Customer Reviews

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs

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

 

 

Fans of '70s Japanese Cult Cinema, in the vein of THE STREET FIGHTER, LADY SNOWBLOOD and SUKEBAN DEKA, should not hesitate to pick up this violent, stylish and outlandish Toei action film directed by Yukio Noda. If you squirm at PULP FICTION/KILL BILL-style violence, avoid this film -- but, if you liked any of the above-mentioned titles, ZERO WOMAN: RED HANDCUFFS is a must-see film!

Based on the manga by Toru Shinohara, the story is about a special police agent (Miki Sugimoto) who is arrested for the killing of a serial rapist, who turns out to be a foreign diplomat. But when the daughter of Japan's next Prime Minister (YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE's Tetsuro Tanba) is kidnapped, the police are ordered to retrieve her and eliminate the culprits (lead by KAMEN RIDER V3's Eiji Go). They release the incarcerated policewoman -- now codenamed: "Zero", is offered a pardon as long as does their dirty work and returns the daughter alive. When the situation gets out of hand, and threatens his future, the dirty politico orders everyone dead -- including Zero and his daughter. Then, all hell breaks loose in a psychotic cavalcade of blood and fury, as Zero resolves to follow her mission objective through at all costs.

Disc Review: Discotek's audio and video presentation is about equal to similar Toei titles recently issued by Adness America/Ventura Distribution (although Ventura's titles seem to have less speckling and grain). The subtitles are fine for the most part (translating the Japanese "Sori" for "President", instead of "Prime Minister"), and all of the cast and credits are translated (although there are some incorrect translations for names - which is not uncommon). Some lines of subtitled dialogue ran to the very end of my monitor -- which is a bit careless, but hopefully will be corrected on future titles.

There are 25 chapter stops (generous for a movie that only runs 88 minutes) and trailers for the feature (closer to 1:85, which is a bit squeezed) -- which is incredibly grainy -- and a trailer for the live-action LUPIN III feature (in its correct Tohoscope aspect ratio), which looks great, considering the age of the source materials. More effort could have been put into the menus, which are not spectacular --something which Ventura does much better (I really like Ventura's "sock-it-to-me" screen transitions), considering using the non-animated menu style. Different music cues (and the theme song) play over these.

This release sports a beautiful jacket painted by Wes Benscoter and comes with a thick paperboard slipcase. Jacket for the slipcase has the same main painting of Sugimoto Miki, but with different images inset in her red trenchcoat (a nice touch) -- also different photos on the back from the slipcase. The downside is the "Collectible Booklet" which is just a standard four-page color insert, which contains a couple of fuzzy (but not embarassingly poor) reproductions of two of the original Japanese posters, and very basic notes about the film.

While not up to the (admittedly high) standards of Home Vision Entertainment release, such as STREET MOBSTER and GRAVEYARD OF HONOR, Discotek's release of ZERO WOMAN is a pretty good freshman effort. Hopefully, they will improve on any minor blemishes one may nitpick with this release. B+ (for effort on the production and presentation end) and A+ for releasing this film on R1 DVD. Keep 'em coming!

August Ragone, henshinonline.com

Don't confuse this with those 90's Zero Woman films, this original film is the cream of the crop! Long unavailable on DVD anywhere in the world, Discotek has finally made it available to Western audiences. Red Handcuffs is based on the original manga series written by Toru Shinohara, who also created the Prisoner Scorpion manga.

This movie is ruff, nasty, raunchy, and as over the top as you can get! Nudity, violence, and sex fills the film from beginning to end. Zero (played by the beautiful Miki Sugimoto) is a rebel cop that is not afraid to shoot first and ask questions later. This kind of behavior gets her thrown in jail with the same trash that she is used to cleaning off the streets. Given a chance at redemption, she is brought back on a secret mission to rescue a high ranking politician's (played by the legendary Tetsuro Tanba) daughter from a gang of crazed rapists.

