XX: Beautiful Prey (1996)
HDTV | MKV | 768x576 | x264 @ 3000 Kbps | 98 min | 2,37 Gb
Audio: Japanese and English dub - each track AC3 2.0 @ 224 Kbps
Subs: English (embedded in MKV)
Genre: Action, Thriller, Pinku
HDTV | MKV | 768x576 | x264 @ 3000 Kbps | 98 min | 2,37 Gb
Audio: Japanese and English dub - each track AC3 2.0 @ 224 Kbps
Subs: English (embedded in MKV)
Genre: Action, Thriller, Pinku
irector: Toshiharu Ikeda
Stars: Kei Marimura, Makiko Watanabe, Ren Ôsugi
This Japanese thriller finds a sexy policewoman becoming entangled in Japan's S&M underground while investigating a gruesome murder. Soon, her investigation has led her to a seductive sadist and his equally appealing masochist victim. Falling prey to her suspects' powerful allure, she struggles to extricate herself from an increasingly torrid affair to solve the mystery she set out to investigate.
Fantastic S&M orientated thriller with a marvellous central performance from the most sultry, Kei Marimura, apparently a real life jazz singer, who plays a masochist, rape victim, who seems not entirely sure whether she is or isn't. A victim that is, and things get more complicated when she begins killing people close to her to feel the sense of loss and young policewoman, Noriko, played by, Makiko Watanabe, is brought in to really complicate things. Superb cinematography throughout and lovely swirling and assured direction from Toshiharu Ikeda. Probably the best of the series, I have so far only seen this in Japanese without subtitles, so maybe another point when I've watched it with the benefit of titles. Not always the case of course. Some stylish, bravura film-making like this is better without less than perfect dialogue. We shall see.
(click to enlarge)
"XX: Beautiful…" series:
1. XX: Beautiful Weapon (1993)
2. XX: Beautiful Hunter (1994)
3. XX: Beautiful Target (1995)
4. XX: Beautiful Beast (1995)
5. XX: Beautiful Prey (1996)
6. XX: Beautiful Killing Machine (1996)
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