Yes, Madam! (1985) January 19, 2010
Posted by Cal in : Comedy, Action, 1980s films , add a commentDirector: Corey Yuen Kwai Main cast: Michelle Yeoh; Cynthia Rothrock; John Shum; Mang Hoi; Tsui Hark Territory: Hong Kong
An incriminating piece of gang-related evidence has been inadvertently stolen by a pair of bumbling crooks (John Shum and Mang Hoi), who take great pains to save their skin while on the run from the police and the Triads. Meanwhile, a special task force is drawn up to bring the crime syndicate down, and Inspector Ng (Yeoh) teams up with her foreign counterpart Morris (Rothrock). Together despite their open scepticism of each other, they take on the crime lord and his army, but may have met their match with the petty criminals in possession of the crucial evidence…
I’ve said it before, but there are certain things about Hong Kong action films from the 80s that instil a feeling of warm cosy familiarity that is hard to shake off even if the film itself doesn’t live up to expectations. Tacky synth soundtrack? Check. Silly hairstyles and clothes? Check. Dick Wei as the main evil henchman? Check. John Shum larking about? Check. James Tien as the smug, arrogant villain? Check, check check. Throw in a cameo by Richard Ng (and Sammo Hung, producer of the project) at no extra cost, and you have all the hallmarks of Hong Kong cinema from the period that arguably produced its most well loved genre films.
However, Yes, Madam! is strangely lacking focus. The two leads share relatively little of the screen time, while the comic team of John Shum and Mang Hoi take centre stage. While their overly “shouty” routines wear thin after a while (for me, about ten minutes into the film) there are a few touches of genuine humour in there, and the proceedings are livened up immensely by the addition of Tsui Hark as their forger friend. And the scene where the pair keep trying to get locked up to avoid the Triad gang only for the two police women to keep releasing them is pretty funny.
When the two female leads take the screen, there is a definite lack of chemistry between them. Although the film contrives to create a cop buddy movie atmosphere, there is very little character development. While most would argue that this is an action movie and therefore to hell with character development, I would still have liked a bit of flesh on the bones, so to speak.
Mind you, the action scenes are pretty damn good. But when you throw the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Dick Wei and Chung Faat into the mix, something pretty damn good should come out of it. Speaking of Chung Faat, his character is bloody hilarious, despite not delivering a single line of dialogue that I can recall. It’s impossible to think that someone looking the way he does could have stayed on the streets for so long without being identified as demonic. Put it this way, he doesn’t look human…
Some mention must be made to the film’s misogyny and dubious dialogue. Well, if you’re very sensitive, you will probably find Yes, Madam! pretty offensive. Personally, a lot of the insults are so outrageously over the top that I found most of it quite funny. My favourite line is delivered by Tien, who, when being tackled by Yeoh, admonishes her with: “if you want to show off, do it in the kitchen!”
Yes, Madam! is not a solid gold movie classic, with its reliance on comedy skits and with an unsatisfactory conclusion, but is one of the best films in Rothrock’s extremely variable filmography. And Michelle Yeoh fans should be pretty happy if they can live with the fact that her physical skills are used somewhat sparingly.
The Sentimental Swordsman (1977) January 10, 2010
Posted by Cal in : Wuxia, 1970s films , add a commentDirector: Chor Yuen Main cast: Ti Lung; Derek Yee; Fan Mei-Shang; Ching Li; Norman Chu Territory: Hong Kong
This Chor Yuen film is quite hard to come by these days – I had to pay over the odds for a Thai DVD on eBay. It’s quite a shock hearing Ti Lung dubbed in Thai, but luckily the original Mandarin audio is also included on the disc. I can’t quite remember why I was chasing this down so arduously, but I assume I read a favourable review of it somewhere, bought it and then forgot about it for about a year.