All hell breaks loose once she's undercover and the blood, clothes, and Red Handcuffs start flying! In order to keep her cover she must endure everything this sick gang of psychos can throw at her. Keeping cool she stays close to the kidnapped girl and close to her weapon of choice while waiting for her opportunity to strike. Climaxing in a blood filled showdown in a windy deserted Navy base, this film is a nonstop ride from beginning to end. The video quality and packaging are top notch. Inside the limited slip cover is an alternate cover that features some of the nastier and naughtier scenes. I've read that these limited versions will be sold out very soon and the packaging won't be duplicated once gone. Highly recommended and a must-have for fans of Japanese cinema!

This is THE original and the best Zero Woman. Sugimoto Miki is stunningly gorgeous and right on the mark for some tough girl, raunchy action with sex and madness spliced right in. This is also one of the wildest Yoko Mihara performances. If you like beautiful Asian women(which I love), raunchy sex, arterial spray and action then "Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs" is right up your alley. Buy this along with "The Pinky Violence Collection" and "Sex & Fury" to take a wild ride on Japanese cinema of the 70's. Don't forget her partner-in-crime Ike Reiko(also absolutely gorgeous). If you are not aware, also buy the "Female Prisoner Scorpion" and "Lady Snowblood" films; as Kaji Meiko is ever so captivating. They are not too many films made like this anymore, especially in the U.S., except for maybe "Kill Bill", "Sin City" and "Fight Club". "Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs" is a MUST BUY!!!

I read that there is a series to this that can never be beat, well I can believe that because originals are hard to surpass. After watching this it blew me away. So much gritty 70s cool and twisted violence, you'll swear that Quentin Tarantino is sitting next to you massaging your thigh. It's full of sex and violence! This isn't sexy or soft-core but a brutal movie not for the delicate. I love vengeance flick and a 70's Exploitation such as this from Japan I just had to see it.

The plot of Zero Woman was resurrected twenty years later for Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita: wildcat is saved from the gallows and forced to become an agent for the top secret Division Zero of the Tokyo police department. Armed with a gun, a badge and a pair of handcuffs that are all as nail polish-red as her skin-tight leather outfit (when she wears it), she is sent to investigate the kidnapping of a politician's daughter by a gang of psychopathic thugs. After infiltrating the gang, she stoically endures several rapes by its members to win their trust and then begins to imaginatively eradicate them one after another in her search for the missing girl.

Zero Woman is cold and calculating and kills without mercy. But there's no chance for you to feel sympathy for the brutal vermin that she exterminates. Though some have referred to this film as feminist, it's more a case of having your cake and eating it too. This results in a generous and a satisfy helping of a seriously stylish sleaze. I can't imagine viewers watching this without subtitles but for years, English speaking fans have had to put up with non-translated versions of this Japanese exploitation classic. Now, thanks to the gang at Discotek, old fans and new are supplied with subtitles so they can read along with the adventure Agent Zero slices, dices, shoots, burns and strangles with her handy red handcuffs, that magically open just wide enough to clamp around a person's neck, anyone she deems worthy enough of some swift justice. Plenty of over-the-top violence and naked bodies to please the hardest core of exploitation junkies.

