Product Details

• Actors: John Di Maggio, Denise Poirier, Carlos Ferro, Dwight Schultz, Joe Lala
• Directors: Osamu Dezaki
• Writers: Takao Saitô
• Producers: Hitoshi Yoshimura, Sumio Udagawa, Taka Nagasawa, Tomo Tashiro, Yaemi Aoki
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Urban Vision
• DVD Release Date: April 17, 2001
• Run Time: 57 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005A06C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,570 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Golgo 13 - Queen Bee" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

More than 15 years after the debut of The Professional: Gogol 13 (1983), Duke Togo, the assassin-hero of Takao Saito's popular manga, returns to the screen. Queen Bee plays like the animated daydreams of a frustrated high school sophomore: lots of nudity, sex, and violence, strung together by an over-the-top, clichéd story line. A ruthless Democratic vice presidential candidate hires Gogol to murder Sonia, a.k.a. the Queen Bee, because of her ties to his weak-willed running mate. She's a big-time cocaine dealer and the assistant leader of a Marxist revolution in a small Central American country. Although she's had at least eight children by different fathers, Sonia is built like a brick guerrilla camp. Her amoral indifference to murder and her sexual passion make her fire to Gogol's ice. Gogol and Sonia have no trouble outwitting the Secret Service, U.S. law enforcement, and a rogue army unit led by a deranged Vietnam veteran. But their mutual respect and passion don't stop Gogol from fulfilling his contract. U.S. viewers can only hope Japanese audiences don't see this bloody James Bond rip-off as a realistic portrait of American politics. Rated for mature audiences ages 18 and older for graphic sex, profanity, tobacco use, and extreme violence. --Charles Solomon

Product Description

Queen bee is not your average guerilla radical. As a child she was ripped unmercifully from her home and left to fend for herself on the streets. Once golgo 13 discovers bees identity he must step aside. Features: remastered in both english & japanese directors commentary trailers website info. Studio: Urban Vision Release Date: 04/17/2001 Run time: 60 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Osamu Dezaki

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak and disappointing., June 28, 2004

By 

Ciro (.fl.us) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golgo 13 - Queen Bee (DVD)

If you saw "Golgo 13: The Professional," or even if you played the watered down NES games, and you're hoping for more of the same, look elsewhere. This movie lacks the storyline, style, and appeal of the original, instad going for an anime-sex overload, with a few exploding heads for flavor.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Professional" this is not, January 27, 2004

By 

TrezKu13 (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golgo 13 - Queen Bee (DVD)

"The Professional: Golgo 13" is one of my favorite animated films, and I had seen it before this sequal. So, out of curiousity, even though I had heard bad things about it, I rented the movie to check it out.

I could not believe what I saw unfold before me on the television screen. This movie dwarfs in comparison to "The Professional." Even though Osamu Dezaki is back to direct, he doesn't achieve the same artistic creativity that I saw in his first Golgo 13 film. The scene involving the pool and the crazed military commander's face becoming a skull were all well and good, but the other artsy scenes just came out flat. The storyline also is horrible, and even though the video box claims it has "an ending you won't see coming" I saw it within the first ten minutes in. And one other thing I couldn't help notice was Golgo 13 wasn't really that involved in the storyline - it's more like "Queen Bee - with a special guest appearance by Golgo 13."

The other problem with this movie is simply this: sex, sex, and lots mo' sex. Yes, I know, "The Professional" had a good helping of sex too, but it also remembered to have a storyline. "Queen Bee" is really just a string of sex scenes. We're introduced to Queen Bee while she's having sex. Then the Vice President candidate hires Golgo 13 after having sex. Golgo 13 and Queen Bee meet and they have sex. Queen Bee has a flashback of being raped while she's having sex.......do you see the pattern here?

There are some other minor squabbles with the film - for example, the opening scene involves the Democrats worrying about getting the black vote. Huh?! The American general with a 19th century beard was extremely laughable. Finally, I think we could have all done with out the blaxpoitation theme song. I loved the jazz soundtrack to "The Professional," and boy did I miss it in this film!

In conclusion: unless you are in the mood for lots of nudity and useless violence, avoid this movie. Even if you just like Duke Torgo, it's not worth seeing.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Togo's in it, sort of..., July 19, 2001

By 

Stresspuppy (Stamford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golgo 13 - Queen Bee (DVD)

the good news is that Golgo 13 is on DVD and there is an interesting commentary on an alternate audio track. the animation is in line with the character designs for Golgo 13.

unfortunately, this is nowhere near as compelling a story as the superior Golgo 13: The Professional, the other Duke Togo anime released by Urban Vision.

Togo never misses, and as a technicality he doesn't here but i don't recall ever seeing him hesitate so much, get so easily distracted, and have so many 'incidental' blocks on his target. if you're a fan of the manga and if you've seen G13: The Professional, you see the preparations and planning he labors over to score the hit. IMHO, the appeal was his elaborate setup to get that 'impossible' shot; in The Professional, the interesting twist was that he was targetted to be taken out so is forced on the defensive -- chased by other high caliber (and outlandish) hitmen.

here, Togo seems amateurish. there is nothing that defines him from any other hitman; the Queen Bee, herself, was not a very compelling character since they never really worked the child/children perspective of her character.

there is an even greater amount of sex and violence -- probably needless as well but to me in excess -- in this OAV, more like something from Crying Freeman, as one reviewer mentioned.

the plot is horribly cliche and most of the plot twists were pointless (Minor SPOILER: consider how important she put her revenge as oppose to getting funding for liberation army -- even the ending was bad, it was just a shooting gallery to complete the last contract). if you're a huge fan you're already bought it, so for everyone else, rent it on DVD and listen to the audio commentary.