Movielogr
Wandering Ginza Butterfly (1972)
Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
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Overview
Gang leader Nami (cult film legend Meiko Kaji) kills a member of a yakuza group and goes away to prison. Upon her release three years later, she’s a shamed woman confined to living in the shadowy world of sex clubs and street gangs. She returns to the city to live with her uncle, a billiard-hall owner, and after befriending pimp and ne’er-do-well Ryuji (Tsunehiko Watase), she gets a job working at a hostess club in the chic Ginza neighborhood, where the expensive shops and neon lights conceal a dark world of crime and sexual slavery. But when a rival gang attempts to muscle in on the club, Nami becomes enmeshed in a violent struggle that forces her to wield a skilled pool cue to defend her uncle’s business, and eventually a short sword to wreak bloody vengeance upon her enemies.
Length 86 minutes
Actors
Meiko Kaji | Tsunehiko Watase | Akiko Koyama | Mieko Aoyagi | Meg Flower | Tomiko Ishii | Yayoi Watanabe | Chie Kobayashi | Rieko Maruyama | Kayako Sono | Toru Yuri | Shun Ueda | Keiichi Kitagawa | Matasaburô Niwa | Gen Shimizu | Kôji Nanbara | Hiroshi Itsuki | Tatsuo Umemiya | Takeshige Hatanaka | Rena Ichinose | Yoshiko Iwamoto | Seiya Satô | Haruo Tanaka | Tatsuya Kameyama | Gôzô Sôma | Iwao Dan
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/29/2017 | Home Theater | DVD | Rented | 7 stars |
| (Average) 7 stars |
Viewing Notes
The pace is a little languid but the great soundtrack, lighting and scenery make up for it. Definitely a snapshot of what early ‘70s Japan looked/felt like. The final confrontation at the end is pretty great too; an outburst of bloody violence to cap off the simmering anger that builds up for the main characters during the film.
I’m looking forward to watching the sequel with Sonny Chiba.
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