Lady Snowblood (1973)

Director: Toshiya Fujita

Starring: Meiko Kaji

More Info: IMDB

Plot: Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Though she dies in childbirth, she makes sure that the child will be raised as an assassin to kill the criminals who destroyed her family. Young Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.

My Rating: 9

Would I watch it again? Is watching a Japanese broad run around for 97 minutes killing folks with a samurai sword hot as hell?

Did you read the plot outline? It's pretty fucked up. This is one of the best of the Pinky Violence (PV may refer to the films set in modern day but I'd still consider it one 'cause it's got a badass chick on a revenge kick to the death) films out there. WOW WOW WOW!


You wanna see where Tarantino got his inspiration for KILL BILL from? Most of it is in this picture. He used the opening song, some dialogue, characters and some shots. But all of that doesn't matter. What matters is that we have this film to view for ourselves and it's a masterpiece.

The plot is so thick with revenge that you can break a knife cutting it. The arterial blood sprays are abundant and the little twists we get are fun, believable and welcome because with each one introduced you know it's going to have to make the film longer. And that's a good thing 'cause I didn't want this one to end. I can't wait to watch the freakin' sequel.


Unlike a lot of these types of films from Japan there's no nudity. No big deal. Just an observation. But they make up for it with tanker trucks full of blood. It's like watching the sun gently rise in the morning over a golf course when suddenly, for as far as you can see, the sprinklers come on and do their work. It gets on the camera, the walls, everywhere. Nice.

Here's a neat little scene where Yuki (Lady Snowblood) removes this cat's hands...


So what that QT stole bits from this. If you watch enough movies you'll see all kinds of things he's borrowed from. At least he's really good at it. I've always heard that if you're going to steal, steal from the best...and of this type of film, it's probably the best of its kind.