's definitely not as good as the earlier ones done by a different director. But it's a Sasori movie -- if you've watched the rest, there is no reason to miss this one.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song.......2006-05-06

I have been looking forward to the release of this DVD (and it's predecessor {Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable}) for some time as I very much enjoyed the first two movies of this series.

The first three movies were directed by Shunya Ito. What is great about them is that, even though they all feature the same lead character (wonderfully played by Meiko Kaji), they are each vastly different from the others.

The first movie (Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion) is more or less a typical Women In Prison movie. But the character of Scorpion is very intriguing - very reminiscent of the anti-heroes of many spaghetti westerns. And the director often used some very interesting and unusual visual approaches to the material.

The second movie (Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41) is a real tour-de-force. Not so much a WIP movie as the bulk of the film has Scorpion and six other escaped inmates on the lam.

The third movie (Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable)plays out as much more of a crime drama. Once again, our heroine is on the run. But this time out, she has managed to maintain a certain amount of normalcy in her life (relatively speaking anyway). She gets a job, she finds a place to live, she makes a friend on the outside. But, of course, everything has to unravel eventually. FPS: Beast Stable is my favorite movie in this series.

This film (FPS: #701's Grudge Song) was directed by Yasuhara Hasebe. While the previous three movies were directed in a deliriously surreal manner, this one is often much more of a paint-by-numbers action/crime thriller. I still found it enjoyable to watch throughout. I didn't care as much for the middle portion but the first and final thirds of the film had a lot of really fine moments! The last act was especially entertaining!

While this movie probably wouldn't appeal to most, I definitely think it is worth watching for fans of the previous movies. For me, a large part of the joy in this series is watching the character of Scorpion become more and more mythic. This film absolutely does not disappoint on that count!

Average customer rating:

potential unfulfilled
X/1999 - ANY redeeming value= Tokyo Revelation
If you like "Angel Sanctuary", you may like Tokyo Revelation

Tokyo Revelation
Starring: Tokyo Revelation
Manufacturer: Manga Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006AL1Q
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Amazon.com

This two-part 1995 OAV is a shoddy, violent attempt to mix a sword-and- sorcery and demon adventure with high-tech cyber-world effects. Akito, an effete teenager, believes he's an important player in the demonic conspiracy to raise the Satan figure President Ose, using the magnetite or life energy of humans. But Akito's plans founder when he encounters Kojiro, his only friend from elementary school (on whom he seems to nurture a crush). Kojiro is really the reincarnation of the guardian deity Masakado Taira, who can vanquish Ose. The disjointed story unfolds along predictable lines with lots of fights, blood, magical symbols, monsters from Western mythology, and screamed dialogue. Unrated; suitable for ages 17 and up: Nudity, violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, sexual content, including suggested homosexuality. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

potential unfulfilled.......2004-04-04

I wanted so much to really like Tokyo Revelation. I liked the characters, the concept, the art style, the overall look. (Although I can understand some people not liking any of those) But it failed. It falls on it's face. Cerberus, the 3 headed dog of the underworld, lacks 2 of his heads... points like that grate on the nerves. The story is underdeveloped, the main characters have some development, but never seem to get anywhere because the story isn't fleshed out enough to give them room.
The dialogue needs a lot of work and research.
It should have been done more slowly, and done as a longer series. Double the length or perhaps more. More fight scenes with all the otherworldly demons introduced. More conflict and confrontation between the human characters. More development on the identities of characters and their relationships. More internal conflict for the characters who have to accept changes in themselves and those around them.

It's not the worst anime I've seen, but it left me feeling like I'd been cheated out of something worthwhile.

X/1999 - ANY redeeming value= Tokyo Revelation.......2003-06-17

When I saw the box artwork for this movie I thought: "Hey! Swords, demonic-butt-wuppin, badass wings, apocalyptic mayhem?! Sounds like a winner!"...boy was I wrong. I'm shouldn't even go into discussing the plot...since there is a severe lack of it. At one point it seems a strong plot of epic proportions is being weaved..and then...without warning...psycho lesbian demon assasins! "What's wrong with that?" some of you might ask. It just ruined the experience, it all went downhill from there. The animation and artwork is actually pretty decent but it can't save the blunt stupidity of this film. I actually liked the first action sequence, that coupled with the way the storyline was being set up drew me in. The stupidity that followed pushed me away like if you smacked a vampire with a consecreted bat. Avoid this film at all costs. Having known then what I knew now would have been a heavenly revelation.

If you like "Angel Sanctuary", you may like Tokyo Revelation.......2002-08-27

"Tokyo Revelation" is an anime that kind of shocked me. By looking at the cover, one could ask how is this anime going to be. It looks reminiscent of the popular "Angel Sanctuary" but after watching this anime, it actually has potential but "Angel Sanctuary" it is not.

This anime has occult situations, a little bit of yaoi type situations and some adult situations but the animation is quite nice and the storyline had potential but the main characters lack the emotion where one can feel sorry for them. I think that's probably because it's only a sixty minute animation. If anything, you feel more for the main character's friends who are attacked by demons.

... Pretty much the main character, Kojiro helps Akito when he was young and introduces him to the occult but Akito is happy to be back and happy to see Kojiro again but I guess he expects more of a reaction from Kojiro...especially after their hug.

