Joshuu sasori: Kemono-beya

Plot synopsis:
Nami Matsushima (Meiko Kaji) is set up by her boyfriend, a crooked police detective named Sugimi (Isao Natsuyagi) to win favor with the Yakuza. She is raped by several drug dealers. She makes a failed attempt to stab Sugimi on the steps of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters. She is sentenced to do hard time in a women's prison. Matsushima is given the number 701. The prison is run by sadistic and lecherous male guards. The prisoners are forced to walk up and down a stair-like contraption naked with male guards watching from below. While in prison Matsushima meets inmates like Yuki Kida (Yayoi Watanabe) who was convicted for fraud and theft, Otsuka (Akemi Negishi), jailed for burglary and extortion, and Katagiri (Rie Yokoyama) who was impounded for arson and illegally disposing of a body. Outside the prison, Sugimi and the Japanese mafia orchestrate a plan in which Matsushima will succumb to an "accidental" death in prison. They enlist the help of Katagiri, pulling on her ties to both Sugimi and the mafia, and quickly set their plan in motion.
Matsushima is attacked in the shower but defends herself, wounding the attacker. She is punished by being held bound by ropes in solitary confinement. A group of trustees including Katagiri torments her. One of them torments her by pouring hot soup on her. Matsushima is able to trip the trustee and make her spill the vat of hot soup over herself, causing horrible burns. Matsushima is forced to dig dirt holes for two consecutive days and nights. She kills a woman who attempts to attack her during this digging by tripping her and breaking her neck. Matsushima is hung and tied from the ceiling while being beaten by her fellow prisoners.
After a riot, Matsushima escapes and kills all the Yakuza and Sugimi with a dagger. The film ends with Matsushima walking alone back in prison.

Tags: revenge, cult, murder, violence

Review:
I have been looking forward to the release of this DVD (and it's follow-up {Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song}) for some time.
All three of these movies were directed by Shunya Ito. What is great about them, though, is that, even though they all feature the same lead character (wonderfully played by Meiko Kaji), they are each vastly different from the others.
The second movie (Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41) is a real tour-de-force.
Not so much a WIP movie as the bulk of the film has Scorpion and six other escaped inmates on the lam.
This movie (Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable) is the third in the series and the last one directed by Shunya Ito. This one plays out as much more of a crime drama.
But I think these movies transcend most exploitation films because the more disturbing elements are played in a straighter tone rather than being used exclusively for in-your-face shock value.
It also features Meiko Kaji as Scorpion but had a different director.
Without giving anything away I want to mention that FPS: Beast Stable ends in such a way as to make a sequel completely unnecessary.
The fourth film is still quite good but it seems to play as a superfluous footnote to a mind-blowing trilogy.I would highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in out-of-the-ordinary films.
FPS: Beast Stable can be enjoyed as a stand-alone piece (as can the first two movies) but I would also recommend watching the others first if you have not already done so..
The third film in a cycle of incomparably brilliant Exploitation movies, and the third masterpiece in a row, "Joshuu Sasori: Kemono-beya" aka.
"Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable" (aka.
"Sasori: Den Of The Beast" where I live) of 1973 is a film that differs from its predecessors in some aspects, but that equals (or arguably even surpasses) them in brilliance.
The entire original Sasori series with the wonderful Meiko Kaji stands out as the absolute highlight in WIP cinema, and all of the films, especially the first three, uniquely combine Exploitation and Art-house cinema like no other movie does.
"Beast Stable" is the third, and second-to-last "Sasori" film with Meiko Kaji, the last one to be directed by genius director Shunya Ito and, in my opinion, the greatest of them all.
The first film "Joshuu 701-gô: Sasori" of 1972 is an absolute masterpiece of Exploitation cinema and simply THE Definition of Exploitation-Art. In the equally brilliant first sequel, "Joshuu Sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô" Ito added more surrealism and symbolism.
The third "Sasori" film, "Beast Stable" keeps up the surrealism (allthough not quite to the same extent as the second), and features even more social criticism than its predecessors.
