1 review
Sold at a young age into prostitution, "Tae Akimoto" (Yoko Shimada) eventually marries a wealthy patron named "Kiku Akimoto" (Kyoko Enami) and together they set up their own brothel in Yokohama just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As might be expected, with a club that is upscale and located near a navy base, the clientele typically consists of navy officers along with a few wealthy contractors as well. Likewise, the fact that it incorporates American themes makes it even more unique and stylish. However, as is often the case with an enterprise of this sort, certain rules and formalities must be observed so as not to attract any unwelcome attention of government officials. So, when Kiku is murdered by an unknown assailant, the local authorities become quite embarrassed and set out to solve the case as quickly as possible. However, things quickly spiral out-of-control when more murders are committed--and Tae is the prime suspect. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film definitely had an interesting backdrop for a neo-noir film of this type. Along with that, having an attractive actress like Yoko Shimada certainly didn't hurt either. That being said, however, I thought that the director (Shun'ya Ito) got a bit too artistic at times which made the film seem a bit uneven overall. Even so, I still found this movie to be quite interesting, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.