Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs – Neon Eagle Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1974
Director: Yukio Noda
Writers: Fumio Kônami, Hirô Matsuda, Tooru Shinohara
Cast: Miki Sugimoto, Eiji Gô, Tetsurô Tanba, Hideo Murota, Yôko Mihara, Ichirô Araki, Seiji Endô, Hiromi Kishi, Rokkô Toura

Release Date: May 7th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 24 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"When renegade cop Rie (played by top Toei starlet Miku Sugimoto -- Girl Boss: Escape from Reform School) goes too far in bringing justice to untouchable bigwigs, only a dangerous mission to rescue a politician's daughter will keep her out of jail for good. She readily takes on the task, only to find it more complicated and deadly than she suspected. After a relentless pursuit and run-ins with despicable yakuza thugs, Rei finds herself a target of a wider criminal conspiracy the outcome of which will leave almost no one alive." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "worldwide Blu-ray debut from a gorgeous new blood-splattered 4K restoration!"

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.9 GB

Feature: 23.8 GB

This transfer looks excellent, and it is easily the best Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs has looked to date on home video. That said, there is a moment of source damage that happen around the 12-minute, 35-second mark, and they last for about 10 seconds. I have included a screenshot that gives an example of blue line source damage. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are appropriately vibrant, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. This track sounds great range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, an image gallery (32 images - posters/stills/lobby cards/home video art), an interview with Patrick Macias, author of TokyoScope titled Sex + Violence = Pinky Violence (18 minutes 2 seconds with non-removable English subtitles for Japanese text) and an audio commentary with film historian Samm Deighan.

Summary:

Directed by Yukio Noda, whose other notable films are Yakuza Deka, Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon, and Soul of Chiba.

The narrative revolves around a rogue cop who went to prison for killing a rapist. Wanting to avoid a scandal, a politician offers her a full pardon for the murder she committed if she safely returns his daughter and kills everyone connected to the kidnapping.

There were no areas where 1970s Japanese-exploitation cinema would not go. During this period, there was an emphasis on gory onscreen carnage and moments of depravity. All of this is on full display in a pre-credits sequence that opens Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs. A man, who we later learn is a foreign diplomat, and a woman, who is an undercover cop, meet at a nightclub. This man drugs the woman and takes her back to his hotel room for some good old-fashioned sadism. Unfortunately, for him, she was the one luring him, and from there erupts a bloody sequence that culminates with bullets shot at his genitals.

This opening does a phenomenal job of setting the tone and the foundation for the events that follow. And not long after, there is another grueling scene where a gang sexually assaults a politician's daughter and abducts her for a ransom. And as gut-wrenching as those moments are, there is another scene that tops them. The moment I am referring to is a scene where the protagonist allows the gang to assault and degrade her in order to maintain that she is undercover.

There were a few actresses who made a name for themselves in Pinky Violence. And though most of them had similar traits, Miki Sugimoto (Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom) was in a class all her own. More than any other actress who worked in Pinky Violence films, Miki Sugimoto had an authentic toughness about her. And just like in ‘The Man with No Name,” her character exploits the kidnappers weaknesses and pits them against each other, narrowing her odds. Her character is void of emotion, and she rarely speaks; she lets her actions do the talking. Her character also carries a weapon, a pair of red handcuffs that show throwing like a boomerang, and they are just as deadly as throwing stars when they cut flesh.

Though the kidnappers' cruelty and disregard for life are on full display, that is not to say that those on the other side trying to free the kidnapped girl are not equally brutal in doling out pain and suffering. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to Eiji Gô’s (The Executioner) portrayal of the ringleader behind the kidnapping. He delivers a menacing performance of a character devoid of a moral compass. When confronted with a problem, his go-to is to kill them, often in the most sadistic way. Not to be overlooked is Tetsuro Tamba’s (Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight) portrayal of the politician whose daughter was kidnapped. Despite remaining mostly in the background and letting others he hires do the dirty work, his character is equally brutal.

Yukio Noda’s bombastic direction is overflowing with style; every moment is meticulously framed for maximum effect. Another strength is how effectively Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs intercuts shots, which enhances these moments' potency. When it comes to pacing, there is never an issue, as things move at a frenetic pace that never gives the viewer a chance to catch their breath. Ultimately, Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs is a significant film in the Pinky Violence film cycle.

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs gets an exceptional release from Neon Eagle Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer