Zenka onna: koroshi-bushi (1973)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Atsushi Mihori

Writers:

Fumio Konami (screenplay)
Hirô Matsuda (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 October 1973 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Reiko Ike stars as the daughter of a man who has been pushed into drug dealing by the local Yakuza mob...

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Yakuza | Prison | Gang War | Vengeance

Cast

Reiko Ike	...	Maki
Yumiko Katayama
Chiyoko Kazama
Masami Sôda
Miki Sugimoto	...	Massayo
Ryoji Hayama	...	Boss Oba (as Ryôji Hayama)
Shinzo Hotta		(as Shinzô Hotta)
Seiya Satou		(as Seiya Satô)
Keiichi Kitagawa
Tooru Hanada
Bontarô Miyake		(as Bontarô Miake)
Takeo Chii	...	Tetsu Hamayasu
Hiroshi Date
Hirohisa Nakata
Naoyuki Sugano

Also Known As:

Criminal Woman: Killing Melody (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

Japan:83 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Toei Company

Classic revenge tale, and a classic of 'pink' cinema

'Criminal Woman: Killing Melody' is a strong entry in the 'Pinky Violence' box set, mostly due to the presence of both Reiko Ike, and the amazing Miki Sugimoto, as rivals/comrades. This film is a more straight forward revenge tale, and it moves at a good pace. Reiko Ike stars as Maki, a woman out for revenge against a Yakuza gang responsible for her fathers death. The original Zero Woman, Miki Sugimoto exudes a strange elegant quality in this one, as the wife of the Yakuza boss. The two wildcats meet for the first time in prison, and than again on the outside, when Maki's revenge plan begins to to take form. Reiko Ike is tough & uncompromising in this one, bent on wiping out the gangsters, while Massayo (Sugimoto) must retain a cool exterior; she doesn't really want any harm to come to her former cell mate, as she can respect the other woman's strength. At the same time, she feels some loyalty to her husband, or so we think. Miki Sugimoto remains my favorite 'Pink Heroine'. There is such strength in her voice, and in this one, much of her body is tattooed! Before i watched this I was afraid that it would be marred with silly comedic overtones, something which in my opinion ruined 'Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess'. But there is none of that silliness here, just a straight forward approach, with fine melodramatic overtones, as well as some great sleaze. Not nearly as sadistic as 'Terrifying Girls Highschool', which is my personal favorite in the collection. But there are those moments that are expected from this genre, in particular a scene where Miki Sugimoto burns Reiko Ike's breasts with a lit cigarette. 'Criminal Woman: Killing Melody' is a classic 'pink' film.