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Zero Woman: Keishichô 0-ka no onna (1995)
Art sleaze at its finest
One of the better "sexy-action" thrillers to come out of the V-Cinema days of 90s Japan.
Though, to call it an "action" film would do it a disservice. It is fairly low-budget, and therefore turns to artistic and technically creative ways to imply gun violence. And it turns out, what could have been a major drawback is actually one of its greatest strengths. Specifically, the final duel, which is done with character specific colored lighting splashing across the walls to imply gunshots, is a joy to watch.
The plot is fairly interesting, if a bit muddled, but really only serves to connect a hypnotic series of assassination, sex, murder, and bdsm torture sequences, all of which are executed with a level of artistic touch that is uncommon for this kind of thing.
That being said, it still bears the marks of low-budget straight-to-video fare; uneven acting, occasionally clumsy stunts, and the feeling that they only did one take. But it succeeds far more often than it fails.
Chances are, you already know if you're going to like it. And if you're even a bit curious, it makes a decent entry point for the sexy-action thrillers of 90s Japan.
Kyôhan (1999)
Solid Female-Led Crime Thriller from Japan's V-Cinema Days
Lesbian romance, gun violence, and Riki Takeuchi; what's not to love?
Despite marketing itself as a Riki Takeuchi film, the main stars are actually the two female leads, Miho Nomoto and Aya Nakamura, while Riki is relegated to a tertiary character. This is not a complaint, though. The two leads are thoroughly entertaining and their quasi-romantic criminal team-up is great fun.
It's a bit tamer than its contemporaries in the straight-to-video Japanese V-Cinema days, but it remains a solid entry due to its energy and characters. The violence, while brief, is punchy and intense. The plot is entertaining, even if it is needlessly convoluted in its unfolding. But the main draw, for me at least, is the cinematography and editing. It's almost always fun to look at. And for a movie that is primarily driven by its dialogue and intrigue, it never once feels slow.
It's worth noting that it is still an exploitation film at its core, and despite the female-empowerment present in the main thrust of the plot, there is still a fair amount of violence against women, alongside some fairly bloody kills/wounds. So fair warning if those are deal-breakers for you.
All in all, if it's your kind of thing, you're probably gonna have a good time.