Based on a Gu Long novel, The Sentimental Swordsman is typical fare, full of intrigue, mystery and conspiracy. Stylistically, it’s virtually identical to Clans of Intrigue and it’s hard not to compare the two. It’s head-spinningly complex and fast-paced, with a general plot of the hero Li Xunhuan (Ti Lung) in a feud with a shadowy assassin known only as the Plum Blossom Bandit. Occasionally aiding him is the mysterious Ah Fei (Derek Yee), who looks to be imitating David Chiang a lot of the time (and who would almost certainly have had the role had he still been in Shaw Brothers’ employ when this was made). Also involved is Li’s sidekick Chuan-Jia (Fan Mei-Shang), Lin Xianer (Ching Li) and a cast of dozens of bizarrely-monikered characters who weave in and out of the convoluted plot.
Chor Yuen was a director with a keen eye for the dramatic, and some of the external shots for this film are pretty impressive, with lots of atmospheric footage across frozen rivers and snowy landscapes. The action scenes (of which there are many) are variable but generally pretty good, although Ti Lung is doubled quite a lot for some of the more agile scenes. I would have liked to have seen more of Derek Lee’s character, though, and the same can be said about Fan Mei-Shing, who seems to have only been included as Li’s companion and manservant when convenient to the plot.
The problem with The Sentimental Swordsman is the break-neck pacing that Chor used so frequently. It is so hard to actually settle down and enjoy this film when no one will stand still for more than a few seconds. The exposition scenes begin well, providing the viewer with essential information, but then degenerate into confusing directionless rambles. I suspect this film condenses the source material down and instead of cutting plot threads and characters, Chor decided to throw everything in and hope for the best.
Even though the film is too haphazard and messy, it is not without its entertainment, although it is largely unintentional. The Plum Blossom Bandit is the most obvious example. He’s the evil villain of the piece, but you can’t take him seriously at all. The reason? He wears a bright pink costume, that’s why, and throws darts with little plum blossom designs on them. And that’s not to mention a character who goes by the name of Mr Iron Flute. And you have to laugh when an inebriated poison expert says to a fatally dosed hero: “why should trivial matters get in the way of drinking?”
So while The Sentimental Swordsman can never be considered a classic, it is worth watching if you’re in the mood for something that looks like it was written by someone on a fatal caffeine kick. That’s of course if you can track it down…
Exiled (2006) December 1, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Action, Drama, Thriller, 2000s films , 1 comment so farDirector: Johnny To Main cast: Anthony Wong; Francis Ng; Roy Cheung; Lam Suet; Simon Yam Territory: Hong Kong
A group of Triad hitmen arrive at the home of Wo (Nick Cheung) in Macau, assigned to kill him. After a brief firefight, they sit down to talk things over. It transpires that Wo knows his would-be killers very well – he was part of their gang and grew up with them. Blaze (Anthony Wong), Cat (Roy Cheung), Fat (Lam Suet) and Tai (Francis Ng) eventually disregard their orders, much to the annoyance of Boss Fay (Simon Yam), who ordered the hit.
Exiled burst onto the screens in 2006, and was the perfect antidote to the growing trend of style-over-substance, CGI-heavy Hong Kong movies. What’s more, there are no giggling/pouting pretty boy/girl pop stars here. Instead, we have a wealth of acting talent headed by the wonderful Anthony Wong, who just seems to get more miserable-looking as he gets older – in this, you’d think the man had never smiled in his life!
It throws the viewer in at the deep end right from the start. One minute Blaze and company are shooting at Wo and the next minute Wo’s cooking them all a meal - during which Blaze finds a stray bullet in his tea, leading to much laughter amongst the gang. But the film drips information on a regular basis and pretty soon you know what’s going on as long as you’re prepared to join the dots occasionally.
It quickly becomes apparent that Boss Fay (Simon Yam in his default mode) is the real villain of the piece, and the only character without any redeeming features. After a particularly exciting gunfight with Fay, Blaze’s life is saved by Wo, but the latter is injured and has to go to an “underground clinic” – a surgery run by a quack but the only place a Triad member can be treated without having to answer some serious questions. This leads to an unfortunate meeting that you should see coming but don’t, in a scene that starts off pretty humorously and ends in more gunplay and a shocking conclusion.
