Zero Woman 2

This movie begins with 2 men and a woman forcibly taking a briefcase full of stock certificates from a courier inside an underground garage. As it so happens, a special agent for the Japanese government known as Zero Division, attempts to retake the briefcase but the thieves manage to get away. In the process the agent, "Rei" (Natsuki Ozawa) also has to kill the courier in self-defense. After informing a colleague of the incident the two of them set out to track down the thieves and recover the briefcase. The problem is that there are interpersonal relationships among both sides which complicate matters even further. Additionally, not all of the characters involved have the same agenda as everyone else. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this turned out to be an interesting film which was essentially based on an earlier movie titled "Zero Woman-Red Handcuffs" produced 21 years earlier. So in that respect the movie is a sequel of sorts even though the main character is played by another actress. Be that as it may, this film has plenty of action which includes more than a few scenarios involving violence along with several scenes of a sexual nature. For that reason this movie is clearly not suitable for minors. In any case, while not necessarily a great movie, it was still somewhat entertaining and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

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.

In her second cinematic adventure, Rei (played this time by Natsuki Ozawa) is looking for 10 millions worth of stock certificates that were stolen by a trio of Chinese crooks (two guys and a girl). She is assigned a new police partner, who turns out to have his own agenda: he plans to find the certificates himself and sell them to the Yakuza. Massive bloodshed ensues.

More violent and more exploitative than its predecessor, "Zero Woman 2" also boasts a higher body count and an increased quotient of martial arts, thanks to the presence of Kane Kosugi (the son of Sho). Natsuki Ozawa is not as attractive as the first Zero Woman Naoko Iijima, but she's still pretty and adequately athletic. The main problem with this film is the same as with the original: the extremely slow pacing that can really numb your senses at times. In that respect, the second half of "Zero Woman 2" is better than the first. But the whole film feels longer than it is. (**)

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.

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