Sasori – Grudge Song (1973)

Sasori – Grudge Song: Directed by Yasuharu Hasebe. With Meiko Kaji, Masakazu Tamura, Yumi Kanei, Hiroshi Tsukata. Once again on the lam, Matsu is helped by a strip club worker who holds a grudge against the detective who’s trying to find her.

“Grudge Song is the fourth film in the series. Still starring the amazing Meiko Kaji as Matsu a.k.a Sasori (Scorpion) but with a different director. Yasuharu Hasebe is no stranger in the Japanese exploitation bizz, but itu0026#39;s still hard to follow up such a brilliant director such as Shunya Ito after three incredible films. Was he the right man for the job, or should theyu0026#39;ve stuck to three parts?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eVery much like the third film it all goes down in an urban environment, staying clear from prison until the last part. Itu0026#39;s the fugitive story line youu0026#39;d come to expect by now. You canu0026#39;t detain Sasori forever, so escaping becomes a big part of the action yet again. Sheu0026#39;s facing dead sentence, forcing her to do whatever it takes to stay clear from the authority.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s as entertaining as the first films but the cinematography wasnu0026#39;t as eye-catching. Itu0026#39;s all in comparison, since itu0026#39;s still a gorgeous film and there are tons of nicely shot sequences. Just not as good as the first three. Itu0026#39;s not easy to dodge the repetitive bullet, not for Hasebe and not for me as Iu0026#39;m writing about the same series for the fourth time in a row.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eShould I once again explain how Meikou0026#39;s acting influences the impact of the film, how sheu0026#39;s the one who keeps you on the edge of you seat and so on? Her quality acting is not something that just vanishes, so success was guaranteed on this part. The entire cat and mouse game remains intriguing because of her presence, the love and hatred can be felt from both sides.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA nice addition to the final part are the female wardens. They have a different attitude which makes it interesting to revisit this setting. Here we see some of the better scenes, mainly when she escapes once again. Bringing forth some of the best looking shots with those familiar painted backgrounds and enchanting music.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ll be remembering her song of vengeance for quite some time, thatu0026#39;s for sure. Iu0026#39;ll place a youtube video on the bottom for everyone to listen to. Itu0026#39;s a fantastic film but it didnu0026#39;t have the same effect as Itou0026#39;s Scorpion films had. A rewarding final, even though I still crave for more Meiko action. Lady Snowblood…here I come!”