Rating: **
Review Date: 1/31/21
Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura
Cast: Eihi Shiina
In the near future, the Japanese police force has been privatized and takes an ultra-violent approach to handling criminals. Their biggest threat comes from a group of genetically enhanced serial killers called "engineers," who somehow sprout weapons out of their bodies whenever they're injured. A young woman on the force named Ruka (Eihi Shiina) is a specially trained "engineer hunter," and she's one of the few people who can kill them. The leader of the engineers is linked to Ruka's tragic past, which is also tied to corruption in the police force. Ultimately, the police force goes on a senseless killing spree against the general public and only Ruka can stop them.
It's amazing that this film even exists. It's like it was made on a dare to see just how outrageous it could be. The gore effects are disgusting and laughably over the top, and buckets of bloods drench the screen at every opportunity. One villain even uses the force of his bloodletting as a hydrojet to propel himself through the air. Other astonishing sights include a snail woman, a pissing chair, a woman with an aligator mouth for a crotch, a woman who squirts corrosive acid from her breasts, a woman with swords for hands and feet, a penis cannon, a gun that fires severed hands, and a guy that shoots bullets out of his eyes. It's completely insane.
Eihi Shiina gives a spectacular performance and looks fantastic in her laughably sexy police uniform. Her conviction and strength are what sell the film, and it's very satisfying to see her deliver justice. Cutting off a subway groper's hands may actually be the best scene in the entire movie. Unfortunately, the story isn't particularly interesting or engaging, and the director is far more interested in shock and schlock than storytelling and character development. Its attempts at humor and social satire are immature and fall flat, which sets an odd and inconsistent tone. While the production looks like it had a moderate budget, it's an ugly film with poor cinematography, bad lighting, and garish colors. The action scenes are weak and it's hard to make sense of anything. At one point, a woman wielding a naginata comes running out of a building and fights a schoolgirl who has a giant razor blade as an arm. This comes out of nowhere and neither character is explained, as if it were a scene from a completely different film. I can't recommend it to anyone except extreme gorehounds and those who are looking for something way beyond the realm of good taste.