This third "Sasori" film is ingenious and sublime in all aspects and arguably the greatest of the, generally brilliant, cycle (to me it's this one, with the first one as a close second).
The visually stunning film features an enormous amount of brutal violence and sleaze again, as well as sequences of enormous surrealistic beauty.
The musical score is the same throughout all three films, with "Urami-Bushi", sung by Meiko Kaji herself, as the main theme, which is great, since the score is, simply put, pure perfection.
As its predecessors, "Beast Stable" is an absolutely brilliant masterpiece of Exploitation-Art that no serious lover of film can afford to miss.
This is Shunya Ito's final entry in the FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION series, starring the great Meiko Kaji.
Over the course of two films, she escapes to wreak vengeance against the man who got her busted, is sent back for his murder, and escapes again; the second film ends with Sasori on the loose.This, the third film, focuses on Sasori's life as a fugitive outside the walls.
In an eye-opening first scene, Sasori evades detectives on a subway train; she comes out of it handcuffed to one of the detectives' arms, but not the rest of him.
Sasori tries to lead a normal life, taking a job as a seamstress and renting her own apartment, but she and Yuki soon meet again and are both embroiled in a plot that involves the Cruella De Ville-from-hell madam who runs the prostitution ring and the detective from the subway (Mikio Narita, a regular in Kinji Fukasaku films), who by God wants his arm back.What follows is an atmospheric noir/horror yarn--it takes elements from both and uses them well--that applies Ito's flair for the visual to a mood that is different from the first two SCORPION films, yet bears the same unmistakable signature.
Each of the three films has its own style, I realize now, and seeing this one made me go back and watch the first, appreciating it more than before.Meiko Kaji gives her usual amazing performance as Sasori, emoting silently, standing or moving or pouncing or maiming with a grace that switches seamlessly between human and animal.
Reportedly, Kaji, who did one more SCORPION film after this one, had as much to do with developing the character for film as Ito, not only in her performances, but off-camera as well.
After finishing the Zero Woman series, I was looking forward to the Female Prisoner Scorpion series; both based upon comics by Tooru Shinohara.
Unfortunately, I was not able to see them in order, as this is the third in the series.It starts great as The Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) is escaping from the police.
If that isn't bad enough, later on a dog digs up the arm and is seen trotting down the street before finding a place to enjoy his treat.Scorpion might as well go back to prison as life is no picnic on the outside.
(The story O Yuki (Watanabe) and her brother is a subplot that is very interesting, but only incidental to the movie.) They try to burn her out, but this is The Scorpion, and she has some unfinished business.Not the usual mix of sex and violence, this is a slow tale that is beautiful throughout..
Since the past couple of days I'm really hooked on the "Female Scorpion" series and I keep hitting myself over the head because I waited until now  which is way too long  before purchasing the whole box set.
"Beast Stable" is the third brilliant effort in a row, and the undeniably main trump of this series is how the writers always came up with something entirely new and different for each installment.
Never before, or after, has there been an exploitation series that offered so much variety when it comes to story lines, settings, themes and filming styles.
Her own retarded brother (!) impregnates the prostitute, while Sasori gets in trouble with the local pimping and underground crime network.
Our multi-talented director Shunya Ito formidably criss-crosses all these story lines to a powerful wholesome and never once loses grip on the visual aspects or ingenious filming style.
Those who know Sasori's character a bit are aware that the film seriously lacks memorable dialogs, but this always gets widely compensated with Meiko Kaji's wondrous on screen charisma and menacing grimaces.
The first three "Female Convict Scorpion" movies, which are the only ones directed by Shunya Ito, are part of the same series but are entirely different entities structurally.
The first one is a fairly straight-forward 'women in prison' flick, the second is a piece of great avant-garde film-making, and the third is a slow paced character study.
Its still a very colorful and stylish film, with some really memorable scenes, but it leaves you wondering why such an otherwise energetic trilogy had to end on a period, and not the exclamation point that its avid fans had all been expecting.6/10.
The original Female Convict Scorpion is an all time masterpiece.
