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Simply A Masterpiece

An Exercise In Nonsense

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

After killing her intended target an assassin by the name of "Rei" (Kumiko Takeda) unexpectedly flashes back to a tragic childhood event and is so troubled by it that she decides to quit her chosen profession. Needless to say this displeases her boss but her emotions are so strong that she soon becomes depressed and suicidal. However, it gets even worse as the crime lords she was hunting soon hire an assassin of their own named "Katsumura" (Keiji Matsuda) to kill her. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a decent crime-drama which I found to be entertaining enough. It certainly had its share of attractive women in Mari Nishina (as "Tomomi"), Marie Jinno ("Sayako") and the extremely beautiful Kumiko Takeda to enhance the scenery. Having said that, however, I must admit that the English dubbing was so drab and basic that I question whether having subtitles would have been an improvement. In any case, while this film clearly wasn't the best in the "Zero Woman" series it was still a worthwhile entry and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

This third installment, and the second one I have seen presents a more interesting story, and more action.After her latest hit, Rei, Zero Woman (Kumiko Takeda) walks away. She beds a hit-man (Keiji Matsuda as Katumura) sent to kill her that she picks up in a bar, presumably to fight her depression. This is apparently related to deaths that have occurred in the past, as there are several flashbacks to her childhood.But, despite her boss's pleas for her to come back to work and kill the remaining four targets, she appears to attempt suicide by walking into a bar full of mobsters and purposely setting herself up. Katsumura, who has demons of his own, saves her instead of killing her.Naturally, this irritates his bosses, and when Zero Woman returns to duty, they kidnap his girlfriend (Mari Nishina) to make him finish the job.Lots of action as Zero Woman and Katsumura zero in on the remaining thugs. But, I sure didn't see the ending in the bowling alley coming.Whether she is seating in the sauna or on top of Katsumura, Zero Woman is a joy to watch - and Marie Jinno wasn't bad either!

Special agent of the Zero Division Rei (Kumiko Takeda) is ordered to eliminate the five top people who control a criminal corporation. After she successfully pulls off the first hit, the bad guys hire Katsumurua (Keiji Matsuda), a (male) assassin with a top reputation, to take Rei out. Just when he's about to do that, he notices a tear running down her cheek - Rei is fed up with killing and haunted by memories of her traumatic childhood. Katsumura cannot bring himself to kill her; instead, he starts an odd "love" relationship with her. But his employers are getting impatient, so they kidnap his other girlfriend to make sure he will finish the job.The most arty out of the first three "Zero Woman" films, "Assassin Lovers" has a bit more emotional content than the previous two: the two assassins feel a strange connection to each other, but ultimately know that they cannot escape the demands of their job. The ending is VERY bleak, following the same pattern as the previous films: everyone who is not a recurring character in the series ends up dead. The very beautiful Kumiko Takeda makes a moody, melancholic Rei and looks GREAT with a gun. But - and it's a big "but" - the pacing is once again very slow, with long stretches of very little happening, making the running time seem much longer than it is (and yes, I DID write pretty much the same thing for the previous two films, but what can I do - it's the truth!) (**)

The third installment of the Zero Woman series is perhaps it's weakest installment, but the vulnerable, human portrayal of the Asian assassin is pulled off well by the stunning Kumiko Takeda. The film has a very slow pacing to it, but it highlights the tension between the Zero Woman and her rival, Katsumura (played by Keiji Matsuda). The sex is minimal in this film, but there is more violence then all of the previous installments, which may be refreshing to some viewers. Takeda's Zero Woman is a determined, solemn young girl who is tired of killing and wants to walk away from it all. It is this beautiful actress that carries the film.