Johnny To nods to the spaghetti western at various times and there’s even a scene that’s reminiscent of Leone’s For a Few Dollars More, but it’s film noir that he seems to be mainly aiming for. Later in the film we have some outdoor scenes filmed in a very unusual, almost surreal, way. It’s here that we encounter Chan (Richie Ren), the sharpshooting cop guarding a cache of gold, and the film works itself up to the finale.
The whole package is wonderful – the story, the characters, the action, everything. It also has a great soundtrack that matches the tone of the film perfectly. The only fly in the ointment is some horribly invasive product placement and a pretty pointless appearance by ineffective cop Shan (Hui Siu-Hung) who is literally counting the hours until his retirement. But these are small criticisms compared to the engrossing and uplifting experience of watching a film that bucks the trend of Hong Kong films and delivers something essential. It’s probably not a coincidence that the film is set in the 90s, and stylistically feels from that period. It does have a couple of CGI shots, but on the whole seems very organic and natural and very much like the way Hong Kong films used to be made before the digital age. The setting of the very European-looking Macau over Hong Kong is also a great choice, and some of the locations are brilliantly atmospheric.
Exiled is an essential viewing experience and a must-see for even the most casual fan of the genre.
Lam Suet-o-meter: Very high! In fact, one of the most prominent roles I’ve seen him in. Rejoice!
Dreadnaught (1981) November 3, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Uncategorized, Comedy, Kung Fu, 1980s films , 7 commentsDirector: Yuen Woo-Ping Main cast: Yuen Biao; Leung Kar-Yan; Yuen Shun-Yi; Kwan Tak-Hing Territory: Hong Kong
Cowardly laundry boy Mousy (Yuen Biao) unwittingly draws the interest of twisted serial killer White Tiger (Yuen Shun-Yi) while an elderly Wong Fei-Hung (Kwan Tak-Hing) finds himself facing jealous rival Tam (Phillip Ko-Fai) and his hired help.
By 1981, the Kung Fu comedy cycle started by Yuen Woo-Ping’s twin hits Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master was clearly running out of steam. Nevertheless, Golden Harvest’s Dreadnaught is still better than most of the dire comedies that came out of the Shaw studio around this time, even if it falls somewhat short of being an all-out classic in its own right.
By my reckoning, this was the very last time Kwan Tak-Hing played Wong Fei-Hung after appearing as the legendary doctor in many, many, many films. Despite being doubled in a lot of scenes and with the remainder being fairly stationary affairs with just upper body movement, he still looks fairly convincing.
The story is pretty perfunctory (and littered with Lion Dance scenes, which were popular at the time), with a strange killer with the name of White Tiger being introduced at the beginning as the film’s obvious villain. Played by Yuen Shun-Yi (every Kung Fu film fan’s favourite nutter), the character is enraged by the sound of small decorative bells since his wife was killed in an ambush at a restaurant. Apart from this scene, there’s not a lot of explanation of his character, and all we know is he’s severely screwed up over his wife’s death.
Mousy, as played by Yuen Biao, is not exactly the most memorable character in the genre. Like in the 1982 movie Dragon Lord, the hero can’t actually fight, but rather bumbles along and wins the day through sheer spirit. This is a shame as we never really see Yuen’s considerable agility. Leung Kar-Yan puts in a rare beardless performance as Ah Foon (who was previously played by Yuen Biao in another Yuen Woo-Ping film, Magnificent Butcher), and actually gets to show off his stuff more than the film’s star. The rest of the supporting cast appears to be filled out by Yuen Woo-Ping’s entire family, and you can’t go very long without spotting one of the director’s relatives.
