Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Please don't spend money on this.

A Brilliant Conflict

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Just watched Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion 39years after it came out and it is still a good movie.This is the 1st of the Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion series (I had actually watched it backwards from 4 to 1), and it shows how the "Scorpion" ended up in prison and how hard she is. The Scorpion is HARD.The movie has all the prison exploitation themes, sadistic guards, naked prisoners, mean prisoners, torture etc. But it also has the Scorpion; imagine Cool Hand Luke but who does not talk, with no humour, a willingness and readiness to kill/injure/maim her tormentors and a single mindedness quest for vengeance. Meiko Kaji (actress) is more widely known for her Lady Snowblood character and movies but IMO her Scorpion Character is way more awesome.I recommend this movie just so you have a lead up to the second movie Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41 which is a MUST watch.

As the last decade has progressed, comic book adaptations have been coming at moviegoers thick and fast. These have been rather inconsistent in quality with various graphic novels such as Ghost World and the fact based Persepolis proving to be the successes of the medium, with most films, including the large majority of the 21 films Marvel has contributed (with the notable exception of those directed by Sam Raimi and Bryan Singer) being wholly average in quality. However it may seem though, comic book adaptations and the numerous spin-offs and sequels they produce are not a recent development and it's worth casting a look at one of the lesser known earlier franchises, Japan's Female Prisoner #701 series.Based on the Sasori manga comics of Tōru Shinohara the first of these is titled Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion and tells the story of Nami 'Matsu' Matsushima (played by Meiko Kaji, who would later take the title role in the similarly revenge themed Lady Snowblood series) who is sent to jail after attempting to stab the police officer who first seduced her, before using her to implement a sting that resulted in her being raped. The film follows Matsu as she attempts to escape from prison in order to enact her revenge on those who betrayed her whilst at the same time surviving altercations with fellow prisoners and guards alike.This series was funded by the Toei Company, notorious for their own particular brand of 'Pinky Films' known as 'Pinky Violence Films'. These contained all the nudity and soft-core sex synonymous with the Pinky films but as the title would suggest, with lashings of violence complementing the nudity. Just at the films of the New Hollywood were a response to the advent of television, attempting to get viewers back to the movie houses via increasingly experimental and exploitative films so too were these and Female Prisoner can be seen as one of the best example of this genre.First time director Shunya Ito (who would later earn himself an Oscar nomination for his 1985 film Gray Sunset) brings a great deal of stylistic flair to his debut, there are sets where the walls revolve as in theatre to reveal new surroundings, certain scenes are shot through a glass floor so we can see Matsu's face as she lies face down on the ground following her abuse, and all the while there is the expressive use of lighting with bright greens and reds dictating the tone of the scene. In one sequence another inmate attempts to stab Matsu whilst in the showers. As the fight progresses and the assailant becomes more enraged suddenly her hair begins to stand on end, the lighting turns blue and her makeup turns to one of the face masks seen in traditional Japanese Kabuki theatre. Jump cuts are also evident throughout, a technique the Nouvelle Vague had only unveiled in the previous decade, and directors such as Scorsese were beginning to make their trademark at the same time. With all this experimentation the film works well as an art house alternative to the women in prison films people such as Roger Corman were producing in America, with Kaji proving herself to be every bit the equal of Pam Grier.Indeed it is Kaji's performance that carries the film. Despite her literary counterpart being extremely vocal and foul mouthed, Kanji convinced Ito to break away from this and allow her to give a primarily silent performance at Matsu, with the her cold stare conveying more hatred for her enemies than the shouting of obscenities ever could. The most play Kaji's vocals get for the films duration is in the film's title song 'Urami Bushi' also known as 'My Grudge Blues' a haunting number sang by Kaji herself. Ever desperate to shoehorn in as many references and allusions as possible, Tarantino would later feature the song on the soundtrack to Kill Bill(during the Lady Snowblood styled fight scene no less).Ito and Kaji would work together on a further two films in this series, Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972) and Female Prisoner 701: Beast Stable (1973) both of which maintain the original's acute sense of style whilst remarkably managing to increase the amount of violence and nudity, every bit the equal to the original they never feel forced as many sequels do and are a worthy continuation of Matsu's search for vengeance. As evidenced in many of the other great films of the decade such as Taxi Driver and Suspiria- when art house aesthetics are combined with exploitation narratives, the result is something extraordinary in its own right. Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion is one such film, far greater than the slew of comic adaptations around today and definitely worthy of greater attention that it receives.For more reviews of overlooked movies, please visit: http://avoid-at-all-costs.blogspot.com/

