User reviews

To sum this movie up as briefly as possible (it does not need elaboration)... karate master (Sonny Chiba) is crippled by evil assailants, then trains daughter (Sue Shiomi) in the art of karate, mindless vengeance and coldhearted blood-letting. (I don't know, I would have encouraged her into dentistry or some other respectable profession, but that's just me) There are some good choreographed moves, and Shiomi, like Chiba, displays a penchant for not only kicking an opponent's ass but making a point of crushing her opponent's bones and internal organs afterwards.

In a lot of the fights though, the techniques are obscured by bad and changing camera angles.

Overall, not that great. You are only going to want to see this if you are a Sonny Chiba fan.

If you see this one for Chiba - don't!! If you wanna see an action/martial arts flick like a Sonny Chiba movie - then see it!! It has eye gouging and blood enough to please a Chiba fan. And Etsuko Shihomi is a tough chick and kicks ass very well!!!! It is rare to see female action stars in Japan - so indulge yourself to a treat! The fights are good and the story almost nonexistent, but it is great entertainment for a no-brainer evening - and she is actually quite good-looking, so an extra bonus there!!

Sonny chiba is only in this film for the first 7 minutes. Intresting actioner showcase Sue Shiomi's talent as a action star casting her opposite to Japanese action star (who also does Hong Kong films) Yasuaki Kurata (of G-men 75 fame). Good soundtrack and some good action scene helps this poorly put together film. This film actually still played in Cameo, a Los Angeles grindhouse theatre in 1992!

This is not a 6.2. That is underrating it. I give it 7 out of 10. This a good movie. It has good acting. It also also has great story line. It movie has a lot of action. See this movie it is awesome.

It's nice, sometimes, to watch a movie that doesn't even bother with exposition. As soon as 'Dragon princess' ('Hissatsu onna kenshi') begins we're launched into the plot with a scant few words of dialogue preceding a big fight scene; even the subsequent opening credits flash on-screen over further plot development, including leaps in geography and time. Wherever it's necessary to insert a scene of more dialogue than action, it tends to feel like the filmmakers tried to keep it minimal. Though not without its issues, by and large this is a martial arts action flick for folks who like their martial arts action flicks without much filler; provided that's a tack one can get on board with, this is generally pretty fun!

It's dependably well made, of course, with robust production design and art direction, costume design, effects, props, and weapons. The fight choreography is terrific; the skills of those involved in the action sequences are no joke. Acting is the least important aspect of such a feature - and some moments are decidedly over the top as one rather expects of such fare - but still the performances are quite fine. In particular, Etsuko Shihomi handles the lead role well, demonstrating earnest acting ability as the feature allows. I also very much appreciate the varied original music of Shunsuke Kikuchi, which to my delight seems at times to take inspiration from spaghetti westerns for this tale of vengeance while also giving us the upbeat 70s themes we'd hope for. While some of Hanjiro Nakazawa's choices of cinematography are overly embellished, in this case I believe most of the emphatic stylization works in the picture's favor, adding to the ridiculous fun; the same goes for Osamu Tanaka's editing and sequencing, not least during the prolonged climax.

Yutaka Kohira's direction is quite capable; though mostly declining it, there's some splendid, unexpected subtlety at some points in Hiroo Matsuda's screenplay. Of course, maybe all such assessment is beside the point: 'Dragon princess' arranges for just enough story to provide context for the violence (a hair's width above merely being a "vehicle" thereof), and by and large it's intended simply as an entertaining romp. And so it is, most assuredly. Mind you, I'm not saying this is perfect. It still has some problems; not all the editing is so solid, for example, or the sound design; more meaningfully, the title doesn't maintain the same tone or level of action bombast, so it's perhaps a tad uneven. Maybe worst of all, as Matsuda tries to broaden the plot in the second half, he kind of loses sight of it for a small time. A scene of a man and a woman dancing in a club is meaningless; a chunk of plot involving a supporting character is introduced from out of nowhere. Still, if these are the worst offenses a film might claim, then I'd say it's broadly done well for itself; bigger movies have gone far more wrong.

There are no real surprises here. We get exactly what we would expect just from glancing at the premise, the poster, or even the name - the details hardly matter. For the record, those details include substantial violence, some light humor, marginal tinges of cartoonishness, and perhaps a little more variety in the storytelling than one might suppose sights unseen. Be forewarned, however, there is also a scene of animal cruelty. 'Dragon princess' is duly well done, however, and highly enjoyable such as it is. I could have done with a tighter screenplay, either dispensing with some of the storytelling or mindfully rounding it out, but I suppose we can't always get what we want. Whatever faults one might read into it, though, a lot more than not this is a good time with excellent martial arts action, and ultimately that's all it needed or wanted to be. A fairly strong if curt finish helps to wash over the weaker elements, and the lasting impression we have is a good one. There's maybe no need to go out of your way for 'Dragon princess,' but if you like this genre and happen to come across it, it's a fine way to spend 80 minutes.

Version: English dub.

I found 'Dragon Princess' on a DVD titled 'Masters of Martial Arts volume 4': four movies, on two discs, for $10. Essentially, I bought 'Dragon Princess' for $2.50.

