Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) belongs undeniably to a sleazy exploitation category, the “women in prison” sub-genre. Yet if you can stomach that grubbiness, this entry proves to be an artistic triumph because of two strong elements: (1) the theatrical and surreal style that director Shunya Ito (his debut film!) brings to it, and (2) lead actor Meiko Kaji’s electrifying, mostly silent performance in the title role – her iconic stare has the fire of a thousand suns!
Opening cold on a prison break where Nami Matsushima (Kaji) is recaptured along with her friend, thrown into solitary tied up. We flashback, with revolving stages and lighting changes like a theatrical production, to the origins of her incarceration. In love with a crooked detective Sugumi (Isao Natsuyagi), Matsushima is used for an undercover sting, abused by gangsters, and eventually thrown away when the detective takes payment from the mob boss he is extorting. Arrested after attempting to stab Sugumi, Matsu’s revenge burns deeply and fuels her indomitable repose as she is crossed and cornered by monstrous prisoner officers and a sinister female gang (a member of which is eventually hired by Sugumi to assassinate Matsu). There’s a clear point where the director drops the already heightened prison “realism” for bold surrealism, while taking aesthetic power from simply following Meiko Kaji’s glowering look with the camera and a spotlight.
Through its 90 minute run time, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion drops one dynamic, strange, memorable sequence after another, and Kaji’s character, Matsu, becomes the type of stalwart avenger withstanding pain and suffering to eventually turn the tables, all of which that is just completely satisfying and superheroic (complete with Matsu’s fashionable prison hair and post-prison costuming with black hat and cloak). An obvious inspiration for Kill Bill and a clear Tarantino reference point, the film is a premiere example of “diamonds in the rough” of a disreputable genre flick. Remastered Arrow Video version is available to stream on Tubi in Australia, along with other chapters of the on-going Female Prisoner #701 series. Recommended for those who can handle it.
VHS Tracking 