Lady Snowblood

Starring: Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza, Shinichi Uchida, Takeo Chii
Directed by: Toshiya Fujita
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
1973

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Meiko Kaji) has been raised since birth to be a deadly assassin so she can seek revenge on those who destroyed her family.

Review:

Tim: Lady Snowblood feels most famous today for being the film that heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. This feels somewhat unfair. It's every bit as good as Tarantino's films and is superior in some ways. It's an influential, challenging, mature movie that deserves to stand on its own. It's a strong Japanese film that is well worth seeking out.

The film is definitely not for the faint of heart. The movie is full of blood, murder, rape, and vengeance. It takes a serious approach to its subject matter. It's not always easy to watch, but it doesn't go out of its way to be grotesque. The blood and violence always serves the story. It's a tale of revenge that many other movies have copied, but was certainly more unique when it was released in 1973.

The blood spatters are certainly one of the most talked about aspects of the film, and for good reason. Outside of Tarantino's films, I'd never really seen this done before. It offers a memorable visual. At times, it made me laugh. This visual of a human body being split open and then a geyser of blood bursting forth is horrific yet humorous. It reminds you of the fragility of the human body and how easily our bodies can be severely damaged. Seeing someone's life gush out of them isn't something to take lightly. When it comes from villains who deserve their fate, it's difficult not to get excited and caught up in the moment. These scenes help you understand the concept of "bloodlust". They are certainly visually memorable and one of the strengths of the film.

It's interesting, part of why this movie works so well is that it combines these overt visuals- gushing red blood- with a more subtle, nuanced story. It's a horrifying one- a baby born in prison, brought up by inmates on her mother's orders for one purpose- to seek vengeance for her family. You just think about how warped this is. I have two kids myself and I've seen how impressionable they are at a young age. Their brains are sponges, soaking up knowledge of the world around them. To take an innocent and form them into a killing machine from their earliest days is awful, inhumane. In the context of a fictional story, it tells you everything you need to know about the mother, how her life was bent and deformed through the trauma she experienced. Most parents would want their children to escape their past, to find their own destiny, to find happiness. That doesn't happen here- the mother sets her daughter on a path of blood and violence, rooted to the past, not the future. The story here is the film's greatest strength. It's tragic, heartbreaking. This combination of a story with immense depth and shocking visuals that ground you to the present results in an unforgettable experience.

The cast is quite strong. Meiko Kaji is excellent in the lead role. The main character is defined by the duality of her nature- she is beautiful, yet under that exterior is an unquenchable thirst for revenge. Kaji embodies this perfectly. She is able to project honor and grace, yet this subtle frightening quality at all. You can see how she would get others to trust her, yet she's equally believable when she's violently ending someone's life. This film needed a great performance for it to succeed, and Meiko Kaji delivers. I enjoyed the performance of Toshiro Kurosawa also. I wish he had even more screen time- he certainly brought a nice level of energy to his performance. The movie is better because of his work.

I really enjoyed Lady Snowblood. I wouldn't say I always love these hyper-violent movies. I'm not Quentin Tarantino. However, when rooted in an effective story, I'm all for it. This film delivers in that regard. It's a memorable story of violence that has much more depth than the usual film in this genre. This is a film that's well worth tracking down.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 2