Gun Crazy: Episode 1 - A Woman from Nowhere (2002) (V)

Director:

Atsushi Muroga

Writers:

Atsushi Muroga
Takeshi Hamazaki

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Virus | Police Officer | Assault Rifle | Barbecue

Cast

Ryoko Yonekura	...	Saki
Shingo Tsurumi	...	Mr. Tojo
Takeshi Yamato
Shun Sugata
Takashi Ukaji
Kenny Scott	...	Sam Rivera
Lana Lesley	...	Saki (voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary J. Baird	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Lance Bowlter	...	Sawashira (voice: English version)
Jeremy Carpenter	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Regi Crosby	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jim Damm	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Ellot Haynes	...	Nishi (voice: English version)
Michael Hoffer	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Samantha Inoue Harte	...	Hooker in Red Dress (voice)
Neal Johnson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
David Jones	...	Igami (voice: English version)
Tessa Kloppe	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Robert Newell	...	Kaburagi (voice: English version)
Ian Patterson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
B. Michael Rains	...	Ippel (voice: English version)
Katie Ramirez	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sarah Richardson	...	Saeko (voice: English version)
Shawn Sides	...	Yuki (voice: English version)
Cyndi Lou Williams	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Cyndi Williams)

Directed by
Atsushi Muroga

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Takeshi Hamazaki
Atsushi Muroga

Produced by
Katsuyuki Oana	....	co-producer
Kazuyoshi Okuyama	....	executive producer
Makoto Seya	....	co-producer
Kazuo Shimizu	....	co-producer
Masami Teranishi	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Goro Yasukawa

Cinematography by
Takanobu Kato

Stunts
Hidetaka Ichiyama	....	stunts

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18

Movie Connections:

Followed by Gun Crazy: Episode 2 - Beyond the Law (2002) (V)

A fun, modern Spaghetti Western with a twist

The story of "A Woman From Nowhere" is rather simple and pretty much adapted right out of a Eastwood Spaghetti Western: A mysterious stranger comes into a lawless town run by a kingpin and starts shooting up the place. Even the opening credits and music have that spaghetti feel: Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone would be proud. The really interesting twists are that the stranger is a beautiful (!) woman, Saki (Ryoko Yonekura) on a Harley, and the location is in a town somewhere in Japan.

In this actioner, there's a considerable amount of gunplay, some of it good, some predictable, and other spots somewhat hokey, but it's a whole lot of fun. Ryoko handles her guns with believability and aplomb and gives the thugs their due. It wasn't much of an acting challenge for her as it was a physical challenge, but she handled things very well. She shows her acting skills much more as Otsu in the NHK drama, "Musashi."

I'd highly recommend film if you're a Ryoko Yonekura fan (which I adoringly am) and/or a "girls with guns" movie fan and it does hold up to repeated viewings. To me, there's something eminently and inexplicably appealing about "girls with guns" movies like "La Femme Nikita" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight." And to have a gorgeous gal like Ryoko starring in it as well is just gobs of icing on the cake.