Without revealing too much, I'll just say that fans of the anime X and "Angel Sanctuary" may enjoy this anime.

Unfortunately, this story probably needed more time to help introduce the characters and for people to actually have interest in them but that is what I found lacking in this anime.

As for the DVD, the DVd features Japanese and English tracks, subtitles and that's about it.

Customer Reviews:

reviewing brentweood home video version.......2006-09-19

I have to agree with the past reviewer that the scenes they cut out would have made it a watchable movie. All that I was left with was Jim Kelly beating up other grown men AND midgets. The final fight against the strong guy was the most trouble I had paying attention to a movie in a long time. I do have to say that Kelly did have acting ability, just don't expect for it to get showcased in this movie.

So make sure that the version that you get is uncut, and it might help you make it through the movie. The Brentwood version is 81 minutes long.

NEVER The White Knight, Baby..........2006-02-16

This is an excellent Kung-Fu classic from the 70's that has unfortunately been neutered by the ridiculous (and unexplained) editing of Brentwood Home Video. Look for the VHS copy made by Continental Video in the 80's & 90's. The Continental video has ALL the nudity, cursing and explicit violence that movie goers in the 70's would have seen. Don't buy this jive-turkey by Brentwood unless you are desperate to see the movie. Instead, search around for the Continental copy. You won't be disappointed. On to the review...

First of all, this movie is made for people like me who have always wondered, "what would it be like if the cool black dude from 'Enter the Dragon' survived the movie, went back to the USA and became secret agent?" This movie is a testament to the enduring star power of Jim Kelly II, who churned out a few Blaxploitation Kung-Fu movies after "Enter the Dragon" made him a star. Of all those movies, "Black Samurai" is the most ambitious and a heck of a lot of fun.

Kelly plays Robert Sand, tennis pro, secret agent and Kung-Fu assassin. Sand is reluctantly drawn away from his three-week vacation in Mexico to save his old girlfriend Toki (Essie Lin Chin) who has been kidnapped by agents of the evil Voodoo Witch-Doctor/ Anton LeVay wanna-be Janicott (Bill Roy). Bill Roy is one of the worst actors I have ever seen in any movie, EVER. And let me tell, you I have seen some horrible movies (see my other reviews!). Roy is so bad that he is one of the main factors that makes this movie much worse than it should have been. Regardless, along the way to confront Janicott, Sand drives a souped-up purple sports car, flies around in a one-man jet pack (which is amazing!), beats up several midgets and dwarves, calls lots of dudes "faggot" (?), kills a couple of people that are always in a body of water (weird...), fights a trained vulture named Vultan (major cool points for the name alone) and manages to refuse the seductive powers of the super-hot Synne (Marilyn Joi). The final fight scene is excellent, mainly because so many people that were purportedly killed earlier mysteriously come back to life and show up to fight again. Hey, maybe Janicott brought them back to life with his voodoo! I love the end credits, too. Someone named Ray Wells is credited with "Haitian Voodoo Research." Marilyn Joi worked as her own stylist. Oh, and stunts were performed by the "Jim Kelly Stuntman Association." Still, no one is listed as composing the cool "Black Samurai Theme." A shame. This is a great movie and it's sad more people don't know about it. Watch it; it will change your life. I have to go now, I've got a call in on a jet-pack and a purple sports car.

The Greatest Movie Ever Made.......2005-11-11

Black Samurai has everything you could ever want in a movie: Karate, Jim Kelly, midgets, poisonous snakes, shag carpeting, babes, a purple sports car, a gay warlock, the sleaziest Argentinian henchman imaginable, bad Seventies fashion, blue eye shadow, guys in 30's Tarzan movie African outfits, voodoo, samurai swords, snappy dialogue, and an amazing story line.

I only wish that Jim Kelly had made more of this level of screen gem. Jim Kelly is the man!!!!!!!

Waiting A Long Time.......2004-12-30

I first saw this movie on VHS back in the early 90s. It was so horrible, I remember my buddy and I were almost sick with laughter. Many reviews talk about the bad editing job on the DVD - but I remember the VHS version being just as horrible, which made the movie even more halarious. I'm sort of glad the swearing & nudity are gone so that I can show this sad piece to my son. I can't wait to see the jet-pack scene with his afro-fitted helmet.

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 would have fun with this one..........2004-08-27

Black Samurai aka (THE BLACK TERMINATOR as its called on some VHS tapes) is billed as an action movie, but it comes off as a comedy. This movie is so laughably bad it's just funny.
70's martial arts star Jim Kelly is Robert Sand, agent For DRAGON, some type of spy organization sent on a mission to resucue Toki, his girlfriend. During his mission, Sand fights rednecks, little people, a vulture, and a slightly effeminate henchman named Bone on his way to Janicott, the white male head of an organization that practices voodoo. This film will have your stomach hurting from laughing so hard. Many of the scenes are just as absurd as the premise. The stuntwork and poorly dubbed in dialougue is hilarious. The action onscreen makes you react by making crass comments and jokes.
Had this been made today it would make for a fun video game. As a movie it's good if you want to invite some friends over and have a MIST (Mystery Science Theatre 3000) party with a bowl of popcorn and lots of soda.

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