Following this, Ocho arrives in Kobe via a steamship and is greeted by a quiet, young woman who leads her to an awaiting rickshaw. The rickshaw drops her off at a dimly-lit building, but before Ocho can even say howdy-do, she is chloroformed by a group of men who then string up her limp body before relieving Ocho of her troublesome kimono. After she is revived with a series of slaps across the face, a chubby, effeminate man - who constantly licks his lips in a lasciviously, grotesque manner - violates Ocho with his fingers. It turns out that in addition to being a creep, the man is actually searching for something, and is surprised when he finds nothing hidden inside Ocho. Realizing they have the wrong woman, the men (who also understand that oft-times apologies are more difficult to make than escapes), knock the still kimono-less Ocho unconscious...again.

A blurry-eyed, groggy-headed Ocho wakes up, but of course, the nightmare continues -Ocho finds a bloody knife clutched in her hand, a dead woman laying next to her, and herself framed as a suspect in a recent string of gruesome deaths dubbed "The Crotch-Gouge Murders." Ocho vows to exact revenge on the men who have defiled her and set her up as a murderess...by murdering them. While in pursuit of the men however, Ocho uncovers a drug smuggling operation, stumbles into the middle of a Yakuza power struggle, and forms an alliance with an ass-kicking nun and her posse of enslaved prostitutes, all of which dovetails into an out-of-this-world finale full of blood, bullets, boobs and gelled lighting.

Female Yakuza Tale is a really entertaining, action-packed, violent piece of sexploitation cinema. Director Teruo Ishii (Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf) created a film bursting with energy, humor, originality and visual flair. For example, where else are you going to see a mustache get shot off one man's face only to land on some other guy's upper lip? Or for that matter, thirty nude women eviscerating a roomful of mobsters - in heels? In addition, the overall production values are really good, featuring some extremely fantastic cinematography, great locations and costumes, and a large talented cast. Female Yakuza Tale's funky 70's score is also a lot of fun and overall really complements the film, while at times elevating the weirdness.

The script juggles a handful of storylines and characters, but is really quite cohesive and balanced throughout. My only complaint in this area is that the Sister Yashima character is given a great introduction, but is then absent for long stretches and is ultimately never as promising an addition as she initially seemed. However, the focus is on Ocho (the lack of which was one of the problems I had with Sex and Fury) and Reiko Ike is a charismatic screen presence who gives a great, and probably physically taxing, performance.

Panik House presents the film "uncut, uncensored and totally restored from the vault elements " and it looks absolutely flawless. Special features include - audio commentary by Chris D. (author of Outlaw Masters of Japanese Cinema), director and star bios, the original theatrical trailer, a poster and stills gallery, production notes, a special insert sticker, and optional English subtitles. This is a really great DVD release of an equally excellent and exceptional film that you would be wise to watch.

Here's a link to a trailer which a fan made that combines moments from this film, Sex and Fury and The Pinky Violence Collection.
(Contains some nudity)

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Labels: dvd, female yakuza tale, panik house, reiko ike, review, teruo ishii