Director Shunya Ito has managed to do the same thing again with this film; the story is a bit different here, but still he's managed to take what made the previous entries excellent and better than many films of this type and craft something fairly original around it.
After escaping from pursuing police officers, one thing leads to another and Scorpion finds herself getting it together with a prostitute and her retarded brother.
The prostitute ends up getting impregnated by the retarded brother (...), while Scorpion is kidnapped and caged up by someone who she made an enemy out of in prison.
But Scorpion doesn't like spending time behind bars and it's not long before she's back to doing what she does best.The film gets off to a great start as we see Scorpion hack the arm off a copper intent on taking her back to jail.
From there, however, the film slows down a lot and Beast Stable ends up being more of a drama than the previous two films.
That's not to say that there isn't still plenty of action - Scorpion still spends a lot of time in 'revenge mode' and the film isn't exactly short on general sleaze.
Overall, I would say this film is between the first two in terms of quality - not as great as the original and slightly better than the second..
Fugitive prisoner Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) is on the run, pursued by a relentless, vengeful, one-armed detective named Kondo (Mikio Narita).
However, when the local prostitution ring gives poor little Yuki a very hard time, our silent heroine decides to seek revenge, and, in doing so, reveals her whereabouts to the law.Judging by IMDb's current rating (7.6 out of 10), and some glowing comments by trusted, prolific authors, I expected to have my socks blown clean off by Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable.
Indeed, the first few minutes, in which protagonist Nami Matsushima hacks off Kondo's arm (which is handcuffed to her) and proceeds to leg it with the severed limb dangling from her wrist, did just that (I paused the DVD to pop them back on).Unfortunately, however, the remainder of the film proved to be far less impressive, never matching the sheer audacity of the opening scene.
Sure, director Shunya Ito comes close with some exploitative moments including incestuous sex between Yuki and her retarded brother, and a nasty, forced abortion, but, for the most part, Beast Stable is rather boring, being very slow in the telling and uneventful for long stretches.The film is, of course, very stylish, and always good to look at (the stunning lead actresses certainly help there, with Watanabe obligingly getting her kit off a few times), but compared with parts one and two, this third outing for Scorpion is a tad disappointing..
Actress Meiko Kaji returns once more in the third installment of the FPS series, Beast Stable, the last FPS film directed by Shunya Ito and the second-to-last film in the original series overall.
Based on the manga by Toru Shinohara, it's the seminal Women in Prison movie franchise, although you wouldn't immediately guess the sub-genre based on this third film alone.Unlike the first film, an entertaining exploitation sleaze-fest, or the second, the quasi-feminist trippy road film, the third one is a lot more serious and quite darker than the first two.
The pacing is much slower, the colors much dimmer, and the setting is mostly urban, except for the final 10 minutes which do take place in prison.Once again, Meiko Kaji barely says anything (on her request, because she felt that her character in the first film was too obscene), but still has a great screen presence.
Aside from exploitative elements such as a prostitute pregnant with her retarded brother's child, the entire film just feels like it packs lesser of a punch than the first two did.
She also keeps a huge cage of crows for some reason (which later gives way for a short but bad visual effect of a flying crow), maybe to resemble a comic book villain, but that feels out of place.The surreal elements are also fewer.
Unfortunately, Meiko Kaji doesn't sing a second theme song here (like she did in the previous film) and overall the movie just feels uneventful, despite the strong beginning and a stylish ending scene.
The second film already got rid of the prison setting for the most part and this time we don't even visit the cold walls until the very end.
Probably not even close to the crazy ideas in the first and mainly second film, but the almost (of course relatively) subtle approach feels spot on at all times.Matsu remains unforgettable and she makes me beg for more and more.
It's becoming hard to come up with new complementing words for every brilliant Scorpion film.
Unfortunately, the third film in the Sasori series isn't of the same quality as the first two films.
This is in stark contrast to the energy of the second film, Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41.
Female Prisoner Scorpion, Take Three.
Both the police and an ex-prison mate of Sasori's pursue her.Although part three of four, some consider this the end of the original series because the director did not return for part four.
