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The concept of action movies starring female protagonists was quite prevalent in East Asian cinema during the 70s and 80s but toned significantly down after that. However, lately, and as the epicenter of action movies moved towards Asean countries, it surfaced once more, as the fact that women can also can add an element of sex appeal to the action worked for a number of filmmakers. At the same time, the concept was not restricted to action movies, but also extended to art ones, as a couple of the movies in the following list will eloquently highlight.

Without further ado, here are 40 Asian movies where the action mostly derives from women, in chronological order.

1. Come Drink With Me

That also comes from the story storyline. Co-written by director Hu and Ting Shan-hsi, ‘Come Drink’ includes poignant drama into the mix as well as the action. Each of the characters has...

When discussing Meiko Kaji, it is difficult not to rely on the word ‘iconic’. After all, what better term is there to describe a performer whose work has influenced and inspired countless filmmakers and who was once the face of female empowerment in Japanese cinema? First gracing the screen billed under her birth name, Masako Ota, Kaji has over a hundred acting credits to date and has also enjoyed a successful music career. However, her golden period undoubtedly came during the height of the exploitation boom in Japan, a time when cheap films characterised by sex and violence were produced en masse in an attempt to pry audiences away from their television sets. It was during this era that the feisty young actor earned herself a lasting place in the history of cult cinema.

Kaji had already appeared in over thirty feature films for Nikkatsu when she starred in what...

In an interview Teruo Ishii gave to Chris D. he mentioned about “The Blind Woman’s Curse”: As far as being coherent, I feel the movie was nonsensical. It is in this phrase that both the aesthetics and the narrative of the film are synopsized, in a title that combines yakuza, ghost story (Nikkatsu actually ordered Ishii to include ghost elements after he started shooting), ero-guro and exploitation elements. Furthermore, it was Meiko Kaji’s first starring role and also the first time she performed the title song, “Lullaby of Honour”.

Akemi Tachibana, the daughter of a now deceased yakuza leader that fosters a huge dragon tattoo in her back, is the leader of the Tachibana clan. As the movie begins, in a rather impressive gang sword fight, she and her henchmen attack a rival group. They emerge victorious, and Akemi kills the opponent boss, but in her effort,...

September's Arrow Video Channel offerings bolster the already great lineup with an eclectic mix of titles that include Crystal Eyes, Graveyard of Honor, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, and more:

"London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the September slate of titles on their subscription-based Arrow Video Channel, including the Argentinian giallo homage Crystal Eyes, Fukasaku's Graveyard of Honor, and Miike's 2002 remake. The stylish slasher Crystal Eyes, Fukasaku's classic crime thriller Graveyard of Honor and Miike's reimagining lead a selection of cult classics, hidden gems and iconic horror films coming to the Arrow Video Channel September 1st.

Crystal Eyes, Graveyard of Honor (1975), and Graveyard of Honor (2002) will be available September 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the US and the UK. Additional new titles available September 1st include Ivansxtc (UK/US), The Holy Mountain (UK), Fando Y Lis (UK), El Topo (UK), and Return of the Killer...

Arrow Video has an exciting slate of September titles on their subscription-based Arrow Video Channel, including the Argentinian giallo homage Crystal Eyes, Fukasaku's Graveyard of Honor, and Miike's 2002 remake. The stylish slasher Crystal Eyes, Fukasaku's classic crime thriller Graveyard of Honor and Miike's reimagining lead a selection of cult classics, hidden gems and iconic horror films coming to the Arrow Video Channel September 1st.

Crystal Eyes, Graveyard of Honor (1975), and Graveyard of Honor (2002) will be available September 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the US and the UK. Additional new titles available September 1st include Ivansxtc (UK/US), The Holy Mountain (UK), Fando Y Lis (UK), El Topo (UK), and Return of the Killer Tomatoes (UK/US). The Arrow Video Channel is available on Apple TV in the UK and US, as well as on Amazon in the UK.

