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1970 - 85m.
Japan

When I think of Yakuza films, I usually think of modern-day Japanese crime thrillers from directors like Takeshi Kitano or Seijun Suzuki. The films that come to mind have more in common with the more popular movies from James Cagney and Martin Scorsese than samurai swords and Shogun Assassin. That being said, Blind Woman's Curse is very much a Yakuza film in that it deals with crime families, honor, and betrayal but it happens to be set in the Edo period of history. Rather than delivering a straight-up samurai flick, director Teruo Ishii incorporates elements of horror and some bizarre imagery as well as two strong female leads and blood spray that would make The Bride proud resulting in a unique entry in Japanese cinema that was nothing at all like what I was expecting.

Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) stars as Akemi, the leader of the Tachibana gang who accidentally blinds a woman (Hoki Tokuda) during a rumble in the opening scene. Akemi is imprisoned and plagued with dreams of a cat with a taste for blood while the woman who was blinded becomes filled with anger and hatred for Akemi. After her release, Akemi assumes control of her gang and leads with a cool hand as she has to contend with both Dobashi, the boss of a rival gang who is making trouble for her, and a traitor in her own ranks. Akemi is the original girl with the dragon tattoo sporting a giant dragon head on her back that connects with a number of members of her gang that have dragon segments on their backs as well making for cool imagery during fight scenes when the gang members stand together in a line showing off the full piece. The movie takes a turn into the horror genre when somebody starts killing off members of Akemi's gang, peeling the tattooed skin off their backs, and keeping the flesh as a gory trophy.

There is a lot to like about this movie and from the opening scene that features blood spray, slow motion, and freeze frames, you know this is going to be a lot more stylish than your average gangster flick. Aside from some goofy comic relief moments from some of the characters, this is a pretty serious flick that focuses on Akemi as she tries to keep her people calm as things get more bizarre. With her cool demeanour, it is easy to see why she became popular with the Stray Cat Rock film series and Female Convict Scorpion and why Quentin Tarantino has paid such obvious homage to her in the first Kill Bill movie. The character of Tani (Makoto Sato) is also fun to watch as he plays a cool guy ally to Akemi.

The introduction of a strange funhouse/freakshow in the middle of this flick is what really cements this as a cult movie. There is a cross-dressing hunchback (performance artist Tatsumi Hijikata - Horrors of Malformed Men) with a collection of severed heads who unnerved me whenever he was on the screen. Later, we discover that Dobashi is running a prostitution ring where the women are strung out on drugs so that they believe that their johns are movie stars (making it easier to engage in the sex acts). Bizarre characters and weird imagery make this film stand out and scenes such as that where the vampire cat takes off with the skinned back of one of the girls is a unique sight. You won't see that in Goodfellas. The violent finale also makes this worth a watch if you are a fan of the Lone Wolf & Cub series or Kill Bill Volume 1. Hoki Tokuda did not make a lot of movies and was married to controversial novelist Henry Miller. (Josh Pasnak, 4/24/15)

Directed By: Teruo Ishii.
Written By: Teruo Ishii, Chusei Sone.

Starring: Meiko Kaji, Hoki Tokuda, Makoto Sato, Hideo Sunazuka.

aka: Black Cat's Revenge, The Tattooed Swordswoman.