Customer Reviews

Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is probably one of the few films I've seen recently to really surprise me. I had heard a few things about the film before seeing it, and the scattered details I had picked it up made it sound like standard Japanese exploitation - stylish, violent and misogynistic. All the elements are present in the film for this sort of product - a couple of rape scenes, the torture and abuse of women, a few moments of sadistic gore. Yet, despite these elements, this film is actually explicitly feminist in its outlook (very surprising for a Japanese exploitation film!), and is oddly lyrical and poetic for much of its length. There are few films that one could describe as being simultaneously brutal, sleazy, beautiful, absurd and emotionally affecting - "Female Scorpion" manages the rare feat of producing this strange alchemy. Definitely worth seeing for fans of Japanese filmmaking.

Well, I think I should cut right to the chase: FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41 is quite possibly the most fascinating and visually stunning film I have ever had the pleasure to see ... And that praise comes from fan who loves ( and also admires ) films such as BLACK NARCISSUS, KWAIDAN, SUSPIRIA, and VERTIGO to name a few ...... To simply describe the plot of FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION would be a great injustice .. This is not your run-of-the-mill women in prison film ( although I do enjoy that genre ) ... YES, the story is fascinating and so perfectly simple ... The true beauty comes in the genius of transforming a simple story into a visual and creative feast for the senses, in particular, your eyes ...... But what are visuals without performance ??? ... This film wouldn't know .... The acting is brilliant, particularly Meiko Kaji who, with one glance, can send either a chill down your spine, or send butterflies to your stomach ... Does it sound as if I love this film ??? ... I DO !!! ... I highly recommend FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41 .... The colors are breathtaking, and the overall look for the film is awesome ...If there is one flaw regarding this DVD, it is in the transfer: during dark scenes, a "transparent" ( for lack of a better word ) band can be seen down the right side of the screen ... Strangely, this line is NOT visible in the trailer ... This band can also be seen occasionally in BLACK TIGHT KILLERS, a Japanese film released by the same manufacturer .... It's not bad enough to take a star away, but it is noticable during dark scenes ... Simply put, FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION is one of the best films I've ever seen ...

If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, check out this amazing film. The opening scene alone is worth the price of admission. I saw this at a film festival and knew I had to own it so I could loan it out to other people. This easily makes my Top 10 Best Movies You Never Heard of list.

This review refers to the DVD released on October 26th, 2010 by Eastern Star/Discotek, not the older, out of print release from Image Entertainment.

Finally we have an English-friendly alternative to the old Image DVD (even the DVD released in the UK used the same transfer as the Image release). The Image DVD was transferred from a washed out print with "burned in" white subtitles that were sometimes difficult to read. The new Eastern Star DVD offers a substantial improvement in picture quality and player generated subtitles that appear within the image (for those of you with constant-height projectors). The subtitle script appears to be the same, with the welcome exception that the various songs are now subtitled. My guess is this is the same transfer that was used for the region 2 Toei DVD in Japan. You can tell it is a Japanese transfer because the blacks have not been tweaked for American displays, so blacks are not really black. However, it's a minor complaint. This DVD is also uncut (a French release from Pathe had better picture quality than the Image, but it was missing a few seconds of footage).

There aren't a lot frills. The menu is just a still of Meiko Kaji from the film, and the only extras are an interview with director Shun'ya Ito, an interview with a Japanese film critic (who offers insight into what was happening with Japanese film at the time, and where the Scorpion series fits in), and a trailer. Clips from the film shown during the interview segments are in French, making me think these extras originated from the French DVD. The interviews have English subtitles on this DVD, of course.

The film itself is fantastic, arguably the best of the "pinky violence" flicks. Kaji has an amazing amount of screen presence in a largely mute role, and her portrayal of Sasori (Scorpion) would become iconic to a generation of Japanese audiences. Kaji mostly never appeared nude, and while other actresses did, the Sasori series remained classier than many other entries in the genre. Ito's direction also goes a long way towards elevating the material, so what could have been another forgettable piece of sleazy exploitation instead turned into a wonderful piece of pop art.

A surprisingly artfully made entry into the female prisoner scorpion series of films. Has all the requisite exploitation elements(sadism, violence, gratuitous nudity and so forth) as well as good production value and acting(especially the lead heroine). Make sure to watch the first entry before viewing this one or some details will be missed.

this is actually the 2nd movie in the series I believe. The other 3 are sold in a box set. I recommend getting them all and then watching them in order. Meiko is incredible. She is kind of like a dark version of Cool Hand Luke. She isn't the smartest but she is determined and she carries the role incredibly well. Terrific movie.

A masterwork as only the japanese can deliver it! A mix between kabuki-theater, women in prison trash and stylish revenge flick! If you are into entertaining trash with an edge, buy this film now! If you are into linear non-experimental movie, than forget this one...

I'll never forget the vicious female convict scorpion answering the police officers question about the prisoners in the bus... "They're all dead". What a mean motha she is!

By the way, I had no probelm with the disc, non at all.

I bought this same film in France. After some weeks, i put in my dvd and it's ok; no problem. About the movie, is wonderfull, hipnotic and simply ludic.

This is a purely technical comment---I've yet to actually see the film.

I tried to view this DVD in my MacIntosh G4's DVD player-got some sound but the image skips, flickers and generally would not play correctly.

A friend who has the same computer reported the same problem.