In Crystal Eyes, it's Buenos Aires, 1985. It's the first anniversary...

An unsung eccentric of Japanese cinema is Teruo Ishii, referred to in his native country as ‘the King of Cult,’ whose forays into Ere Guro (erotic grotesque) cinema play like the exploitational love child of the cinematic hits by Hiroshi Teshigahara and Yasuzo Masumura. Many of the titles from his prolific career remain largely unavailable in the West, but Arrow Video continues to recuperate his work with the re-release of 1969’s Inferno of Torture, which, as its title indicates, is a violent, torture-porn narrative chock full of memorable items hellbent on shock value.

Perhaps best known for his titles Blind Woman’s Curse (1970), which was headlined by Meiko Kaji (she of the Female Prisoner Scorpion fame), or his Island of Dr.…...

Arrow Video is excited to announce the July slate of titles on their subscription-based Arrow Video Channel, including acclaimed undead comedy Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection, all twelve films starring mankind's greatest defender: a fire-breathing mutant turtle.

An infectiously funny slice of modern Korean cinema where Train to Busan, The Quiet Family and Warm Bodies collide to create Zombie For Sale, a memorable rom-zom-com from debut director Lee Min-jae. For the first time ever, fans can trace the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the "friend of all children" in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.

Zombie for Sale and Gamera: The Complete Collection will be available July 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the Us and the UK. Additional new titles available July 1st include Creepshow 2,...

Teruo Ishii's Blind Woman's Curse (1970), starring Meiko Kaji, is showing on Mubi March 24 – April 22, 2019 in the United States.Blind Woman's CurseMeiko Kaji is a great physical actor, a difficult thing to be under the best of circumstances. Since the sound era began there has been a consistent bias against the use of a truly expressive, diverse physicality in acting. Action is meant for action films; prat-falls are meant for comedies. The finer grades of expression and emotion—love, irony, longing, wit, fury, diffidence, meanness—are meant to be expressed with words, or with those kinds of subtle gestures that often serve as the extension of words. Jean-Claude Van Damme does not star in romances (he should), Jackie Chan has never played the lead in a gritty, downbeat film about the great Pennsylvania coal strike of 1902 (he should). This is not to say that Kaji herself was primarily an action star.

In celebration of iconic Japanese actress Meiko Kaji's upcoming 70th birthday and Valentine's Day, Japan Society is throwing a mini retro party of the inimitable actress. Best known for her role as Nami "Sasori (Scorpion)" Matsushima in the Female Prisoner series and later as Yuki, the Lady Snowblood, Kaji dominated the exploitation-tinged 60s and 70s Japanese cinema. Marc Walkow, the man mainly responsible for bringing the Female Prisoner series to Arrow for restoration and subsequent Blu-ray releases, and who helped release the Lady Snowblood series at Criterion, curates the selections for the occasion. They are: New Battles Without Humanity: The Boss's Head, Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance, Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter, Blind Woman's Curse & Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable Please visit Japan Society website for...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

(The following review pertains to the UK release of the film on Region B/2 formats)

By Howard Hughes

The Girls with the Dragon Tattoo

Following on from its release of ‘Lady Snowblood’ and ‘Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance’ in 2012, UK company Arrow Films has released another Japanese cult classic in ‘Blind Woman’s Curse’, a film which mixes swordplay, horror and the supernatural into a bloody vengeance scenario.

Also known as ‘Kaidan nobori ryû’, ‘The Tattooed Swordswoman’ and ‘Black Cat’s Revenge’, this is unusual action fare from director Teruo Ishii. Meiko Kaji, who went on to star as Lady Snowblood, cuts her teeth – and several villains’ major arteries – as Akemi, the head of the Tachibana Clan. In the opening rain swept swordfight, she accidentally blind’s Aiko (Hoki Tokuda), the younger sister of Yakuza clan leader Boss Goda. After a three-year stretch in prison, Akemi returns to her role as Tachibana leader,...