Not quite as hallucinogenic and surreal as Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41, (the sequel, which I mistakenly watched first), but still more art-house than your average 'Women In Prison' flick, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion is a cool exploitation classic that is a must for anyone who digs cult Japanese cinema, violence, and busty nekkid oriental chicks.Meiko Kaji plays Nami Matsushima, a beautiful woman who is viciously gang-raped after her lover, Sugimi, a corrupt cop, convinces her to go undercover to help him bust a gang of drug dealers. When it becomes clear to Nami that she was merely a pawn in Sugumi's plan to help the Yakuza (by ridding them of their competition), she seeks revenge and unsuccessfully attacks her loathsome lover—an act that ends her up in prison, where she becomes the target of both a sadistic warden and a female prisoner turned assassin.Just like any self-respecting Western W.I.P. flick, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion contains plenty of nudity, sadistic guards, equally sadistic inmates, and the obligatory lesbian sex scene (when Matsushima seduces a policewoman posing as a fellow prisoner). This being a Japanese movie from the 70s, however, the result is far more pleasing aesthetically, catering not only for drooling sleaze-hounds, but also for those with an eye for a well framed image. The film's cinematography is superb, with several moments being quite beautiful to behold—in particular, a post-riot sunset which turns the whole screen blood red (quite apt, seeing as the scene immediately prior to this features the film's bloodiest moment: a guard gets his head split open with a spade resulting in a geyser of blood spraying into the air).Towards the end, when an escaped Matsushima eventually hunts down the men who raped her and once again tries to kill Sugimi, the film does tend to drag a little (I wanted revenge to come a little swifter than it actually did), but this is a minor quibble with what is a very well crafted piece of exploitation.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Hey Hey Hey its GOREEEEEE MONGRAL throwing out another review to all my twisted pygmies out there. Today I review a 70's Prison Film, now I know your thinking either OH YEAH T&A I love those flicks or T&A that is the only thing these movies are good for. Hold up on those thoughts this here is not an American Women in Prison film this is a Japanesse take on it that is actually much more than a reason to see naked women.Scorpion 701 (Meiko Kaji, of Lady Snowblood fame) has been sent to jail thanks to some lies and deceit from her lover narcotics cop boy friend. He is actually working for the Yakuza that he tries to have her infiltrate. Now in prison she is tortured by both Inmates and Prison Guards who are working with her ex-lover to take her out as she knows to much to live.From there the film goes into showing the pure desire of one women no matter the suffering to get back at the one person who she loved and was betrayed by. The first thing you will notice about this film is the different uses of lighting and camera work that is on display in it. Very unconventional for this type of movie but it all works. The violence is there just not a straight gore fest as some of the Splatter Samurai works of the period, but then again I don't believe that is what this was going for. T &A is present and a lesbian scene thrown in for good measure but is all handled with class not smut.All in all I really liked this film and cannot wait to see the other 3 movies in this series. At this time the second in the series is available in the states however from what I have seen the 3rd is coming out very soon, which will leave only the 4th to be released here.8/10: Very Good Film. If you want a good Prison/Revenge film this is one to see. Not a smut fest like other women in prison films so don't let the stereotype of these kind of films distract you from renting this as it is very good film-making, no matter what kind of film this is.The DVD that is out in America is by Tokyo Shock which seems to have done a nice job on the transfer and has wisely made this the original Japanesse audio track with optional English subs. The disc contains the original trailer, photo gallery and trailers of other Tokyo Shock films, so as far as extras it is pretty standard but with a movie like this it is in a way trivial I'm just glad someone ported this over to us here in the west to enjoy.