Ryôjoku mesu ichiba - Kankin

A lady has some dinner, plays some tennis, gets into her car to go home. She won't make it home though, not until she's been through hell. Female Market has accrued something of a reputation among the later echelons of pink films, and it is somewhat deserved. The aspect that will attract (or repulse) is that the first half has a half hour or so chunk of constant mean spirited sexual violence visited upon multiple luckless ladies, all imprisoned in a warehouse in preparation for being later sold into slavery. Character development is minimal and point even smaller, this is just a sordid stare at humanities nadir, well shot with gloomy atmosphere its actually pretty compelling. There's rape, beating, whipping, a brief but hella grisly moment after an escape attempt, all served cold and as hostile as can be. Unfortunately, the film switches gears in the second half and ditches the nihilism, it wouldn't be a bad thing but since the film has laid no groundwork in terms of plotting or character in the first, the second half just comes across as a substantial slowdown. Sure, the acting is decent, even touching, and it's a handy breather for a while, but the film comes across a little lacking when it loses its despicable fire. Classy final shot though. Not much more to say about this one, its pretty thin stuff when it comes right down to it, but for all its flaws worth a watch for serious filth-hounds, as the sadistic, inhuman edge is pretty chilling. Performances are all sound, the women convincingly and harrowingly distressed, the captors suitably vile in an uncomfortable, matter of fact way. Stylish direction from Yasuaki Uegaki keeps things bleakly interesting, but not terribly dynamic, so as mentioned the final half hour really sags. Only worth watching for the serious fans and not that great a film, I still had an OK time with Female Market. A happy 6/10 then.

"Female Market"(1986),written by the "Guts of a Virgin/Beauty" director Kazuo "Gaira" Komizu is very depressing and hard to take experience due to its extreme misogynistic atmosphere and violence.This is surely hyper dark and hyper sadistic stuff-the abduction scenes at the first half of this movie are so sick and mean spirited that I felt bad while watching it.If this was released in UK,it would run some 10 minutes only!Then comes the brief revenge part in the tradition of "Last House on the Left" and then the escape and it all ends very mysteriously and ominously.And the visuals are impressive as the film is as dark as they get.It is incredible how these Japanese exploitation sickies still manage to be very noteworthy cinematically if the makers just wish so and have talent.But as said,"Female Market" is very strong,so only fans of Japanese extreme cinema will stomach it.

Okay. Chicks ugly, music lousy, underwear cheap, story remind World War 2--violence without end, brainwashing without reason--and all of this in supposedly democratic Japan? So, democracy is the reason why Japan has criminals or democracy is in our imagination? The producer don't comprehend simple fact that any movie is illusion and even illusion limited by ruling class, yes, in this case by cheap underwear.

The Japanese have a way of showing violence in a gritty manner. Not necessarily only because they show the violence in full view, but also because they manage to represent the evil that lurks within the human mind. The slave traders in this movie have no respect for human life. They are aware of it, and they love it. Nihilism has become a trademark in Japanese cinema. This movie has very little blood, but a lot of nudity, sexual violence, rape and torture. We follow some average women as they are going through a world of pain and misery, where twisted evil soul seek the ultimate rush of power and supremacy by the suffering and unhappiness of other individuals. This movies running time is not long, but that's exactly enough to deliver the punch in your face. Not a great movie, but good. It does what it can well, and deliver the message.

Having seen loads of seventies genre movies from all over the world it is hard for me to find Female Market a must. There is no inspired storyline to lift it above the middle of the road 'women in prison' exploitation fare that has been made over and over again ad nauseum. What is compelling in this film is not the story but the cool delivery of its shocking scenes of ultra violence; most often of a sexual nature. The randomness of the gruesome acts bludgeons you to utter apathy until you beg for it all to end. It simply is too much. The scene in which one of the female victims begs her warden to kill her is one of the more understandable. What makes this watchable is the superb photography and deft direction. Also the lead character's unwillingness to surrender her will to her captors makes for some interesting scenes but nothing much comes from it. No high flyer then, but a well crafted genre movie that harks back to Love Camp 7 and Ilsa She Wolf of the SS. For the fans.