lastninja

This 1974 offering, is what might almost be called a "proto slasher", although Mario Bava's "Bay of Blood" is much more deserving of such an accolade. This is actually more of a whodunit.

Anyway, as you may have gathered from reading anything about this movie, it seems to be rather dull. It is. Rather. One funny thing is that the actors often seem confused and/or disinterested, sometimes exchanging their lines in an especially unconvincing way, which makes you both cringe and laugh. Some of the sloppy editing probably doesn't help here either. There's also the "It's kind of a one man job" breakfast preparation scene to look out for, which is kinda weird. Well... the characters aren't wholly unsympathetic, the opening scenes gave me some hope and the island location is nice but the mystery isn't suspenseful or involving enough. There's also a fairly unsettling psychological explanation tagged on as an epilogue, right after "the end" credit; that's not something I'd ever seen before I think.

See it if you must but I'd recommend the TV mini series "Maelstrom" from 1985 over this; it is somewhat similar in theme and tone but much more gratifying.

The seventh Red Peony Gambler film, and one of the best in the series, in which Oryu (she's the Red Peony) once again finds herself entangled with an oppressed group of people. This time a corrupted army officer, with the help of some high ranking villagers under his spell, is doing damage to a simple hardworking peasant community.

Right from the beginning she has to step into action, to save the life of a lowly but apparently honest gambler, who has been tricked into being a cheater: Oryu has found a new friend for life. Later on she meets mr Yuki, a gentle soul with sad eyes, who has foresworn the yakuza life-style as a traveling gambler (like Oryu herself) and now raises a son and leads the community. However, mr Yuki's peaceful attempt at negotiations with the military, to prevent further damage to the environment and harvesting grounds of the villagers only aggravates the situation, which soon spirals out of control. So in time, the Red Peony has to save the day.

This is a swift-paced and excellently produced film, the action here is among the most spectacular (and bloody) of the entire series. There are also some obvious comedic moments, especially the reunion with her "sworn brother" (they go back a couple of movies). If you've seen all the entries up to this point then you might find some similarities to previous films, somewhat like retreading old ground. There's also a slightly new twist on the almost essential "you've been cheating Red Peony!" gambling scene but that's always a lot of fun. As are the "official introductory" scenes, where she announces herself and reason for coming: I love the way she speaks so stentorian and yet gracefully in those. There are some beautiful, almost poetic shots to be admired and of course Fuji Junko is often stunning, here especially when she takes out her red hairpin and throws herself and caution to the wind. Ahem.

Easily appreciated as a standalone film and definitely recommended if you're at all interested in this series, about a beautiful, almost Audrey Hepburn-like, yakuza woman with a strong wielding hand, a gentle heart and a sad, loving, longing gaze.