Sadly, this was the only time Yuen Biao had top billing in one of the legendary director’s films and Dreadnaught always strikes me in as a film that doesn’t really live up to its potential, despite being quite enjoyable. But then, I feel that way about a lot of Yuen Woo-Ping’s films. As far as I’m concerned, if you want to see Yuen Biao on top form, check out Knockabout instead, and if you want to see the director at his best, see the aforementioned Drunken Master.
GP506 (AKA Guard Post) (2008) October 13, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Horror, Thriller, 2000s films , add a commentDirector: Kong Su-chang Main cast: Jeon Ho-jin; Lee Young-hoon; Lee Jeong-heon; Cho Hyun-jai Territory: South Korea
Something or someone has killed the soldiers stationed at Guard Post 506, an outpost situated near the border between South Korea and its hostile northern neighbour. Sergeant Noh (Jeon Ho-jin) and his team go to the site to piece together what went wrong, and uncover a bizarre tale of infection and insanity.
GP506 (retitled Guard Post in the west) has similar themes as certain films in the body horror sub genre, and occasionally reminded me of the much derided Shyamalan film The Happening. It’s surprisingly not an all-out horror movie though; for most part it plays like a detective thriller, albeit with gory mutilations and unnatural food cravings.
The story is told in a series of flashbacks, and this can sometimes be a problem as it’s not always clear if you’re watching past events or the present. When a survivor is found from the original team and helps to start putting the pieces together, we get a series of glimpses into the mystery. Noh also finds and reads diary entries to shed light on the affair. Other clues suggest Corporal Kang (Lee Young-hoon) may have been unstable and killed the rest of his team.
Things are never quite what they seem, and the story twists and turns with new elements being introduced that challenge the viewers’ assumptions. As with most films of this nature, it works better with as little prior knowledge as possible.
While GP506 is a competently made film (the production values are high throughout), there was something about it that didn’t quite grab me. Although the film moves quite slowly, I think the main problem is I never really cared about any of the characters and their plight. The structure and feel of the film is also similar to a lot of modern shockers and doesn’t really stand out from the crowd.
However, the setting is good and occasionally recalls classic films set in remote locations such as John Carpenter’s The Thing. There’s also a very real possibility the whole film is an allegorical comment on the cold war and the paranoia between the divided Korea.
But while the film is quite watchable, I have to admit a feeling quite underwhelmed by the whole thing. Perhaps if the characters were a bit more engaging and the plotting a little tighter, this could have been a lot better. As it stands, though, GP506 is only mildly diverting.
The Myth (2005) August 30, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Comedy, Action, 2000s films , 6 commentsDirector: Stanley Tong Main cast: Jackie Chan; Kim Hee-Sun; Tony Leung Ka-Fai; Mallika Sherawat Territory: Hong Kong
Jack (Jackie Chan) is an archaeologist plagued with recurring dreams of being a general in Qin dynasty China, escorting the Emperor’s new concubine Ok Soo (Kim Hee-Sun) through hostile territory. During his waking hours, Jack and his friend William (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) search an Indian tomb for a device that can counteract the laws of gravity. While there, Jack finds evidence that his dreams may in fact be his past life, and that the princess may have been real.
Much to my surprise, I’ve never done a review for this film before. I think it might have something to do with watching this over the festive period a few years ago and not really remembering much about it – probably as a result of drinking alcohol. In any case, the simple fact of the matter is that The Myth is a nice idea that is quite badly executed.
The film is split into two timelines – Qin dynasty China (where Chan is bizarrely dubbed for his Mandarin lines unless I’m very much mistaken) and present day Hong Kong. It soon becomes apparent that the period scenes just don’t work on any level and soon become increasingly irritating. When you think of Jackie Chan, you don’t immediately think of period epics, and this looks like someone thought it would be a good idea to jump on the House of Flying Daggers bandwagon.
On the other hand, the modern day thread is surprisingly entertaining. Tony Leung Ka-Fai plays a good stooge to Chan and their banter is favourably reminiscent of the Armour of God dynamic between Chan and Alan Tam. Furthermore, one of the more successful sequences of the film involves Mallika Sherawat and a glue factory. It’s a scene that is forced and contrived and has every sight gag clearly signposted, but is no less fun for it. In fact, it’s classic Chan from beginning to end.
