Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)

#701: Scorpion is the first feature in the Female Prisoner Scorpion series which I'll be sure to complete on a short term. Shunya Ito is the director of the first, second and third film in the series. I'll be watching them in order though I'm not sure if it matters, but let's stick to the most logic approach.

Prisoner #701 is played by Meiko Kaji, a beautiful woman who's facial expressions tend to say more than words ever could. It's one of the many brilliant aspects of this first installment, making me crave for more and more. I'm not thát familiair with Japanese exploitation but the differences with comparable western films seem obvious from the very first second.

It has an unique vibe, mainly created by the eye-catching camerawork and well chosen settings and backgrounds. It has some sleazy and straight forward content but it's brought with a huge amount of personal flair which makes it impossible not to love every second of it. It's pinky violence at it's best.

The soundtrack is quite special as Kaji sings the main theme ''Song of Vengeance'' herself. It's a nice personal touch and it works enchanting. Her strength carries on for the entire ride, seeking for vengeance while undergoing heavy torture and sometimes returning the favour. The authority makes life as misserable as it can get while the female prisoners also have their own personal problems. 

It leads to multiple climax's which all seem to have their own appeal. The hostage scene can not be compared with the (quite random) lesbian scene, but both of them are roughly as good as one another. They just have a different purpose. I've seen so many original angels, crazy 360 shots and plenty of other cool stuff to keep the film visualy entertaining. I'd say the broken glass scene in the shower is the best example, it blew me away!

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion turned out even better than I could've expected. Combining a simple revenge plot with a W.I.P setting with great acting, an amazing personal flair and fitting music. It's a complete package and I can only hope for the rest to be as good as this remarkable gem.

Score: 93/100