Female Prisoner Scorpio: Death Threat Film Review

Some things don't die and never should. The four films in the original Female Prisoner Scorpion series starring Meiko Kaji from the 1970s have become cult favorites with a huge fan base, admittedly mainly male. V-Cinema brought the character Nami Matsushima back into the public view with this film and two more in the late 1990s. Like the originals they are a mix of exploitation, nudity, violence and revenge. I can't find whether there have been any others, but I am surprised that no one has produced a big budget film. Perfect for a director like Takeshi Miike who did it with Zatoichi.

This is an interesting take on the character; a nod to the old films and yet something quite new. Too bad that there was no follow-up. This was much better than the two later films. A beautiful actress as the killer and a bucket full of blood gushing killings. Natsuki Okamoto is a stunner with big curly hair and a pouty face that looks as innocent as a dripping ice cream cone. Of course, she isn't. She is an assassin. A very good one. In an early scene she disguises herself as a dirty beggar to get close enough to kill her target and his bodyguard. One shot each. Then she takes off her rags to show her in a tight red stylish spandex dress as she drives away on her motorcycle. Her Yakuza boyfriend/agent rewards her with sex.

Then the film kicks it into high gear. She is hired by a politician to go to jail and kill Nami Matsushima. Ok, wait. Natsuki is not Sasori aka the Scorpion, legendary for her escapes from prison. Instead, Natsuki has to kill her. The politician used to be the Warden and he wants to tie up loose ends before the election. Sasori once thrust a shiv through his eye. It is of course a set up. Natsuki is captured, beaten by the other prisoners, whipped, crucified and drugged. So she does what she does best - kill after she has taken on the spirit of Sasori and her magical shiv. The basic limitations of V-Cinema are what they are, and there is no comparison to the originals, but they pay tribute to them and give most fans what they signed up for.