The problem is that these flashes of entertainment never last long enough. Both the Tony Leung character and Sherawat’s character are dispensed with just when you’re getting into the fun and you’re thrown back into the story, which is frankly not that interesting. As with a lot of Jackie Chan films made from the 90s onwards, the story has great ambition but ends up being messy and confused. A villain is introduced later in the film and I’m still a little hazy as to what he’s doing there.
It’s not just the garbled plotting that causes problems. There is some truly awful CGI work in this film, particularly when it comes to shots of horses fighting each other. Whoever thought that these shots could work needs to be kicked out of the business right now – it sounds like the bright idea of a sugared-up eight-year-old kid. There are also problems in the script department, and the age-old problem of a Chinese (and Indian) cast speaking English crops up yet again, with portions of dialogue being quite hard to understand. There’s also a speech given by Tony Leung that just makes me cringe. He’s talking about myths, and says that a hundred years ago, landing on the moon was just a myth. Erm, no. Landing on the moon was a dream, an aspiration, but not a myth because nobody had done it yet. I’m prepared to concede that this is a translation problem and just one of those language quirks that are hard to get around, but it still sounds totally boneheaded.
To sum up, The Myth is not terribly great - and at just over two hours in length, it’s also noticeably bloated. Which is a terrible shame as it has some really fun elements and a couple of great scenes. I’ve always said that Jackie Chan films work best on a smaller scale, and this is a classic example of what happens when you try to add too many ingredients to the pot. And it’s getting quite funny when characters refer to Mr Chan as “young man” without a trace of irony. And is it just me, or does Tony Leung Ka-Fai look confusingly similar to Ken Lo? And does the book at the end really have “The Mnth” written on the cover?
Flash Point (2007) August 23, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Action, Thriller, 2000s films , 4 commentsDirector: Wilson Yip Wai-Shun Main cast: Donnie Yen; Louis Koo; Fan Bing-Bing; Ray Liu Territory: Hong Kong
Hong Kong cop Ma (Donnie Yen) tries to take down a ruthless Triad gang led by three Vietnamese immigrants. Helping him is his partner Wilson (Louis Koo), who is working undercover in the gang. When one of the leaders gets arrested, the others start wiping out suspects one by one until only Wilson remains. When the Triad bosses discover Wilson’s true identity, Ma is forced to wage war against the gang to save his friend.
Again, I’m probably the last person claiming to be a Hong Kong film fan to actually see this film. I don’t know why, but I’ve always put it off. Well, I’ve got a good idea it’s the title. Flash Point is one of the best examples of the brainless two-word action film titling I can think of. It means nothing, is instantly forgettable and was probably decided by rolling a pair of dice and consulting a list of “tough words”. Moreover, the film’s plot reeks of generic unoriginality, and Donnie Yen has always been a bit patchy for my liking.
Well, the good news (and you probably all know this already) is Flash Point is actually really good. Yes, the story is unoriginal and by-the-numbers, but the mix of Triad drama and high action works better than you’d think.
Originally conceived as a prequel to the hugely successful SPL (and with both director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen on board), the film is set in 1997 Hong Kong, just before the takeover. The first half runs like a straight Triad thriller (albeit slightly confusing until you get a grip on the story) with almost no action at all, while the second half is almost all action. While this could have killed the film stone dead, the characters get room to breath and the viewer gets the chance to bond or despise them as appropriate.
The supporting cast are workmanlike and there isn’t really a memorable character amongst them, apart from Louis Koo’s mole in the underground gang. Elsewhere Fan Bing-Bing pops up to play a totally undemanding damsel in distress girlfriend role, and Kent Cheng demonstrates just why you should never put aluminium foil in a microwave. It’s a good job then that Donnie Yen and his choreography saves the day – despite him not actually grabbing much screen time early on in proceedings.