At this point in the series, Scorpion is barely even a "prison convict" and we can no longer say this is a "women in prison" film (really that only happened in the first).This film has its ups and downs, and I suppose if you watched the first two, you should probably watch the third.
"Female Convict Scorpion - Beast Stable", the third in the series, is a magnificent piece of pulp sleaze.
Shinya Ito, the director of the first installment, returns for this surreal fable which begins with Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) cutting the arm off a cop she is handcuffed to and fleeing into the Tokyo subway with said arm still swinging from her wrist.
It is the superior of the three first Scorpion films and features one great scene after another.
Another Rewarding Entry In The FEMALE PRISONER series....
Many consider BEAST STABLE to be the last of the "true" FEMALE PRISONER films, as it is the last of the series directed by Shunya Ito, and is followed by one other film (GRUDGE SONG) by a different director.
The way BEAST STABLE ended didn't really leave a lot of room for another predecessor - but I guess I'll find out...This entry has Scorpion on the run from the cops, where she hooks up with a street-hooker who ends up pregnant with her retarded brothers child (oh yeah - that's no lie...gotta love these sleazy story lines).
Scorpion ends up being kidnapped by an old rival, but (as she is so good at...) ends up escaping and taking revenge on some people that wronged a few of her hooker friends...I agree with some other reviewers, that this one is a little slower at points and more "serious" then the previous two entries.
The story is somewhat confusing and convoluted at times, but a lot of these 70's era pinky films are - and I still love them.
BEAST STABLE is lacking pretty badly in the nudity area which was pretty disappointing - but I thought it strong in other areas - storyline, cinematography, some good sleaze,etc...Definitely worthwhile to fans of this sort of thing, or who have enjoyed the other FEMALE PRISONER films...8/10.
The third and final Female Prisoner Scorpion film directed by Shunya Ito. The series' star, Meiko Kaji, would complete the series in the fourth installment, Grudge Song, directed by the capable Yasuhara Hasebe (who also directed Kaji in the excellent Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter).
The original Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion is one of my all-time favorites.
Sasori (Kaji) eludes detectives in the first scene (she is handcuffed to one and lops his arm off  and escapes with it in tow, which must be seen to be believed!) and hooks up with a freelance prostitute, Yuki.
BEAST STABLE is the third of the four-film FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION series and once again features the incredible acting talents of Meiko Kaji as the put-upon Sasori.
This one benefits from the best opening sequence of the series, in which Sasori is nearly captured by cops on a train and hacks off a man's arm to escape!
Mikio Narita, a firm presence in cult Japanese cinema (I remember him as Hiroyuki Sanada's evil uncle in ROARING FIRE as well as his turns in the BATTLES WITHOUT HONOUR & HUMANITY series) is great as the one-armed cop obsessed with tracking Sasori down..
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable.
There's hell to pay when you cross Nami Matsushima(Meiko Kaji), Female Scorpion, and a dangerous group of thugs(..including their sadistic head pimp and his equally repellent lady), operating a prostitution ring with an iron fist, does just that.
Hell hath no fury like Scorpion, and a determined detective, Gondo(Mikio Narita), seeking revenge for decapitating his arm after handcuffing her, will do whatever it takes(..and that includes intimidating anyone who might know her whereabouts)to catch Nami.
Especially if Yuki comes to her aid?Trust me when I say there was no shackles binding director Shunya Ito or his film-making team because FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION:BEAST STABLE is yet another perverse, deranged, and ultra-violent entry in the very entertaining series.
His fate at the end, visiting another enemy of Nami's, in an isolated cell, while she looks on, perfectly encapsulates what makes these films so ridiculous yet so entertaining.
I imagine many will walk away from this scoffing at how unrealistic FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION:BEAST STABLE is(..specifically how Nami is able to escape capture time and time again, accomplishing her goals of revenge, paying back all those who have wronged her), but I looked at it as a violent action cartoon, much like the later 80's films, and enjoyed it for what it was.
My favorite scene has nothing to do with the plot, but is so wonderfully wrong, features a dog discovering Gondo's rotted severed arm, walking through a street eventually finding a resting place to chew on it!