Zero Woman 2

This low budget, shot on video, erotic thriller is little more than an excuse to get model/actress Natsuki Ozawa naked in a variety of sleazy situations. The film attempts to combine the sexual charms of Ms. Ozawa with woefully inadequate action sequences, made even worse by the fact that she doesn't seem comfortable or convincing while handling a gun. Martial artist Kane Kosugi (remember him from those early 80's Sho Kosugi ninja flicks?) is the only one in the group who can throw a decent kick, but even he can't salvage the poorly realized action scenes. In its defense, the film is a step above similar Andy Sidaris get naked action fare in style, tone, and content, and is passable as a late night sexploitation romp. However, if you're looking for something more, don't bother with it. Additionally, don't let the American marketing of this popular Japanese series mislead you - this film was originally released in Japan as the second film in the series, "Zero Woman 2".

Zero Woman 2 is one of the most thrilling pieces of erotic action cinema that I have ever seen. Though the production is extremely low budget, you must give director Daisuke Gotoh for pulling off an extraordinary film an an incredibly low budget. The film's plot concerns a young assassin named Rei(played by the gorgeous Natsuki Ozawa). Ozawa plays her part with an expert tough-girl image and a raw sexuality. Some of the highlights include a scene where our buxom heroine is drugged and taken advantage of by an evil butcher and an intense bullet removal scene that will have you biting your knuckles! If you're in the mood for a violent, sexy, dark action flick done Hong-Kong style, then Zero Woman 2 is the film you want.

In all honesty, there's not much to dislike about this movie. The heroine is very beautiful and she takes every opportunity to remove her clothes (for the most part, they're so skimpy that it's a wonder they stay on at all). The John Woo-style action is clearly sabotaged by low production values, but for the most part is pretty good- the action scenes are slick, visually striking and well-paced. The only times the movie really falters is at the very end, when it suddenly becomes very, very bleak, and when the pacing bogs down in the middle section. As usual, the writers figured out how to come up with dynamite scenes at the beginning and at the climax, but the material they bookend is slow and clearly not given much thought. However, if you're a genre fan, the good stuff just might outweigh the not-so-good stuff. Make up your own mind.

What is the popularity with this film series? I really need it explained to me. Yes, there is a nice noir-ish bleakness to the film; yes, the leading lady is very attractive and is often nude, but that's it. No compelling story telling, limp action scenes and lapses in logic dominate most of the running time.

The story concerns some heist stuff being foiled by the "elite" (it's hard to say that with out laughing) Zero division, the field operative being the sultry Zero woman. Seedy criminal world types, sexual miscreants and good cop/bad cop characters show of from time to time, but you will have lost interest in the story long before in comes to a close.

The main draw card here is the hot and willing lead actress, who seems to have no qualms stripping down. Even when she is dressed she looks like she will come undone at any moment. Ergo, sex appeal is what the film makers are trying to hook you with. However, you can only see the same woman strip down so many times before it begins to lose it's luster.

The action scenes should balance this out, but they are so terribly unexciting. Fights are amateurish, shoot-outs are lamely filmed, and chase scenes...wait, what chase scenes? Let's also not forget that despite her super elite training she regularly gets beat down by damn near everyone and couldn't shoot her way out of a paper bag.

Male fantasy subject matter aside, this is a pretty forgettable effort.

4/10

I kinda liked this movie. The heroine took her top off so many times that I thought she was Rene Russo for a while, but I managed to cope with those sequences. This movie might turn people off due to several rape sequences. These are not stylishly done and almost amount to a fetish. It's a Japanese thing...I wouldn't understand.

The plot is simple. As with most Japanese movies, the acting is sometimes over the top. Considering what looked like a low budget, it looked surprisingly good. The effects that they did pull off were respectable.

So, if you wanna kill ninety minutes and look at a skinny Japanese woman's breasts, this is the movie for you...