Machine Girl (2008) October 28, 2008
Posted by Cal in : Uncategorized, Horror, Comedy, Action, Exploitation, Bad Films, 2000s films , trackbackDirector: Noboru Iguchi Main cast: Minase Yashiro; Asami; Kentaro Shimazu; Nobuhiro Nishihara Territory: Japan
After schoolgirl Ami’s (Minase Yashiro) younger brother gets killed by a gang of bullies, she stumbles on a list of his tormentors and goes on a rampage of vengeance. Even after losing an arm, Ami hardly misses a beat – especially after a huband and wife team of mechanics fix her up with a replacement in the form of a high-calibur machine gun. But the final revenge will not be easy – the head bully’s father is a Yakuza chief, expert in the use of a katana. But even he is no match for his psychotic wife…
Machine Girl is the latest film from Noboru Iguchi, the man responsible for the ultra-mad Sukeban Boy. As you would expect, it’s another blend of gore, bad acting and unconvincing fight scenes, but this time it looks like he had a budget for the film. There are even a few bargain-basement CGI effects thrown in for good measure, and it’s got more of a cinematic feel to it.
With lines like: “Wash your hair in your son’s blood!”, random ninja attacks and a soundtrack that sounds like your typical 80’s straight-to-video action film, you know you’re talking major-league exploitation revenge-flick trash, and this is probably as good as it gets. In fact, I’m really surprised not to see Tarantino’s name anywhere on the Region 1 release, and I imagine it’s already up there as one of his favourite films.
It seems pointless to talk about characterisations, but there has been an effort to give mechanic Miki (Sukeban Boy’s Asami) some character developement from her initial hostillity towards Ami (she believed Ami’s parents were murderers) to being a strong friend when her son is killed alongside Ami’s brother. Even bully Sho’s father is a more interesting character than at first appears due to his villainy being trumped at every turn by his demented wife.
Which brings us back to the gore. This really is a showcase for old-school effects, and like Sukeban Boy, it reminded me of the video nasties from the late 70’s or early 80’s. Whether you think the gore effects are stupid or not probably depends on your fondness for those films, I suppose, but I thought they were a lot of fun. I wasn’t quite sure whether the whole film is actually a satire on these kinds of films, and whether it was in fact a lot more intelligent than it appears at first glance. It’s definitely possible. But the important thing is that it’s a fun, mad little film that rips along at a breakneck speed ideal for those times when you want to see something completely over the top.
Oh, and that drill bra…!
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