One can only wonder why Yen hasn’t performed action choreography like this through his entire career, but the fights in Flash Point are simply breathtaking. Unlike the Yip/Yen collaboration it followed, Dragon Tiger Gate, the special effects do not get in the way of the enjoyment of the fights and while there simply had to be a bunch of CGI shots in there, most check out cerebrally. This film includes some of the most dangerous looking stunt and combat scenes I’ve seen from Hong Kong since the days of Jackie Chan’s 80s hey-day and I have to admit I loved every full-contact second of it.
When the dust settled and the ending credits rolled, I couldn’t help comparing this with SPL, and deciding that Flash Point wasn’t quite as satisfying as a film experience. Despite that, it is a hugely enjoyable film and the bone-breaking action scenes will keep me coming back for more.
Kagemusha (1980) August 2, 2009
Posted by Cal in : War, 1980s films, Jidaigeki , 6 commentsDirector: Akira Kurosawa Main cast: Tatsuya Nakadai; Tsutomu Yamazaki; Kenichi Hagiwara; Daisuke Ryu Territory: Japan
The warlord Shingen hires a petty criminal to be his double on the battlefield. But when Shingen is mortally wounded, the impostor is asked to take over full-time in order to keep rival clans from sensing their vulnerability and attacking them. The lord had wished his death to remain a secret for three years in order for the clan to regroup, but can the impostor keep up the illusion for that long?
It seems odd watching an Akira Kurosawa in colour, and that in itself is odd because the first Kurosawa film I ever saw was in colour. As you might expect, Kagemusha (meaning ‘shadow warrior’ but also ‘impostor’) looks fantastic. The sets, locations and costumes are all top-notch and there are seemingly thousands of extras all decked out in Warring States garb ready to do battle for the puppet lord.
Kagemusha screams epic right from the very opening scene, which involves Shingen (Tatsuya Nakadai – who also plays the Kagemusha) and his brother Nobukado (Tsutomu Yamazaki) and sitting discussing the hiring of the petty criminal. The scene, which is virtually static and involves lengthy dialogue goes on for more than five minutes. Elsewhere, you can’t help feeling that the film could have been tightened up considerably, and some scenes should have been left on the cutting room floor entirely.
I should point out that the version under review here is the Criterion longest cut version at about three hours’ in length – significantly longer that the version available here in the UK. This might actually be one instance where the more complete version of a film is not as desirable as a shorter version.
Another problem for me was the score. The film, for some reason, has a western soundtrack, with orchestra and western fanfares and suchlike, and I found that really off-putting. I don’t know if this was a concession to the film’s saviour (20th Century Fox, by way of George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola) or just a terrible mistake, but it does its best to ruin the whole atmosphere of the film.
It’s not a complete write-off of course. There are moments of brilliance aside from the impressive battle scenes that close the film and the stunning visual style. Kagemusha’s relationship with Shingen’s grandson and the scene where the impostor improvises an important military decision by quoting the clan’s code of honour are two obvious highlights. It’s just that there’s a hell of a lot of waiting around for the film to get to the point.
My Sassy Girl (2001) July 22, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Comedy, Romance , 1 comment so farDirector: Kwak Jae-yong Main cast: Jun Ji-hyun; Cha Tae-hyun Territory: South Korea
Gyeun-woo (Cha Tae-hyun) saves the life of an inebriated girl (Jun Ji-hyun) in a subway station and subsequently finds himself looking after her for the night as she is incapable of any actions beyond vomiting and losing consciousness. In the aftermath of a disastrous night that sees him wrongly arrested for taking advantage of the girl in a motel room, she arranges a meeting with Gyeun-woo. He discovers that the girl is bossy, opinionated and dangerously unstable. Nevertheless, the unlikely couple strike up a genuine relationship, braving parental disapproval, anti-social behaviour, the South Korean army and high-heel humiliation…
My Sassy Girl (the literal title of which is That Bizarre Girl – a title that suits the film much better) was a phenomenal hit all through Asia back in 2001, spawning a Japanese TV series, the inevitable and almost universally hated US remake and even a Bollywood version. Typically, I’m probably the last person who will ever review it. The genesis of the film is quite original – it’s based on a true story where the boy posted several articles online about the girl (who is never mentioned by name, but is understood to have had some input into the creative process), who then turned their experiences into a novel. The rights for the novel were then bought and this event is even mentioned in the movie, which seems a little weird.
