Knuckle Girl Film Review

Another kick-ass take no quarter female fighter makes it to the screen. I am not complaining. My mantra is bring them on. This one is by way of Korea and then Japan. Based on a Korean Webtoon, a Korean production company, a Korean director (Hong Seung-yoon who goes by Chang), but set in Japan with an all-Japanese cast. There is nothing particularly original about the plot - very Cable ready or in the old days straight to video and distributed by Amazon - but having a female as the protagonist gives it a pop it would not have if the protagonist had just been another man looking for his sister. It would just have been another Liam Neeson film. The star in this one is Ayaka Miyoshi, who I just saw recently in the 2018 film, Inuyashiki, as the rotten daughter. She has bulked up considerably since then and I would have to guess did some physical training. She is rough and buff and takes a licking as good as she gives.

She plays Ran, an up-and-coming female boxer who used to run with a criminal crowd. She takes out her opponent in the ring in about 1 minute with some savage punches. No doubt the Right Wing in America would be saying she is a male. She isn't. The only thing in her life outside of boxing that she loves is her sister Yuzuki (Kotona Minami), a very cute 17-year-old schoolgirl. In the real world per Wikipedia, she "is a member of Kimi ni, Mune Kyun., a former member of Pico Pico☆Revolution (As Inada Kotono; 稲田琴乃) and a former fourth generation member of Vienolossi.". All of which means absolutely nothing to me, but I mention it in case there are any J-pop fans out there. Ran gets a call that Yukuzu has died by suicide in a car explosion. When she sees the burnt body, she realizes it is not her sister but the cops insist it is because of a DNA test.

She sets off on her own to investigate and it leads her to a private high-end club and beneath it is an arena for cage fighters that are bet on from all over the world. It is of course run by the Yakuza with Nikaido (Hideaki Itô) as a vicious gangster. One of those that kills anyone who disappoints him. It must be fun to play that kind of role. Ran gets into the club and gets the hell beat out of her by Giant Kito (Yukio Naya) for her trouble but you know they will see each other again. She meets up with an old boyfriend - who is a martial artist - and a hacker - who is trained in Brazilian Capoeira. So, some good fighting ahead is assured and there are a few nice hard hitting group fights as well as Ran having to go in the cage with these two adorable Lolita styled cheerleaders calling for Kito to kill her. All pretty predictable but that doesn't bother me much.