YAKUZA HUNTERS

YAKUZA HUNTERS

Sometimes, a film's opening scene acts as a sort of mission statement, and it is my belief that Yakuza Hunters: the Ultimate Battle Royale is one of those films. So, bearing that in mind, you can probably get a reasonable idea of what to expect from the opening scene here – Japanese exploitation superstar Asami clambering, sans garments except for a pair of knickers, from a cross-markered and chain-bedecked grave. She then takes the cross with her, as you do, and goes off to kick some Yakuza ass. You've got to love her...

That though, folks, is the plot in microcosm; sure, you'll need to add in a girl gang motif and the premise of a years-long feud, but there you have it. How much you'll enjoy the rest of the experience depends on how much you feel the presence of Asami compensates for the fact that this is obviously a very low-budget affair with almost none of the blood-spraying insanity you might be expecting from the names attached. This might be purely budgetary – or it could be that legendary effects guy Yoshihiro 'Tokyo Gore Police' Nishimura was told to rein it in for the purposes of making this movie look as though it formed part of the 60s 'girls gone bad' canon. Me, I wasn't sure if the 60s garb was supposed to place the film in that genre/decade or if that's what the discerning Japanese girl gang is wearing nowadays, but in any case, if you come to this expecting another Machine Girl, you won't get it. What you will get is a reasonably diverting film which doesn't overstay its welcome (in itself to be applauded in a time when films regularly creep up to the two hour mark to fuck all purpose), and which knows that its trump card is the presence of its lead actress.

Here's what our set-up consists of: Asami (playing under her own name) is the head of a Tokyo girl gang, except she's been missing in action for years and, without their roundhouse-kicking head honcho, the girls have been in hiding from the Shoryu gang, a Yakuza group, who have been joined by turncoat ex-member Junko (Rena Komine). With her Yakuza buddies, Junko has been responsible for exploiting the girl gangs ('girl gang hunting') to try and distribute cocaine. Obviously, Asami isn't going to be happy about this set-up, let alone being dumped in a grave for trying to sort this situation out the first time, so she vows vengeance. How does one achieve this? Why, by stomping around in suspenders with a host of weapons, duh.

Despite lots of avowals of imminent slaughter, Yakuza Hunters does rather drag its heels in that respect. The payoffs, when they come, are worth seeing, but you have to wait your way through various flashback sequences and slightly clunky dialogue (allowing for whatever has got lost in translation, of course) and accept that arterial spray is out. This was a direct-to-video release, which obviously seeks to trade off past successes wherein an attractive woman with mad ninja skills takes on some bad guys, but lacks the cash to really give clout. I haven't been able to discover too much about this project, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was made quickly at the tail-end of another shoot.

There's enough playful insanity to make it worth a watch, though. It's a film which makes little attempt to set itself apart from the crowd (unless you count the wholesale theft of a scene from School of the Holy Beast!) but it keeps Asami on-screen a hell of a lot of the time (i.e. this is a good thing) and it does have some great scenes. J-sploitation completists should give it a whirl, and the rest of us could do worse. There are some issues with pace and evidently a lack of yen but Yakuza Hunters is watchable froth nonetheless.

Budget notwithstanding, this release looks fine. The blacks are solid, contrast good, and the colours clear and well-balanced. On the disc you get the option to watch the film with or without subtitles, as well as scene access and a selection of trailers (Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!, Suicide Club, Wound and Yakuza Hunters).

Review by Keri O’Shea


 
Released by Cine Du Monde
Region 2 - PAL
Rated 18
Extras :
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