The Machine Girl

For the most part I've tried to write here about mainstream DVDs being released. On occasion I've chosen to let you know about other films making their way to direct DVD release. Today let's look at something else. Movies that never see release in the US (or at best limited release) that find their way to DVD. The subject in question is THE MACHINE GIRL.

For anyone unfamiliar with the latest trend in Japanese films, it's not the horror films being remade non-stop. Instead, it's a gore drenched action adventure films that are over the top in their depictions and filled with blood soaked humor. When someone gets cut, they don't bleed, they gush fountains of blood literally.

THE MACHINE GIRL starts out with action from the get go. When a group of young punks attack an innocent pair of school kids, a lone girl dressed in school uniform dress comes to their aid. This is no ordinary girl though. This is Ami and she is on a mission to seek revenge against this very gang for destroying her family.

The battle kicks off in high flying ninja-martial arts style, fist to fist. But all changes when Ami reveals that she's missing an arm. A quick pop into her school backpack, and she's now sporting a gattling gun where the lost appendage would normally be. And she knows how to use said gun as she begins cutting her way through bad guys, splitting one right down the middle.

The story moves to flashback where we learn how it all began. Ami and her brother live on their own, their parents having been killed. Her brother is picked on by the local teen gang led by the son of a Yakuza (think Japanese Mafia) boss. When her brother and his best friend are killed by the gang,

Ami tries to get the help of a local law enforcement official who turns out to be the father of one of the gang members. The mother attacks Ami, forcing her hand and arm down into a boiling pot of tempura being cooked, resulting in a terribly burnt arm covered in the batter. Barely escaping, Ami sets out to get revenge the old fashioned way.

Too bad because the Yakuza boss captures her in his house and rather than atone for his son's actions, applauds them and tortures Ami, finally cutting off her arm in a garden hose type squirting sequence that is so far over the top you find yourself thinking "Where do they come up with this stuff?"

Ami escapes and with the help of the mother of her brother's best friend, a mechanic, is outfitted with the afore mentioned gattling type machine gun for an arm. When the Yakuza turns up to catch her once more, Ami opens fire and takes out the highly trained ninja's who attack, leaving them a bloody pulp.

Subsequent revenge attacks on the rest of the gang, leads to their parents forming themselves into a combat outfit supplied by the Yakuza boss to take on Ami and the mechanic mom. The final blood gorged battle between them makes for one of the goriest sequences ever filmed.

So is the film entertaining? Yeah, it is. As I said, it's so far over the top as to be cartoonish in the gore and blood flow. The ultra violent world of Japanese anime goes further than this film, so it's little more than one of those cartoons come to life.

If you laugh at absurd extremism then this film should have you falling on the floor laughing. If you have a more subdued taste or find gore not to your liking then by all means pass this one by. And if you're just kind of curious to see what other cultures do when they make movies in their native tongue, then give this one a try. Afterwards you might even be ready to take on OLDBOY, another over the top violent flick that's become a cult fave among DVD owners.

It's not for everyone, but this film does offer something new, something fresh, something different. If that sounds interesting to you, give this one a look.

"The Machine Girl" follows the story of bloody revenge of Ami, an ordinary Japanese high school girl whose brother is killed by a spoiled son of a ninja clan. Or was that yakuza, Japanese mafia? Never mind. One-armed Ami fights ferociously with a machinegun attached to the left arm. She kills like Rambo (of the newest film), fighting the evil crime syndicate Hattori. The resourceful Hattori clan fights back with flying daggers and a flying guillotine. Oh, and don't forget a bra. Yes, a bra can be very dangerous.

Some may think director Noboru Iguchi's film "Kataude Mashin Garu" (literally translated "One-Armed Machine Girl") is Japan's answer to "Kill Bill" or "Grindhouse" and numerous exploitation films that have inspired the Tarantino-Rodriguez film, especially Rodriguez segment of "Grindhouse." However, "The Machine Girl" (which is actually produced by an American company, shot with all-Japanese cast in Japan) lacks the high-octane energy and crazy fun Rodriguez is known for. "The Machine Girl" is funny and entertaining, but only sporadically.

I think I know what the director is trying to do. He is obviously more attracted to old-fashioned Japanese films and TV shows. The ruthless wife of the Hattori Clan's boss is a nod to Japanese yakuza films; the three ninja-like assassins in red suit are parody of Japanese "sentai" (fighters) actions, still popular genre in Japan; and the heroine's story (and tortures) is probably inspired by the Japanese revenge drama in the 70s like "The Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion" (starring Meiko Kaji, inspiration of the Uma Thurman character in "Kill Bill"). Some of the cast are good, some just amateurs. Minase Yashiro, known as gravure idol (model), did a fine job as the cute heroine that tunes into a killing machine. But something is missing here.

The film's biggest problem for me is not its excessive gores; it is the way they are used. As the film provides lots of blood, body count rises, but the pace is sluggish and deaths look repetitious. Except some nice gadgets, the film offers nothing new. Sloppy editing sometimes ruins the action scenes that could have been better with faster pace. Also, dialogues are not the best kind even in original Japanese and jokes including sushi and tempura are not very funny.

Perhaps "The Machine Girl" could be better with shorter running time. Not a big success, not a big disappointment either.

Machine girl ...the best parts are in the trailer. Not recommended. Loved the trailer.
Cheers.

Blood, cheesy special effects, ninjas, chainsaws, machine guns, what's not to love? My roommate and I were laughing our way through this movie. We love cheesy action movies and this was worth the $5 we spent on-demand to watch it. Very gory thought, be warned.

There seems to be many here who think this movie is absolute trash. In one sense it is. However, one has to view The Machine Girl from the proper perspective; this is the Japanese version of camp and cheese all rolled up into one gory horror movie. With that said, you shouldn't expect something thought provoking. On the other hand, you should expect that this flick will some day gain cult status in a relatively short time.

Admittedly, this slice and dice approach to horror is over the top but that's what gives this movie its charm. Don't take it seriously because that's not how it was meant to be viewed. Have low expectations, relax, and enjoy the show.

As far as the transfer goes, I would like to point out that the video quality is first-rate with muted colors and solid blacks and whites. The audio was also clear.

If you're not sure, rent it before you buy it. That's the safest approach.