Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41

Magnificently menacing Matsu murders monstrously misogynistic males, making memorable movie magic. Toning down the male-gazey exploitation was welcome and there's some interesting subtext regarding gender roles and the thin line between decency and inhumanity. In-between the revenge/murder sprees, that is. Editing, lighting and atmosphere were neat and I can get lost in watching Meiko Kaji do her intense spectre-of-vengeance thing alllll day.

The acting is pretty bad, and I never really cared about the characters. But it's an improvement over Female Prisoner #701 in almost every way. The exploitation is toned down (still manages to squeeze in some rape, though), and as a consequence the story moves quicker and is a bit more interesting. But what makes this movie shine is the camera language. It's very bold, utilizing a handful of tricks to keep things sparkling. It reminds me a bit of An Actor's Revenge in its freedom.

More japanese pinky violence. This is even more stylized than the first one in the series, with some interesting camerawork and Argento-like use of color. Zero substance of course, but good fun.

For my money outdoes every other similar film when asked, “What if exploitation is also art?” Never has a genre built to destroy the female gaze met a look quite like Kaji’s Matsu when she meets the prison Warden’s dead eye, as she’s defiled, with resolute destruction. It’s the abyss staring back - a whole world set ablaze by neon rage. A pure rarity in creativity and in cinema.

Didn’t even get a hole digging scene in this sequel, is this even the same franchise? 

This is by far the most surreal and artistic entry in the series. Ito makes great use of cinematic language to visaulize his themes. F.e. a flashback in which he cuts beween the different inmates getting caught in a fisherman's net to illustrate their connection as outsiders from society. On top of that the movie even has some supranatural element (f.e. the old lady whose house collapses around her). What's more this is all combined with a fast-paced tight plot.

I love the way Meiko glares her way through this movie, her intensity burning through the screen. There's an otherwordly-ness to Scorpion's thirst for revenge that really sets the movie apart from other prison exploitation films.

So audaciously bold with its style & ideas that it almost reaches a state of bizarre abstract purity, assaulting the screen with everything possible from avantgarde to exploitation sleaze in equally vulgar & elegant way. Certainly not to all tastes but it has the potential to surprise & startle even the most seasoned filmgoer with its genuinely brazen attitude. In this sequel Sasori fully transforms into a kind of mythical avenger that embodies defiance in face of duplicitous & corrupt society.

It ignores the genre's usual aims and instead plunges in to an artistically bold and utterly ravishing expressionistic bent. Ito is determined to throw everything and several kitchen sinks at the screen.

This is a step up from the first of the series in most respects. The character of Scorpion is starting to take on a mythical quality on account of her determination and the pureness of her desire for revenge. She has also gotten almost completely mute. Meanwhile, the exploitation has been scaled back by quite a bit. There are still numerous sex scenes, and two separate rape scenes, but there's a bit more focus on the plot.

This is a weird film even for the genre. Some of the visuals are awe-inspiring, but the despicable characters and the constant derailing of the plot in favour of surreal dance scenes begin to grate after a while. It's basically what Suzuki Seijun would have made if he were evil. Also, Meiko Kaji doesn't get to do much but look cool in this one, and the prison outfits blow (though major points for her revenge outfit... awesome).

A step up from the first in a few ways, and also cranks up the nastiness of some of the gore and rape. This second entry is even more theatrical and bizarre. Unfortunately, in contrast to the first, this often sacrifices coherency in favour of style, instead of maintaining a tight balance.

Superior in all respects to the first Scorpion film. Jailhouse 41 retains and is oftentimes even more bold with its the bombastic lighting and deliciously over-stylized direction while also mostly abandoning the monotonous torture porn that characterized the original's plot. Instead, this film opts for a more subtle (although still entertainingly exploitative) escape narrative that definitely serves to justify the film's colorful visual presentation.

Even by the standards of the genre, this is goofy, and not in a fun way. Ito, along with an unusually uncharismatic Meiko Kaji, just fill time with heavy-handed, faux-artistic dream sequences until Kaji can perform the formulaic final revenge scene.

I didn't think it was that great. Acting not always good, bad sound effects, got annoying after a while. The ending is alright I guess. Sasoriiiiiiiii

like I said, pure awesomeness beyond comprehension

In some way it reminded me of Suspiria. Just like Argento's masterpiece the whole film is style over substance, but that's what makes it so great.