Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

From an outsider’s perspective Japanese pop culture seems to have an unhealthy obsession with teenage girls, skimpy outfits and the ‘ol ultraviolence.  But when you actually sit down and watch something like Sailor Suit and Machine Gun(1981), in which a high school girl inherits a run-down gang of yakuza, it’s surprising how the unseemly scenario actually plays out.  There’s an innocent undercurrent at work, a longing for family, acceptance and emotional connections that intermingles with the seedier exploitation elements.  

Orphaned after the death of her father, Izumi Hoshi is met at her school by a gang of yakuza thugs who inform her she’s next in line for the position of Chairman.  Her youth, gender and inexperience don’t detract from the gang’s loyalty however as they take her under their wing in an attempt to build up the family name.  But enemy rivals are quick move in on their territory, setting the stage for a showdown over a missing shipment of drugs that could determine who controls the city.

 

A pop-culture touchstone in its native country, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun inspired a pair of TV series, a 2016 sequel and turned star Hiroko Yakushimaru into a short-lived youth icon and pop star.  Her performance is the closest you can get to live-action anime: cute, precocious and cover-girl ready.  The film itself, directed by Shinji Somai, is episodic and choppy, but shot with a decidedly unique style.  Long-takes and camera lenses call attention to the visual storytelling in a way that is sure to impress cinephiles.  Somai struggles to keep the story moving until the gonzo third act, lifted right out of a James Bond film.  But, even with its flaws, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun is an odd entry in the yakuza genre one isn’t likely to forget.

 

Arrow Video’s Blu-ray presentation gets high marks all around, including the 50-minute documentary on the making of the film and its legacy, plus trailers, TV spots and newly commissioned artwork.

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