Kenji’s
sister Mayumi should have come to New York to study rather than Los Angeles.
There’s more culture here and it’s still safer, despite de Blasio’s best
efforts. Instead, she went to left coast, where she was abducted by a Manson-like
snuff video-producing hippie death cult. Fortunately, Kenji has skills that
will only get sharper in Kurando Mitsutake’s grungy retro Karate Kill
(trailer here),
which is now available on DVD and VOD.
After
losing contact with Mayumi, Kenji borrows money from one of his part-time temp
work bosses to fly out to LA. Thanks to his persuasiveness, he quickly follows
her trail to a hostess club for Japanese expats. After several beatdowns, he
learns the manager sold her to the Koreshy Capital Messiah cult in Nowheresville
Texas for use in their sicko internet subscriber videos. Right, so he’s off to Texas,
where he hooks up with Keiko, a previous abductee from the LA club, who managed
to escape.
Keiko
did not get away clean, as the hook will attest, but you should see the other
woman. Call that one Patch. Regardless, Keiko is still a deadly shot. Thanks to
her training, Kenji will refine his bullet dodging skills. Right, let’s start
piling up the bodies.
If
you have seen Mitsutake’s Gun Woman
than you should know exactly what to expect. However, this time around, the
violence is slightly less brutal and the low-rent Miami Vice knock-off eighties vibe is more pronounced. However,
former Pink Eiga star Asami is back kicking butt and frequently topless as
Keiko.
As
long as you are reading this review, you will show Asami all due respect.
Hayate (another one-name wonder) also has massive action chops, serious
brooding technique, and virtually no body-fat as Kenji. Mitsutake regular
Noriaki R. Kamata is spectacularly sleazy as the LA club owner, but bug-eyed
Kirk Geiger maybe manages to go too far over the top as the cult leader
Vendenski, if that is even possible in a film like this.