There is a lot to like in the movie, but it strikes me now that the film is probably funnier when looking back on it rather than when you’re watching it. There are several comic setpieces, some of which are funnier and more believable than others, but watching Gyeun-woo squirm his way from one impossible situation to another surprisingly never wears thin. The two leads pretty much have the film to themselves and both do a good job. I’ve not seen Cha Tae-hyun in anything before, but Jun Ji-hyun will probably be familiar to most readers (and was in the romantic time-travel movie Il Mare). She does put a lot into the film and it’s not surprising she received such praise for the role.
Although narrated by Gyeun-woo, the film is all about the girl. Not to put too fine a point on it, she’s violent and extremely unpredictable. In the real world, it’s hard to believe anyone would put up with such behaviour for so long, but Gyeun-woo takes it all with the grim good-naturedness of the truly besotted. I’m not sure how true to life the girl’s character is, but she certainly crosses the line of acceptable behaviour and lost my sympathy a number of times. Nevertheless, if you take it all on face value, it even becomes funny seeing her repeatedly slapping Gyeun-woo around the face, strange as it seems.
The film is split into two halves documenting the phases of their relationship. This is all well and good, and if the film ended at the end of the second half, it would have made for quite a satisfying movie. However, there follows a section called “overtime” and this is where I feel the film falls flat on its face. Introducing a sci-fi element is one thing, but to then tack on an obviously fake and implausible ending is several steps too far. It’s quite clear even if you don’t know the real story what will happen and how the story should end. However, probably out of fear of acceptance with audiences, the film refuses to accept it. It’s actually a great shame that they slapped such a ridiculous ending on what would have been a great movie, but I guess the box-office returns speak for themselves and I’m in a minority.
Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess (1971) July 11, 2009
Posted by Cal in : Action, 1970s films, Exploitation, Bad Films , 2 commentsDirector: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Main cast: Reiko Oshida; Masumi Tachibana; Yukie Kagawa Territory: Japan
How can you pass up the opportunity to see a film called Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess? Apparently the fourth instalment in a series of quickly made Pinky Violence films, this one doesn’t have much “pink”, but has a fair bit of violence…
It also has a barely-there plot about a wayward daughter and her estranged father paying off her debts. There’s a bit of a moral message in there too and a sizeable chunk of melodrama. But mostly it’s about a bad good girl (or good bad girl, depending on your point of view) Rika (Reiko Oshida) and her former jailhouse chums kicking the ass of a Yakuza mob.
Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess is not a well made film. It screams cheap and quick, and even has one shot along a street where a passer-by stops and looks straight into the camera and watches intently as the shot progresses. But Reiko is cute with her long hair and short skirts, and is even better when she’s in mourning when she favours hot pants and knee boots. If you’ve been following these pages for any amount of time you’ll know I have a particular soft spot for the style and kitsch of this era, and I loved the night club scene where an entire rock band start mining along with a piano-and-vocal-only song.
As mentioned earlier, there isn’t a whole lot of nudity in the film, but there are a few laughably obvious scenes (a bath scene in a women’s prison springs to mind). There are also a few really strange touches, like when a minor “sister” character appears to playfully fondle Rika’s breasts for no reason and the inclusion of a few mild allusions to underwear fetishism. The standard revenge plot, when it kicks in, will not have anyone in suspense, but delivers a bucket or two of blood.
All in all, Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess is enjoyable but light sexploitation/revenge flick fodder. Quite good for a Sunday afternoon, but unlikely to be in anyone’s ‘classic’ list.