Synopsis:
Starring the iconic and beautiful Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood, Stray Cat Rock) in a role that came to define her career, the four-film Female Prisoner Scorpion series charts the vengeance of Nami Matsushima, who assumes the mantle of “Scorpion,” becoming an avatar of vengeance and survival, and an unlikely symbol of female resistance in a male-dominated world.
- Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion introduces Nami, a gullible young woman unjustly imprisoned, who must find a way to escape in order to exact revenge upon the man who betrayed her.
- The visually avant-garde Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 sees director Shunya Ito and star Meiko Kaji re-unite as Nami and six other female convicts escape prison once more.
- The Gothic horror-inspired Beast Stable finds Nami branded public enemy #1 and on the run. She soon finds refuge with a sympathetic prostitute, but runs afoul of a local gang.
- The final film in the series, #701’s Grudge Song (from director Yasuharu Hasebe, Retaliation, Massacre Gun), shows a gentler side of Nami as she falls in with Kudo, an ex-radical suffering from physical and psychological trauma caused by police torture.
Spiritual kin to Ms. 45, Coffy and The Bride Wore Black, the Female Prisoner Scorpion is the pinnacle of early 1970s exploitation cinema from Japanese grindhouse studio Toei, and one of the greatest female revenge sagas ever told.
What We Thought:
I was not familiar with the Female Prisoner Scorpion series before watching The Complete Collection. I have to say, I quite liked it.
There’s four different films that all connect and tell the story of Scorpion, a female prisoner who escapes over and over again. Meiko Kaji plays Scorpion and she is beautiful and powerful and passionate. I don’t think I’m familiar with her work, but I’ll be looking into her old films because of this.
You can read what all four films are about in the synopsis so I won’t do that here, but I will say that all four are distinct in their own ways while tying in the Scorpion story. They each have their own style and visuals. Some are more direct, others more visually based.
Each is a prison/female exploitation film, but some are worse than others. There’s lots of nudity (especially in the prison) and sex. There’s rape and abuse. There’s gore and blood. Scorpion goes around killing people. The guards beat prisoners and it even shows a hanging. There’s strippers and prostitutes and everything in between. It’s all very much 1970s.
They aren’t necessarily all grindhouse films, but I can see grindhouse fans enjoying them. There’s a good amount of violence and gore that should please those fans. Some of it is really over the top violence too. There’s some great overacting that sells the shooting and fighting.
The Blu-ray set is pretty impressive. The restorations looks solid. They aren’t pristine and flawless like what we expect in today’s digitally shot films, but they didn’t look perfect in the first place. Audio is full and easy to hear. And man is this limited edition set jam-packed with bonus features. Those are worth the price alone.
Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection is a must own for those familiar with the series. I liked the films a lot and know a lot of people who will too. Grindhouse fans will enjoy it. Exploitation fans will enjoy it. Asian cinema fans will enjoy it. Even crime drama and some horror fans might like it too. Because of all that, this collection is…
RECOMMENDED!
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies)
- Brand new 2K restorations of all four films in the series presented on High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
- Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays) for all films
- Optional English subtitles for all films
- Double-sided fold out poster of two original artworks
- Reversible sleeves for all films featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
- Booklet featuring a new writing on the films, an archive interview with Meiko Kaji, and a brand new interview with Toru Shinohara, creator of the original Female Prisoner Scorpion manga
FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION:
- Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Gareth Evans (The Raid)
- Archive interview with director Shunya Ito
- New interview with assistant director Yutaka Kohira
- Theatrical Trailers for all films in the series
FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41:
- Newly filmed appreciation by critic Kier-La Janisse
- Japanese cinema critic Jasper Sharp looks over the career of Shunya Ito
- New interview with production designer Tadayuki Kuwana
- Original Theatrical Trailer
FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: BEAST STABLE:
- Newly filmed appreciation by critic Kat Ellinger
- Archive interview with director Shunya Ito
- New visual essay on the career of star and icon Meiko Kaji by critic Tom Mes
- Original Theatrical Trailer
FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: 701’S GRUDGE SONG:
- Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Kichiku: Banquet of the Beasts)
- Archive interview with director Yasuharu Hasebe
- Japanese cinema critic Jasper Sharp looks over the career of Yasuharu Hasebe
- Visual essay on the Scorpion series by critic Tom Mes
- Original Theatrical Trailer
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