Gincho wataridori (1971)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi

Plot Keywords:

Swordplay | Female Yakuza | Heroine

Cast

Meiko Kaji	...	Nami
Tsunehiko Watase
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hiroshi Ueda	...	Isamu
Tatsuo Umemiya

Also Known As:

Wandering Ginza Butterfly (International: English title) (promotional title)
Wandering Silver Butterfly (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Japan:U

Company:

Toei Company

Movie Connections:

Followed by Gincho nagaremono mesuneko bakuchi (1972)

A failed combination "weepie"/yakuza flick.

Meiko Kaji has been great in a number of films, but even she can't save this film from an uninspired script and wholly lackluster direction. The story is a combination of a womens' "weepie" about the protagonist's trials and tribulations after serving a three-year prison hitch, and though the DVDs packaging would lead one to believe it's an action-packed story about a yakuza chick who's very handy with a sword, there is no action whatsoever until the last ten minutes or so, and what little we get is just not worth the uninvolving buildup. I love Japanese cinema and have endured far worse than WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY, but its overwhelming mediocrity dooms it to the "I have better things to do than watch this" category. Skip this and check out Kaji in the vastly superior LADY SNOWBLOOD. You won't be disappointed by that one!