Japanese Exploitation Explosion: Sukeban Hunters – Yakuza Busting Girls!
by Marc Patterson
It wasn’t my intention kick off this month of gonzo Japanese exploitation flicks with a lesser known title, but considering that I’m trying to run a figurative marathon post-holidays I’m a little behind the 8-ball and my bit on Lady Snowblood isn’t quite wrapped yet. (Yes, that was just a little teaser). I figure talking about Sukeban Hunters is as good a place to start as any. Sukeban Hunters? What the hell is that you ask? Good question.
Okay, so first let me ask you, how many times does this scenario play out across the web? You peruse through the pages of your favorite website or blog (this one included) and see a really cool trailer for a wacky, but fun looking film. The flick has a great poster and an off the wall trailer, but then that’s the last you hear of it. Occasionally a few of these titles finally emerge at genre film fests and eventually get snagged for distribution, sometimes taking years to complete that cycle before a shiny and cheaply printed DVD finds its way into the grubby hands of the fanboy consumer. But, a good many of these films never land global distro deals and so collect dust only to be sought out bootleg style by diehard cinephiles, or ordered from overseas at exorbitant costs. They’re not shitty films, (well not necessarily), but for whatever reason there was just no buyer when the filmmaker was selling. I’m not going to get into a heated debate about bootlegging, because I’m 99.99% against it, but I also believe films aren’t made to sit on a shelf and wither away in obscurity. Films are made to be watched and if someone won’t bring these cool films to me then I’m jet-setting off to Japan. That’s how I roll.
Sukeban Hunters is one such film. Or should I say “films”, plural. Sukeban Hunters is actually a pair of films alternately titled Yakuza Busting Girls. They emerged out of a series of short films called Sukeban Hunters. Both feature flicks got distro deals in Japan, but as of yet, neither film has made it across the Pacific to land on sunny US shores, well at least beyond the release of a couple promo trailers exactly two-years ago this month! I would have thought Well Go Entertainment would have snagged these up and released them together. After all, they’re releasing a great deal of other modern low budget splatter flicks, and this one features adult video actress Asami, who has played a major role in Machine Girl, as well as parts in Helldriver and Robo Geisha. For the sake of trivia, this AV starlet of Japan also took the lead in Female Prisoner Ayaka: Tormenting and Breaking in a Bitch. Sure, Asami might be no Meiko Kaji, but hey – I bet that film was something to behold. Effects are by Tokyo Gore Police director Yoshihiro Nishimura, so I’d think that has to count for something.
Enough of the pondering – onto the film…
Sukeban Hunters or Yakuza Busting Girls: Yakuza Death Ride Battle is actually part two in the Sukeban Hunters series. It picks up after Yakuza Busting Girls: Duel in Hell, which is far more graphically violent than this second entry. This one, Duel in Hell pays heavy tribute to the old Nikkatsu Stray Cat Rock series of films, as well as Toei’s Delinquent Girl Boss series of films. If you’re not familiar with either of those series please get acquainted. They’re both very good, though I am partial to the Delinquent Girl Boss series. Each of these series typically features girl gangs taking down yakuza or battling other criminal enterprises.
Duel in Hell sees Asami as the lead heroine of this film, rising from the ashes of an assassination attempt, thought to be dead. She’s shown dragging her burial cross naked through a barren wilderness like a Japanese Django. Her face breeds nothing but contempt and the need for bloody revenge. It takes no time at all before Asami gets her first shot at vengeance and that only leads to the next, and the next. One of the better scenes in the film comes early when Asami enters into a nasty showdown with her rivals. You’ll notice her bullet belt isn’t exactly filled with bullets. Rather she collects the fingers she’s removed from her enemies and uses them as weapons against future foes. One word: Awesome.
Asami eventually meets up with her old gang and together they launch a vengeance filled campaign of bloodletting against Junko (Rena Komine), a former gang member now turned against Asami. Worse than just turning against Asami, Junko has been brutally ensnaring and killing off old gang members. Asami will have none of that!
No question about it, Sukeban Hunters is a low-budget film of the trashiest proportions. It’s filled with an annoying level of narrative exposition and features a minimal amount of actual acting. The “acting” is mostly comprised of fast-paced action sequences, though I will say that some of these scenes appear to only be loosely choreographed and don’t come off as tightly directed as other more notable splatter films. When it comes to the key actors it’s the old Roger Corman school of filmmaking where you keep the actors mouths closed and their bodies moving, lest you reveal to the audience that the actors truly can’t act.
One final gripe is unfortunately directed at Mr. Nishimura. Given his name is attached to the project I was really hoping for more off the wall gonzo than what we got here. Nonetheless, I can’t complain too much. The final sequence featured a near epic length samurai sword brandishing fight sequence. And what’s not to love about that? You’ve got a bikini clad all girl gang taking down tough guy yakuza gangsters in rather inventive ways, which includes the first time I’ve seen cleavage suffocation as a fighting technique. I’m not going to lie – it doesn’t seem like a bad way to go. Another notable scene includes a brutal whipping with roses, highly reminiscent of School of the Holy Beast. Oh, and make keep your eye out for the mariachi death squad. Yeah, even the Japanese can’t leave those damn mariachi alone!
Enough of the ranting. Take some time, bookmark this page, whatever, but take advantage and watch the full film below – and by all means, share your thoughts!
