Meiko Kaji Movies

The bloody saga of Lady Snowblood draws to an exciting conclusion as the vengeful Yuki (Meiko Kaji) agrees to a dangerous mission in exchange for her life in director Toshiya Fujita's follow-up to his 1973 hit. Unexpectedly granted reprieve from the crimes she had committed by mysterious government agent Kikui (Shin Kishida), Yuki reluctantly agrees to assassinate anarchist Ransui (Juzo Itami) and recover an important government document from his possession on the grounds that if she completes the mission, she will avoid execution. When Yuki discovers that the document in question contains evidence of a grave injustice committed against Ransui, she quickly sides with the activist and vows to take revenge on Kikui and his army of assassins. First she fought for revenge, now she's fighting for justice, and there's sure to be hell to pay when Lady Snowblood unleashes her wrath and carves a path of destruction across the Japanese countryside. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Following her successful prison break at the end of Joshu Sasori Dai 41 Zakkyobou, Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) begins this third episode in the series hiding in a brothel. Her prostitute friend tries to keep her identity secret, but the brothel's madam discovers that Scorpion is the ex-girlfriend of the vice officer who killed her lover. Torture follows, as the madam's lover was a member of the Yakuza, and his thuggish cohorts frame Scorpion and get her re-arrested. This was the final film in the series for director Shunya Ito, but Kaji returned one more time in Joshu Sasori 701-go Urami Bushi (1973). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Bunta Sugawara returns as Shozo Hirono in this sequel to the acclaimed yakuza film Jingi Naki Tatakai (aka The Yakuza Papers: Battles Without Honor and Humanity). Hirono, now dug deep into a Japanese crime family based in Hiroshima, finds a new adversary in the person of Katsutoshi Otomo (Sonny Chiba), a ruthless killer who is willing to do anything to promote his family's interests. Meanwhile, Shoji Yamanaka (Kinya Kitaoji) is an ambitious criminal who quickly scales the hierarchy of the Muraoka family, but his fall proves as sudden as his ascent. Jingi Naki Tatakai: Hiroshima Shito Hen (aka The Yakuza Papers 2: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima) was followed only a few months later by the third film in Kinji Fukasaku's Yakuza Papers series. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The second in a series of exploitation films based on a Japanese adult manga magazine, this over-the-top jailbreak movie pits the silent-but-deadly Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) against a sadistic warden and other adversaries. As the film begins, Scorpion is shackled in an underground solitary confinement cell. She sharpens a spoon, which she holds in her mouth, by scraping it repeatedly against the damp, dirty floor. Then the warden has her dragged to the yard to present a positive image of the prison to a visiting dignitary. Scorpion seizes this opportunity to attack the warden and incite a riot. The warden punishes the women by placing them on a tough work detail and instructs four guards to rape Scorpion. His plan to turn the women against her appears to be working when several inmates assault Scorpion while they are being transported in a van; but when the guards check the van, they are overtaken by Scorpion and the other women. As they flee from the law, the escapees find a village that's nearly buried in volcanic ash; a mysterious old woman with a knife who reveals their backstories; and a tour bus with rapists who kill one of the women. The women hijack the bus, but the police continue to pursue them and force a showdown. ~ Todd Kristel, Rovi

Nami (Meiko Kaji) is back, and this time the Ginza Butterfly is on a mission to kill the man who murdered her father when she was just a young girl. Hoshiden robbed Nami of the only father she ever knew, and for that crime he must die. Upon arriving in Tokyo, Nami lands a job as a hostess in a swinging Ginza club. But when Nami's not charming customers, she's searching the local streets and gambling dens in search of her treacherous target. Enlisting the aid of local hustler Ryuji (Sonny Chiba) in tracking Hoshiden down, Nami soon discovers that he's adopted a new name, and he's currently hiding out in the yakuza headquarters. Storming the headquarters with Ryuji by her side, Nami stirs up a furious storm of steel and blood, and prepares to take violent revenge. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi