Directed By: Shun’Ya Ito Written By: Shun’Ya Ito, Fumio Konami & Hiro Matsuda Based On The Manga Characters created by: Tooru Shinohara Cinematography: Masao Shimizu Editor: Osamu Tanaka
Cast: Meiko Kaji, Kayoko Shirashi, Fumio Watanabe, Yukie Kagawa, Eiko Yanami, Hiroko Isayama
After spending a year in solitary confinement, Matsu escapes from prison with six more convicts, followed by the guards led by the vengeful warden who wants her dead at all costs.
This sequel is pretty much a road trip movie and an escaped prisoner movie. Where scorpion is the main focus of our true protagonist but she is more along for the ride as the film focuses on her enemies and accomplices in the prison break. Who soon seems to become the same.
Just like her enemies, the accomplices are just as bloodthirsty and vicious. As scorpion and the prisoners' family members are the only characters who come off as innocent or decent.
Even the hostages they take later on are only taken. After attacking, raping, and killing one of the prisoners.
This is an exploitation movie through and through. At times, it seems to be purposely trying to up the ante of the previous film but not artistically but with more depravity and a nihilistic look at the world at the time. As the film is gruesome but does have some stylish surreal cinematography at times. Not to mention Scenes that make you dizzy with all of the chaos. Which keeps you off balance
It sometimes feels that the film is trying to top itself from scene to scene. Where it feels episodic at times.
The film is never quite as organic, fun, or cohesive as the first film In the franchise. As it is a prison break film with a revenge film in its heart.
Kayoko Shiraishi is the so-called leader or accomplice of the escaped convict's Oba. Who all are pitted with her but hate scorpion is memorable. As she is the film's biggest villain To a degree but a hero at other times. She comes across as a sadistic mercenary without getting paid.
The film is over the top and seems to keep trying to top itself, scene to scene, and make sure the audience never gets a chance to rest or be bored. As the film shows that sometimes the supposedly upstanding citizens are sometimes worse than the people they are trying to kill or lock up
Grade: C+
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