Reviews from Japan

Superlative - everyone should see this

Great, a must-see if you like the genre

Good, a decent example of the genre

Watchable, but only for serious genre fans

Unwatchable

Half stars could have gone either way depending on mood.

Movie Name / Release Year	Summary	Date	Reviewer
Seven Samurai (1954)	One of the best films ever made	2003-01-31	Simon
Black Cat's Revenge (1970)	Intriguing mix of styles and moods	2006-08-13	Simon
Yakuza Deka (1970)	Fun 70's camp	2005-09-28	Simon
Yakuza Deka II (1970)	Exceedingly silly	2005-09-28	Simon
Girl Boss Guerilla (1972)	Enjoyable, if still far from exceptional	2012-05-22	Simon
Wandering Ginza Butterfly (1972)	The Meiko Kaji reboot	2022-01-25	Simon
Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2 (1972)	...read review...	2022-01-29	Simon
Yakuza Wolf: Perform Murder (1972)	Standard early 1970's Yakuza fare	2024-01-06	Simon
Female Yakuza Tale (1973)	...read review...	2012-05-21	Simon
Karate Kiba (1973)	Grimy and stylish	2023-12-16	Simon
Karate Killer (1973)	More stylish grime	2023-12-16	Simon
The Executioner (1974)	Remember it's a ninja film and enjoy it!	2006-03-05	Simon
The Executioner II (1974)	Seems not to have understand why we liked the original!	2006-03-25	Simon
The Streetfighter (1974)	Highly (but selectively) recommended!	2012-05-22	Simon
Return Of The Streetfighter (1974)	Neither as gory or as good as the original	2006-03-14	Simon
The Streetfighter's Last Revenge (1974)	Continues the downhill trend of the series	2006-03-15	Simon
Sister Streetfighter (1974)	Sleazy, violent and quite dumb - just how we like 'em!	2012-05-22	Simon
Sister Streetfighter: Hanging By A Thread (1974)	Good trashy fun once again	2012-05-22	Simon
Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974)	Sequel switches onto a different track	2021-08-01	Simon
Karate Bear Fighter (1975)	Chiba is on peak form	2012-05-22	Simon
Graveyard of Honour (Fukasaku) (1975)	A reminder that Yakuza are generally not nice people	2021-10-03	Simon
Killing Machine (1976)	Worth a look for Chiba fans, non-essential for everyone else	2012-05-22	Simon
Okinawa Yakuza War (1976)	A strong but predictable Yakuza film	2024-04-21	Simon
Golgo 13 - Assignment Kowloon (1977)	Poorly written, acted and directed	2007-06-06	Simon
Samurai Reincarnation (1981)	Sounds more fun than it actually is	2021-09-25	Simon
Roaring Fire (1981)	Tons of fun	2024-02-27	Simon
Sukeban Deka (1987)	Cheesy, violent fun	2005-07-15	Simon
Akira (1988)	A landmark in animation and sci-fi	2020-09-17	Simon
Violent Cop (1989)	A landmark in Japanese cinema	2020-07-11	Simon
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)	Perhaps the strangest thing you will ever see	2013-06-10	Simon