Dabide no hoshi: Bishôjo-gari

This is a well made beautiful film about the kidnap and torture of women. Its great to look at but I have yet to determine why I should want to watch it. Don't get me wrong it has nothing to do with refined sensibilities, I can enjoy twisted exploitation as well as anyone, but there's simply something wrong.

I think the problem with it is that its rather a dull movie. Terrible things happen to good looking woman...and thats about it. There is some attempt at character, but its not all that interesting. Its as if its trying to be more than the bondage porno it is.

I had been drawn to the film when I had read several articles that mentioned its bad reputation, so when I found a cheap copy I figured I'd give it a try. Perhaps back in 1979 it was something, but today with these jaded eyes its unremarkable. I've seen films of every sort and this one didn't strike as much of anything.

Will you find it offensive? If naked tortured women offends you, or you have stayed in the mainstream in your tastes, you probably will be offended or made uncomfortable, but for anyone else, this is probably going to bore you much more than it will shock or excite you. It has not lived up to its reputation.

With shocking scenes of violent rape, murder, bestiality, necrophilia and torture, Beautiful Girl Hunter (my first foray into the 'pinku-eiga' genre) is certainly an eye-opener.

Tatsuya is a little messed up: he is the result of a vicious sex attack on his mother by a violent rapist/thief. His surrogate father treats him like dirt as a child, and degrades his mum (by tying her up, whipping her and having sex with other women in her presence) until she can take no more and kills herself.

Tatsuya eventually gets even by killing his father, inheriting a fortune as a result. But it seems that he has also inherited his real father's penchant for mistreating women, and is soon following in daddy's footsteps, abducting, raping and killing beautiful women.

A misogynistic, ultra nasty and disturbing movie, Beautiful Girl Hunter is certainly not for everyone. However, those who have an 'anything goes' attitude towards their viewing matter will probably enjoy this simply for its willingness to show pretty much anything in the name of entertainment.

A series of busty victims suffer at the hands of Tatsuya (and his biological father, who turns up towards the end of the film to join in the fun) and the humiliation they have to endure is certainly very imaginative: one is smeared all over with butter, only for it to be removed by a dog with an obliging tongue; another is forced to masturbate in front of her captor; and, in a particularly gob-smacking scene, one poor girl is denied lavatorial facilities until she can hold on no longer...

The forced sex, which occurs at regular intervals throughout the film, is also very unsettling and not for those who are easily offended. Peculiarly enough, though, for a film that is so extreme in places, the nookie is at times made rather laughable by carefully placed objects in the foreground obscuring the 'action' (think of that scene in Austin Powers and you'll get an idea of what I mean). I always find it amusing when I see what the Japanese find acceptable to show and what is deemed too obscene (for example, they have no problem with a scene in which Tatsuya masturbates over photos from the Nazi holocaust!!).

What is also rather surprising about this film is its technical excellence. There is no evidence of the low quality prevalent in many of filmdom's more seamy productions—the cinematography is great and the direction very effective. Director Norifumi Suzuki has managed to imbue this sordid tale with a level of class which is rare in exploitation movie-making.

And if Eli Roth thinks he is the last word in extreme bloodletting, he ought to check this baby out: his Mrs. Bathory bath scene in Hostel 2 pales in comparison with the bit where Tatsuya stabs a girl suspended by chains and is drenched in her blood! Beautiful Girl Hunter ends with a rather confusing and pretentious finale which might be a case of the director trying to justify his film with some kind of message. He needn't have bothered: viewers of this movie will be too busy gasping at the on-screen filth to care about any deeper meaning.

Norifumi Suzuki's Star of Dave aka Beautiful Girl Hunter (1979) has been released in Europe by Japan Shock as Beautiful Girl Hunter, and the version is in widescreen, uncut and with original language. However, one sex scene has been optically censored/blurred as they always are in Japan. The film is based on 5-part animated series which itself was based on Masaaki Soto's adult manga. A young student is seemingly normal, but keeps a savage torture/bondage chamber in his cellar (he lives alone in a big house once his father died), and kidnaps school girls there for torture, sex games, rape and usually murder. There is one significant plot turn dealing with the film's brutal prologue, so there is no point in describing the plot anymore without spoiling this, and also beware other reviews which I've seen spoil this very badly.

