The Machine Girl

I first thought that I was watching something from the grind-house era, then I noticed that this movie is only two months old. If this is where we are going, then get some waders folks, as the blood pours in this film. I'm talking blood spurting like a lawn sprinkler every time someone gets a body part cut off. Believe you me, there are plenty of body parts flying in this film.

If you like seeing a chef eat his fingers on a sushi roll, if you like seeing arms and legs and heads cut off, if you like blood all over, then you will love this film.

Yes our Rose had a machine gun leg in Planet Terror, but in this film, you get a machine gun arm, and a chainsaw leg and a chainsaw arm. But that isn't all. You get to see a drill bra that just shreds some luscious melons.

If you are a comic fan, then you will enjoy this as it is definitely over the top.

I have always thought of Japonesse comedy as being like Shakespeare comedy; funny to the people of the time and/or place but not to the rest of us. This is the first Asian film to not only make me laugh more than just a chuckle, but to make me cry with laughter and literally smack my knee. The reason that this is so good is because it seems as if writer director Noboru Iguchi took a step or two back too get a view of the Asian film market as a whole and even seems to have looked at it with a non-Asian eye to see how the rest of us see the market.

The deliberate over-the-top cheese and "happy family beginnings" were great fun, but its the wonderfully gory scenes that you'll remember. I don't want to go into too much detail so as to avoid spoiling the fun for those who haven't seen it, except to say that the scene with the main bad guy making his son drink his blood as a right of passage to the yakuzza is the main culprit for my man tears.

The only real problem of note is that the fun starts to dry a little as time goes on, the gore occurs less and less and the deliberate cheesy acting and dialogue almost gets tiresome (though it never actually is). It seems as if Iguchi used up all his best ideas too quickly in the first half and had to run with an empty tank for the last third.

Despite this its still always superb fun, and even though it is definitely gory, I recommend most people to see it, just cover your eyes if it gets too much at times!

When schoolgirl Ami Hyuga's little brother is murdered, she vows vengeance upon the Yakuzas whose offspring carried out the deed. Along the way she is captured, tortured, and left for death. What follows is a testament to the indefatigably of the human spirit; and illustrates that determination can overcome the most seemingly insurmountable of challenges. In the lead role, Asami gives a finely nuanced performance, conveying both the vulnerability and passion of her character. Oh, did I mention that she has a machine gun for an arm? silly me, well she does. Absolutely essential over the top gore-fest arms, legs, heads are severed, hands are deep fried, fingers are eaten, eyeballs gouged and all involved are doused in literally hundreds of gallons of fake blood. My personal favourite is the matriarch of the evil family whose deadly Drill Bra (patents pending) proves a formidable challenge for our eponymous heroine. This ones never going to be nominated for a Palme dOr, but what it lacks in well, just about everything, it makes up in spades of enthusiasm.

Ami (Asami) is out for revenge after her brother Yu is murdered by a gang of young yakuza-ninjas. Unfortunately, while in pursuit of the leaders, she is captured and one of her arms is cut off. Not to worry, a friendly couple who are also out for revenge on the same people have a solution, make her a machine gun arm! After The Machine Girl finished I can safely say this: the Japanese are still producing awesome gore flicks. Noboru Iguchi has created a film that will surely receive cult status and easily go down as one of the goriest films ever made. Firstly, this IS a gore-flick, there is enough blood spray to fill a lake. Secondly, the story is not complex or incredibly challenging, likewise, there is nil character development. Therefore, if you watch this movie thinking along those lines (I would not know why, though, as it IS called The Machine Girl) you will be sorely disappointed. If you do go in expecting outrageous gore and some genuinely funny comedy you will be very pleased! The Machine Girl really should be released theatrically everywhere, it is a fun, exciting and well-made action/comedy/drama and one of the best movies of 2008!

4/5

In The Machine Girl, Ami Hyuga (Minase Yashiro) looses her last remaining family member, her little brother, to the yakuza. She sets out to avenge him by any means necessary, despite having sworn off violence after the death of her parents.

What follows is hour and a half of nothing but over the top fight scenes, high pressure blood spraying everywhere and gore special effects galore. We have machine guns, chainsaws, drills, katanas, throwing stars, and everything else under the sun, slicing and dicing and ripping and shredding. The special effects and props are certainly well-made, although it would no surprise if had ended up thinking that this was made in the early 90s.

And, if gore and splatter are your thing, then this is exactly your type of movie. It holds nothing back, has no qualms whatsoever and doesn't even acknowledge that the lines you're not supposed to cross exist.

Personally I did think that the film went a bit too far in that I didn't particularly like the protagonists or their code of conduct. What I mean is that even though you expect your hero to slice and dice and murder most brutally, it shouldn't feel like they do it out of malice or for the enjoyment of pain in others. This one crosses that line and I simply don't like my films, splatter or otherwise, to be made that way.

Still, it is a very impressive example of its particular subgenre. By all means, if you're wanting to check out what a proper Asian gorefest looks like, look no further.