Scarecrow-88 Some kinda warped film from Takashi Ishii which represents female retaliation at it's strangest. Chihiro(Harumi Inoue)has made a warm existence for herself since being horribly raped by three thugs five years prior, including her own Childhood friend, Hirokawa(Kazuki Kitamura). She has a promising future with Nogami(Shunsuke Matsuoka)and works with him. But, Chihiro's life will swing into an unexpected nightmare when Hirokawa finds her and brutalizes her both physically and mentally. He tells her the other two, Baba(Naoto Takenaka, a formidable presence that is quite scary)& Kojima(Shingo Tsurumi)are wanting to re-unite with Chihiro as well. One by one will damage her in one way or another and each will pay the price for their sins because through all the mistreatment creates a monster. Chihiro's comfortable life that was changes when Nogami finds out about Hirokawa and her past rape. She will descend slowly into madness as the awful circumstances shape her into a cold-blooded killer..and then some. The film's main power derives from how she treats those three after exacting revenge for their wrong-doing towards her.Potent, haunting, and unrelenting. In a sense, the film holds a grip on you as you wonder how anyone could ever survive from what Chihiro is put through. She's certainly put through the ringer as Chihiro is pretty much assaulted in every imaginable way..her very humanity taken away as she is forced into difficult positions by cruel men with only one thing in mind. The title provides us with an irony that's all too tragic. One thing Takashi Ishii doesn't do is submerge us into the horrible details of what happens to her. He does it through smoke and mirrors setting the camera up in proper places where we get a general idea of what is taking place without rubbing our nose in it. No doubt, Ishii cares for this character and the tragedy leaves a sadness despite Chihiro getting her retribution.

christopher-underwood Fine film that is at once ugly and beautiful. It is superbly shot and the imagery almost magical. From the silently falling snow lit by the streetlight to the manga like cropped shots of the lovely heroine, the movie looks lovely but there is a truly evil undercurrent here that does not reflect well upon present day Japan. At its simplest this is a rape and revenge movie but it is done with much style and whilst the violence is horrific, the real horror here is the way the original rape is referred to and the way the rapists feel they can revisit their victim for seconds. Not only all that but that there is tacit acceptance by those around her both at home and in the workplace is an awful indictment of a lingering rotten core festering in the outwardly attractive Japanese culture.

jeff-exorcist Worrying, disturbing, sensational, exploitational rape drama. All about a Japanese woman who was visciously raped by three men. Five years later they each come back for more, in quick succession, one after the other - despite the fact that she's moved home since at least two times, they still manage to find her. The film is full of sexual violence, which would be more acceptable if there was something here we could learn from, but it seems these sequences were probably only included for sensationalism, and it's difficult to detect any artistic merit for the graphic way these sequences are portrayed and the film leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

Joe Some films are made that test society's underlying beliefs, and this is one of them. some would say that the women in such a circumstance should call the police (as i would advocate also in every case), but sometimes with some people, pride and society may lead to people hiding. This is the case with Chihiro, who on being gatecrashed by her attackers, is afraid to lose her life once again by revealing what happened to her. It tests our attitude to the victims in such circumstances, and makes you think. You see the film from the victims point of view... and in that way, for those willing to see a film that tests their minds, then this is a film for you. Outstanding and frightening movie that deserves to be watched..