This is very Japanese film in its themes, as once again the subject matter is the darkest sides of humanity, and the film tries to ask are these things "inherited" or is human nature just rotten anyway and based on instincts. There is one character, a pure incarnation of evil which is very close to the main character, too, and their relationship is the main point in the film. This same theme of darkness is even more brutally and very disturbingly handled and depicted in Katsuya Matsumura's All Night Long trilogy, and especially in part two, Atrocity (I have seen only the first two films, haven't seen part 3 yet). Once human being gives power to his instincts to kill and enjoy other people's misery and pain, all hell literally lets loose. All Night Long 2: Atrocity is definitely among the most depressing and disturbing films I've ever seen, and it was even denied a theatrical release in Japan due to its dark and extreme nature. All Night Long trilogy has also been released by Japan Shock, but only on DVD. They are very worth purchasing for fans of extreme (and also intelligent, but hard to take) Japanese cinema. In Beautiful Girl Hunter, the Nazi crimes and WW2 is handled and mentioned couple of times, so the theme of evil is global in this film as it is in our world.

Beautiful Girl Hunter uses some interesting camera techniques and details, and thus becomes even more noteworthy and worthwhile. At the end of the film, there are some elements found usually in Takeshi Kitano's films, like people between and among flowers and scenes at the sea etc. so it is obvious Japanese films are very unique and they have a style of their own. Camera is sometimes very twisted and used creatively, so this movie is technically very inventive.

It is a must to tell that the film is definitely not for all audiences, since there are many vicious scenes of bondage, rape, torture and whipping of hapless girls captured by the disturbed youngster. The sex scenes are among the most realistic and natural I've ever seen, and if you've seen for instance Gaira's "Guts" series, then you know what I mean about the authenticity of those sex scenes. Women masturbate, and as it is so realistic, it is perhaps not just acting, so if someone feels this kind of sexual, violent and also perverse imagery is off putting, don't ever try to watch this film, or others of its kind. There is also one bloody killing as the boy stabs one of the victims in the heart with Naked Blood like geysir of blood. Despite these elements from extreme horror films, Beautiful Girl Hunter has its message and theme, and also some cinematic elements, but due to its imagery, the film is very hard to understand.

The film is very slow moving, so it is not wise to try to watch this tired. There is not too much talk in many scenes and the film is very contemplative as a whole. I like this film and gladly give it 8/10 rating, and recommend it for fans of Japanese cinema, which is something that would never be made in any other culture, Western included.

This might be up your alley, but chance is that it isn't. The whole thing starts of one rainy night with an escaped sex-convict, a happily married couple and some rope. You can sort of figure out the rest of that evening. The wife ends up pregnant and her husband can never get over the fact that it isn't his child, so he humiliates and tortures her until the day she 'off's' herself. The sons grows to be a man unworthy of his 'fathers' love and constantly reminded of his horrible heritage. Whit a dick like that as your dad, you just have to search for your roots, don't you? Hooking up with chicks isn't a problem for this rich playboy, so he builds himself a dungeon to store them in. The rest of the film is filled with torture, murder and mayhem, but also real lust and true love. Wait a minute, you might say. What ever happened to his biological father? What? You want me to tell you the whole damned movie? Just watch it already!

PS. All timid girls aren't as timid as they might look.

The comment I read on the main page was very detailed, so I'll keep it brief. I agree with all the sentiments stated.

This film is unusually well done, with surprisingly good acting for the genre. In particular the scene of the girl realizing her sadistic side and whipping her female former boss (who was a total bitch to her). It may be somewhat subtle, but her facial expressions (and look in her eyes especially)... very convincing and definitely seems as she enjoys herself. Highly recommended, even if for this scene alone. At times it does move a little slowly, but I've watched it several times and can't say have ever found it to be boring. Of course you have to enjoy this genre. Overall one of the best of it's kind.