Popular reviews

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  Review by theriverjordan ★★★ 17

  “Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance” goes for the throat of those who wield modernism as a weapon in war. 

  “Vengeance’s” political ambitions are even more merciless the second time around. But in grasping for the jugular of politicians, its bloodlust causes it to lose sight of the original entry’s most essential element: Lady Snowblood herself. 

  Set during the Meiji dynasty of Japan, “Vengeance” is something of a samurai spy flick. It unfolds in the immediate aftermath of the Russo-Japan war; from which Japan had emerged victorious largely due to technological innovation.

  While a film focused on espionage in an ancient nation that has forced itself into contemporary aggression seems promising, Lady Snowblood has no reason to enter this fight. …

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  Review by Luca ★★★½ 1

  This had surprisingly little Lady Snowblood for a Lady Snowblood movie. In fact it lacked a lot of what made the first movie great. It lacked the iconic images of crimson blood spewing out onto untouched white snow and creating gory Pollukesque art. I lacked the one of a kind score, although the score was still good. It lacked the ridiculous erratic yet artful editing. It missed a lot of Lady Snowblood. But it still had Lady Snowblood in it, albeit less. And Lady Snowblood still did her thing, and that was great. She’s such an iconic character and Kaji’s style is so visceral. Despite all of its glaring flaws it its still a pretty awesome movie. How can you not like a Lady Snowblood movie? And how many times did I say Lady Snowblood in this review?

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  Review by Micko ★★★

  The sequel to the brilliant Lady Snowblood (1973) sees assassin Kashima Yuki (Meiko Kaji) on the run from the law, chopping cops and slicing sergeants along the way.

  Yet as the odds of her capture become increasingly insurmountable, she has no choice but to surrender and is consequently sentenced to death.

  On the way to the gallows, Kashima is rescued by the secret police who intend to use her murderous skills to help them eliminate an anarchist making life difficult for the government.

  Love Song of Vengeance is a perfectly enjoyable sequel but doesn’t quite have the diamond sharp edge of the first installment.

  Unlike the first film where Kashima had a pre-ordained mission of revenge to carry out, this…

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  Review by Dave Jackson ★★★★

  Lady Snowblood II: Love Song of Vengeance is not immediately satisfying like the original, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. I liken the experience to Sanjuro. The films are nothing alike, but when I first saw Sanjuro, I was initially disappointed in how it differed from Yojimbo. But as the running time ticked by, I grew used to its different tone and slower pace. I ended up liking it as much as its predecessor - in the case of Lady Snowblood II, I like it almost as much as the original. The first Lady Snowblood is a straightforward revenge flick. It touched briefly on ideas of political corruption. Here corruption and its unbalanced society is the central theme. The…

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  Review by AScaryGhost ★★★★★

  Lady snowblood became an anarchist and tried to violently overthrow the police state, and it was the coolest thing that ever happened

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  Review by Mads Ej ★★★

  This was a bit different than the first movie.
  It was a bit slower and less action packed, while also having a more political story, which meant that Lady Snowblood didn’t really have the same personal motivation to go against the bad guys. 
  The movie still had action and style, but I liked the style more in the first movie. The action however, was still fun and bloody, but there just wasn’t as much of it, though we still got a decent amount. 
  Overall an enjoyable movie with a fine story, but it just doesn’t have the same fun or stylish creativity as the first movie.

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  Review by Jamelle Bouie ★★★½

  lady snowblood vs the repressive forces of the imperialist state

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  Review by Paul Hibbard ★★

  The simplicity of the first Lady Snowblood is continued in the opening scene of its sequel, promising more of the same goodness from director Toshiya Fujita, which is unfortunately then abandoned for a convoluted mess of a story that is filled with politics and bereft of satisfying action, coherent storytelling and lady snowblood herself.

  I'll spend the rest of my life rewatching the original and acting like this doesn't exist

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  Review by dankwit

  the plot goes in a significantly different direction from LS1, and I found it just as compelling (even if it was harder to play "spot the tarantino" apart from the foot fetish). interpreted it as LS bringing her vengeance from beyond the grave this time, which makes about as much sense as reading it at face value tbh

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  Review by Craig Duffy ★★★½ 1

  So much potential but not all of it delivered upon. I dig the idea of Snowblood as a political subversive and the clash of classic and modern is great but the narrative is a bit muddled. Sometimes you're unsure where things are going and not in a good way. At least it has the strength of its convictions and takes a stand on political things rather than just using buzz words to sound important.

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  Review by Bob McQueen ★★★½ 2

  I mean, it's decent. There's some good visuals especially with the colors but gone are the geysers of blood (except for the final) and in it's place is some convoluted political story about anarchism (I guess) in the post Japan/Russian war of like 1905. I didn't mind it, they tried to go bigger with it and it didn't work. It slightly reminded me of Battle Royale 1&2 about how the first one is perfect and the second is a boring political diatribe. Not to say this one is boring, it has it's merits, just not that fantastic bloody revenge tale of the first. And if I'm being honest, I would watch Meiko Kaji in 10 of these movies and still be entertained.

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  Review by hailey 🌼 ★★★

  lady snowblood supports men's right...men's right to shut the fuck up!