Zero Woman 2

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. (**)

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.

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.

This low budget, shot on video, erotic thriller is little more than an excuse to get model/actress Natsuki Ozawa naked in a variety of sleazy situations. The film attempts to combine the sexual charms of Ms. Ozawa with woefully inadequate action sequences, made even worse by the fact that she doesn't seem comfortable or convincing while handling a gun. Martial artist Kane Kosugi (remember him from those early 80's Sho Kosugi ninja flicks?) is the only one in the group who can throw a decent kick, but even he can't salvage the poorly realized action scenes. In its defense, the film is a step above similar Andy Sidaris get naked action fare in style, tone, and content, and is passable as a late night sexploitation romp. However, if you're looking for something more, don't bother with it. Additionally, don't let the American marketing of this popular Japanese series mislead you - this film was originally released in Japan as the second film in the series, "Zero Woman 2".