I usually never take the time to write reviews for films, but I made an exception for this classic trash masterpiece. This movie came to my attention from an ad for it in the October edition of Rue Morgue magazine. Exploitation is my genre, so this movie looked to be right up my alley. Man!!! I am so glad I took the chance on this movie. I thought i've seen it all, but this movie played like a lost gem. I never heard of the Zero Woman series nor did I know that there was a Japanese exploitation sub-genre. It seems like the producer/ director were trying to copy the raw blaxploitation action formula that was popular from the early to mid 70's. The Zero woman character is as cold blooded as Rick James. This movie has it all. To Zero Woman's red handcuffs that work as zany as the "Master of the Flying Guillitines" weapon. One guy takes a gun shot to the nuts and dudes balls blow up big time. The villians are very colorful and also stupid which is always fun. One of the japanese villians in particular is funny as hell to watch. My man is dressed up to look american and is also shot so you cant really make out his eyes. It's so obvious it stands out. Dude is dressed up in a matching jean jacket outfit with a red bandanna, a train conductor hat and some big ass Burt Reynolds mirrored sunglasses. Everything is so over the top in this movie it just knocked me flat out on my ass. I bet Tarantino probably owns this DVD. The movie is that cool. Discoteck's transfer is great and their packaging is slick, especially with the inner sleeve picture of the video cassette cover. Even though this disc has no extras, it's more than worth it for this film. Besides you buy these dvd's for the movie anyway. As Prince says in the song "Gett Off", "I guarantee that you won't be bored". Keep rockin those roller skates Discotek.

"Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs" is ludicrious in some places, brutal in others. It's always entertaining, though, and it has spawned a flood of "sequels" that in no way match the quality of the original.

You already know the story (or should if you're reading the review), and I must say that the plot is handled fairly well. It may not be the most believable of movies (witness Zero's tossing of handcuffs), but it's got style and a great sense of justice. Zero has a job to do, and she does it. She doesn't cry about it, she makes no apologies. She has to get the girl and kill the victim's kidnappers. We know she does it, but there are enough twists to keep it interesting, and more than enough action to keep even the most attention-span deprived adult riveted to the screen.

The only negative on this film is the price. You don't get any extras worth mentioning, and it should be about $19.00. Since it's a cult classic, however, the price can be jacked up and people will pay it. If you must have it at any price, then by all means purchase this. Otherwise, Amazon has about the best deal I've seen on it lately.

Miki Sugimoto is absolutely gorgeous and strong as Rei, Zero Woman, a different brand of cop that will do anything to put away scum. After she murders, the first secretary of the Embassy whose really a rapist lowlife, she gets put in prison. The President's daughter gets kidnapped and the cops desperate to get her back bring back Rei to do the job they can't do.

Amazingly over the top exploitation mixed with decent acting, a nice soundtrack and special effects. Rei has her moments as well rubbing it to people who really deserve it. She's without pity and compassion and when you see what happens to her you realize why. This is a great guilty pleasure that really needs to be seen. Only five reviews so far? Anybody whose reading this review who hasn't seen it needs to go out and buy it.

Ok, at first I was going to rate this much lower because...well let's face it it's trash. My brother got this from a discount story for 9.99. We saw this in a movie theater in china town in NYC in 1977. So it was a trip to see it again as adults. Truth of the matter, I remember it being...better. The truth is that movies are made with better production now, it is like watching old reruns from the 70s, they just don't look as good as the shows on tv now. This is typical 70s cinema production, even in the states, gratuitous nudity and violence. You see the same stuff in spaghetti westerns, only not as much rape if it was for the states. Well...maybe that is not true...remember Death wish. If you like arterial spray, very popular in the 70s, and nude women being raped this is for you. Even the lead actress is beaten and raped, she is not really very kick-ass, and what is with those stupid handcuffs. Typical of 70s cinema there is some unbelievable scenes, she kills their sis for touching her but they don't kill her?? or expect her to kill them, they beat and raped her?? And why the hell were those people in a building on what looked like an abandoned Naval base doing Shakespeare, oh ya, so the women can be tied nude and raped and the nutcase can get a shotgun to have a shootout with. Oh, and you can crush a guys hand in a vise and burn him repeatedly with a propane touch (that just happens to be lying around, full, on a abandoned base.) then stick a band-aide on him and send him back in to pretend that nothing happened. Great idea. So, why did I give it four stars? The movie is what it is, it is not pretending to be great cinema. And you really can't judge a 70s flick against oh...say Azumi, truly great Japanese cinema. Oh, and it even has arterial spray, from swords. This flick is just what it is, a blast from the past.