The Pinky Violence Collection : Girl Boss Guerilla. by Norifumi Suzuki (1972). R1 USA DVD Review.

Norifumi Suzuki returns once again, as do Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike, in a tale of Yakuza thugs, whirlwind romance and sexy girl gangs. Another odd mix of different approaches, this time it's an easier to watch affair with less blatant extremes that's also partly familiar and certainly all very odd too.

This second review for Panik House' 'The Pinky Violence Collection' adds to the sense of what's out there, the abilities of Director Suzuki, and gives an unavoidably original and vibrant blend of sex, action, violence, comedy and drama. Not as successful as 'Terrifying Girls' High School' for me because of its fairly pedestrian (but highly spiced) Yakuza elements, but still a great movie that's richly colored and undeniably entertaining.

The Story :

This time around the Toei logos' crashing waves are over-dubbed with the sounds of a roaring motorbike engines - there's a gang of girls (the Tokyo-originated 'Red Helmet Gang') being chased down and aggressively being chatted-up by some local Kyoto men riding alongside them. Transient (at least temporarily) girls on motorbikes arriving in a town that one of them was raised in, passing through, but needing to stop to persuade some locals to part with their cash so they have funds for petrol. Quickly drawing attention from the local female gang, Miki Sugimotos' 'Red Helmet' ladies bump into Nami (Reiko Ikes') ex-gang and a turf battle ensues, allegiances made and friendships altered or developed.

Yakuza thugs, the 'Tsutsui Group' (which includes Nami (Ikes') brother Nakahara) require a little compensation to allow the Kyoto ladies to continue their business, and this sets up the clash or greater turf battle around which a large portion of the film revolves; at least the first half, and a key element of the second). Additionally, the story involves a romance (more of this later) and jumps styles in a way that's becoming more familiar as I see these less-known Norifumi Suzuki movies. You can always expect to be surprised, but you might be caught out by how suddenly it happens and by where you end up.

As a story it's a much more familiar or traditional affair, the usual Yakuza Movie turf wars to a large extent, all be it with one gang being sexy female bikers, this isn't the leap of faith required for a more obviously controversial movie (like 'Terrifying Girls' High School'). Another attempt to mash togehter varying elements, the sexy cat fights (and nudity, sex in general), the romance between characters (and the strong friendships that develop), plus the odd sex comedy can't help but make it become something that only treads on the toes of other movies when you isolate sections - somehow it can't help but be original. Viewed from a whole, it's another oddity that does work well if it's simply for that oddness, maybe for how it also seems to become a stylised form of reality too.

The Characters :

Initially many characters are involved, and again as the narrative progresses and the relationships become more obviously one-on-one, the clarity appears. Not a criticism of huge ensemble casts, at least they provide plenty of scope for a Director and genre keen on genre-hopping within films, but thankfully the compromise works eventually. The contrived elements of the character relationships are partly a result of this genre-hopping, with trainee Boxer Ichiro suddenly appearing and beginning the fastest whirlwind romance you'll likely have ever seen (and the most odd persuasion or admission of attraction too), eventually everything clicks and you will grow attatched to those that are later given priority.

Overall, there's convincing (within the scope and type of film) relationships between Yakuza man Nakahara and his sister Nami (Reiko Ike) which causes the main abrasion between the two gangs. Through ones' desire to control the others and the others determination to resist, this drives a large part of the story. Mainly it's the odd Ichiro (the trainee boxer) and Sachiko (Miki Sugimoto, leader of the 'Red Helmets') romance that becomes the focus, and it's odd beginnings and short timescale in which it escalates the second half of the film which adds to the contrived or naive feel to an otherwise mostly perfectly traditional Yakuza Movie narrative. The sex comedy elements, and the battles between girls and Yakuza are dragged into this picture of naivety by how odd this dominant thread reveals itself to be. Again, there's the intention to be controversial, so the characters largely serves the function of being cause and effect for these varying events, and often the characters do this too until things become a little more stripped-down.

The Approach :

The film's largely shot in outdoor locations (at least they're the dominant memory for me), in natural light, and the colors that provide the proverbial vibrancy are the lurid clothes. I associate the brown / orange end of the spectrum with the 70s more than anything else, and here we have orange / red / yellow flashes appearing in the summer colors of coastal locations like Kyoto (first half) and Katsuragawa (second half). Biggest flaw comes with the sudden and repeated jumps to sex comedy elements, drawing my mind towards being stunned by the strange naivety. It also starts to look less perverse and more desperately innocent, as you realise this seems tailored towards an audience not experiencing these things in their lives; they may well be, but watch and see if you don't feel the same way.

Even though this is fairly familiar in many key elements, the rapid changes also brings the interest and relative unpredictability too. It's a great technique, and I am convinced its also very hit and miss when the jumps are so sudden and dramatic - when (for example) Takashi Miike goes between genres it doesn't jar in the same way, and I often feel a sudden realisation that somehow there's a transitiion which has occured that I didn't spot happening : here, in Suzuki's work, we have sudden dramatic interruptions with things which don't always feel quite appropriate, but add to the flavour of a film that's is again clearly intended to be escapism created on a small budget, in a short time, with great freedom and the complete aim to shock or be controversial in as many ways as possible. Suzuki's a dab hand at that.

Overall :

Not as original or successful as the previous viewing of 'Terrifying Girls' High School - Lynch Law Classroom' (also from this box set, see below), it is unavoidably worthwhile an example of the genre that's less of a leap to cope with, and one that doesn't contain the same blend of extreme violence and sex in the same almost worrying quantities. It is an entertaining and sexy film which zips along nicely, beautifully presented (and it relies on this - check out the colors in these films : very vibrant and rich) as usual. Feels as though the whole set of four films in this boxset will eventually provide a great variety of examples, a mini attempt to give an overall impression of what the genre has to offer and giving enough food for thought for those needing a regular fix of odd genre movies. Again, not quite as nice as the last, but still a great film.

'Girl Boss Guerilla' Trailer : Quicktime Small (11.2mb) / Large (21.3mb).

The original text for the Japanese titles is : 女番長ゲリラ.

'The Pinky Violence Collection' information is at the Panik House Official Website.

The Pinky Violence Collection : Terrifying Girls' High School - Lynch Law Classroom. by Norifumi Suzuki (1973). R1 USA DVD Review at ScreenAnarchy.

The Pinky Violence Collection : Criminal Woman - Killing Melody. by Atsushi Mihori (1973). R1 USA DVD Review at ScreenAnarchy.

The Pinky Violence Collection : Delinquent Girl Boss - Worthless to Confess. by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (1971). R1 USA DVD Review at ScreenAnarchy.