'Dragon Princess' is pretty much 'Sister Street Fighter' with a different name. Etsuko Shihomi is brought up by her father, a karate master, to seek vengeance on those who disabled him. Etsuko then spends the rest of the movie beating up bad guys, with some (but minimal) assistance from Sonny Chiba.

That's about it. Pretty standard revenge plot, decent fighting scenes, but the camera is shaky and its sometimes hard to make out whats happening on screen. Despite the standard plot, there is an interesting sub-plot regarding Etsuko's character 'only knowing vengeance' and having no real life, however, it was done better in 'Lady Snowblood'.

5/10 - An OK karate movie.

OK. If you are around my age and went to high school back in the late '70s in Florida, then you probably remember a little Saturday afternoon show called "Black Belt Theatre". Every week they showed another badly dubbed, low budget martial arts flick.

And I LOVED it! It was here that I first remember seeing Etsuko "Sue" Shiomi. I can't remember the actual movie but it might have been Sister Streetfighter. In any case, I was a die-hard fan from then on. So when I first saw a copy of Dragon Princess on VHS a few years later at the local Blockbuster, I scarfed it up. Yeah, Sonny Chiba has only a small part in it and the budget is typically minuscule, but if you can get past that then you are in for one fun ride! Sue Shiomi does an excellent job as the revenge seeking daughter of Sonny Chiba's character. The villains though, especially the blind swordsman, in my opinion steal the show. Each fight is unique and entertaining with the violence being, of course, over the top.

A few years ago I found this gem on DVD. If you get the chance, grab it up. Trust me; you'll have a blast!

1st watched 9/15/2002 - 4 out of 10(Dir-Yataka Kodaira): Ok karate flick with long-winded final fight scene and shaky camera-work throughout. The camera-work that is done lessons the karate action because it's hard to tell what actual moves are being done and their impact on the intended victim. The plot has been used before(vengeance asked for by the father on his death bed) in films of this genre and there is a fitting ended for those who care enough to stay until the end. If you make it till then, you're a better man than most of us or your interest in the karate action genre is what keeps you close. What you can see of the karate scenes is well-choreographed and this is the reason that I gave this movie a higher rating than what I had originally expected it would receive.

I saw "Dragon Princess" on a double-feature DVD; the other movie was "The Bodyguard", starring Sonny Chiba, who appears only in the opening 10 minutes of this one. It's an appropriate pairing, not only because of the Chiba connection, but because the two movies share the same basic problems: a story that feels stretched even at 90- minutes, lots of pointless filler, and fight scenes that generally don't deliver the goods due to a combination of poor filming and poor DVD transferring. "Dragon Princess" is a little better than "The Bodyguard", if only because there are more and longer fights. And there are some memorable scenes, like Etsuko Shiomi using kung fu against vicious dogs (years before Milla Jovovich did it in "Resident Evil"), a bad guy going crazy when he hears bell noises, and Shiomi & Yasuaki Kurata jumping from the top of a high cliff and landing safely on their two feet. But I can't stop feeling that both Shiomi (who looks really beautiful here) and Kurata deserved a better showcase than this. (*1/2)

Funky Nipponese martial arts period piece.Chiba stamps his trademark well & truly.Things progress along nicely with a standard plot line.Camera-work is a bit dodgy but who cares.The fight sequences are masterfully turned out.Definitely worth a look if you like this genre. This movie has enough blood and action to maintain the viewer's interest though because of its technical shortcomings can be hard to follow at times visually. Lots of dark sequences contributing to the general mayhem with a hokey soundtrack. The dubbed dialog is somewhat stilted,but who cares,this is ultimate fun to watch. Chiba has a long track record for making wickedly masterful fight films,one can only equate the fight sequences with high ballet. This is early fare but still serves up the usual dollop of action.

Sonny was the next best thing out there besides Bruce. i've seen this movie back in the 80's, and i loved it. sonny is in the movie enough to make an impact. but the problem is when it came out, it was called Dragon Princess, but when you try to find it, it keeps coming up Dragon Princess but it is actually showing you Sister Street Fighter. this makes it very difficult to find to purchase. etsuko style is sooooo sonny's style. it's sad as her father trains her to take revenge on his life because he knows that he will be killed because of who he is. yes, he is very strick and hard on his daughter, but very protective of her also. a very brutal man you would think the way he is training her, but she loves him. everything that she do in her young life is in preparation for her ultimate challenge in life, her father's revenge.

Etsuko "Sue" Shiomi stars as the daughter of a karate master who trains her to be his instrument of revenge against those who permanently crippled him. From the time that she's about eight, her father mercilessly trains her in karate, night and day, excluding school and even friends from the young girl's life. She grows into a reluctant warrior with no life at all outside of her training.

Unlike a lot of films that have the same basic plot, DRAGON PRINCESS has at its heart a real sadness for the waste of this poor girl's life. Even if she succeeds at her mission, what then? All she knows is vengeance. The print and film-making quality is not great, but give it a chance for it's unique viewpoint.