The film begins in 1874 Japan, and shows a woman give birth to a baby. The mother tells the baby it is born for vengeance. A flash-forward to present day reveals the baby is Yuki (Meiko Kaji) a woman dressed in white on a quest for revenge. Through another flashback, you are introduced to her family, who's father and son are brutally murdered by four criminals. The mother is raped, and kills one of the criminals when she gets the chance. Once she is in prison, she gives birth to Yuki. Yuki now has a mission to brutally kill the remaining three criminals, and has been training all her life to do so.
If the narrative sounds familiar, it's because Quentin Tarantino stole (taken, borrowed) large amounts of the film, for his films 'Kill Bill Vol 1' and Kill Bill Vol 2'. From the story, to the main protagonist, and even the visual styles. The two Kill Bills are taken from the first 'Lady Snowblood' film. However, there is a second film called 'Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance', which I have no idea where it can go ('Lady Snowblood' has a pretty conclusive ending).
So how does it compare? Pretty good actually. I am a big fan of Kill Bill, and even if 'Lady Snowblood' isn't quite as good, it's still a well-made exploitation film. For a film that is made in 1973, it's stylistically impressive. Fujita uses vibrant colours in set design as well as clothes, making the film visually startling. The bright light red spurts out of the massacred like an erupting volcano. It may not be as bloody as the 88vs1 scene in 'Kill Bill Vol 1', but for it's time it was probably the bloodiest film around.
The film doesn't slow down, which is great for a martial arts film. Constant action is occurring on screen, resulting in a film which is never dull for a single moment. Not once did I pause the film I was so enthralled in it. Each scene is choreographed perfectly, including martial arts and samurai film trademarks such as extra high jumps, high body counts and fast paced action scenes. 'Lady Snowblood' is a must see for fans of 'Lone Wolf and Cub'.
The film itself follows the Kill Bill storyline quite closely, so I could predict most of the plot twists. It is strange to have such a violent female protagonist, but the surprise wasn't that big, as I had seen Kill Bill. I guess Kill Bill made this film worse, and the 'Lone Wolf and Cub' series was similar and improved on 'Lady Snowblood'. It's fast paced, beautiful, inventive, and rewatchable.
TO CONCLUDE
The film is great for entertainment, and I could easily watch it again and again.
SCORE
78
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