Blue Tiger

Searing, passionate and stylish revenge thriller that rises above its b- grade formula due to its well-written character dramas lead by a powerful performance from Virginia Madsen. Its her character's fierce determination of a mother that drives it, especially in her commitment as she gets the tattoo of the avenging red tiger on her back. Madsen really takes it upon herself to portray a damaged individual who's desire for revenge sees her character entering the dangerous underworld of the Japanese mafia seeking the identity of the killer of her son who was caught in the crossfire during an Yakuza hit. The only clue driving her was the glimpse of a tattoo of a blue tiger across the killer's chest. Fearsome action with heated drama and cold straight-faced villains… no surprises with the intrigue, but its well-made and there's perfect support parts led by Harry Dean Stanton.

"Blue Tiger" is a rare example of ambition almost overcoming budget, almost. The film tells the story of a young single mother who loses her 5 year old son when he is hit by a stray bullet in an attempt on a crime-lord's life by a Yakuza hit-man and her obsessive descent into the American Yakkuza underworld in search of her son's killer. The story which is rather original and urgent, is told in a straightforward manner, with some moments of stylish direction by Norberto Barba and cinematographer Christopher Walling who manage to give the film a much more lush look than would be expected from such a low-budget effort. But what truly sets this film apart are the combination of the stylish production and the energetic performances of the cast headed by the ever admirable Virginia Madsen who gives a touching and mesmerizing performance as the revenge-bent mother. Despite a mostly mediocre (and sometimes annoying) musical score, a first half that suffers from overly choppy editing that doesn't allow the first act enough time to breathe and develop properly and some misjudged moments of melodrama, this is one of those forgotten, ambitious B-movies that deserve a second chance for its sheer energy and ambition to transcend its humble origins.

Revenge turns nice "Gina Hayes" (Virginia Madsen) into a cold-blooded killer. In a nutshell, her son is accidentally shot. Some scumbag was aiming for another crook in a mob shootout, missed, and killed Gina's young son instead. Gina only remembers seeing a red tiger tattoo on the guy's chest. Her plan is to find this guy so she has sex with a number of them with the sole purpose of seeing if they have this tattoo.

Madsen looks very hot in here but the best parts are the action scenes. Overall, it was good but so much like so many other revenge films that it got lost in the shuffle among the many of the movie of this genre in the '70s-'90s.

It's still worth a look, and now that it's out on DVD I wouldn't mind seeing it again because Director Noberta Barba put some style into this film.

After her son is shot and killed in a Yakuza hit, Virginia Madsen goes after the killers, using an ancient Japanese myth about dragon tattoos to plot her revenge. Unlike another female assassin film, "Ms. 45", the plot here is not straightforward, and is somewhat unpredictable. The movie is well photographed, and has an outstanding rhythmic soundtrack, that reminds me of the work of Philip Glass. There is plenty of violence, and things progress at an acceptable pace. It should be noted that Harry Dean Stanton has a very limited part as a tattoo artist. As female revenge thrillers go, "Blue Tiger" ranks with with the best of them. Recommended viewing. - MERK

Bobby Darin released a swing lp in 2002. It really wasn't the genre for his 1960's hits. But he grew up when swing was the most popular music. So he knew swing. This movie is made in the classic noir style. It is not the self-conscious, over the top, retro style like Sin City, or The Girl From the Naked Eye. No, whoever made this flick was old. They KNEW noir. But unfortunately in 2021, it is kind of slow, and cliched. Still gets five stars; because it is quality. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site.