Meiko Kaji returns as Nami Matsushima aka Scorpion, this time singing two theme songs (one of them being the classic "Urami bushi") and saying only two lines of dialogue, continuing to suffer abuse and humiliation only to slaughter everybody with her knife. Jailhouse 41 is the second film in the Scorpion series, way more surreal than the first one (also directed by Shunya Ito).This film has far less nudity and seemingly lower production values than the first one, but it's a bit more violent in comparison. The story takes place mostly outside the prison but it isn't anything special. Matsu escapes with six more convicts and is trailed by the vengeful warden whose eye she has stabbed in the first film. The dialogues could've been better, and I really don't understand why the other inmates hate her in this film. The surreal sequences are hit-or- miss. Some of them, like the waterfalls in a national park (?) turning red after a corpse is thrown into the water, are pretty memorable, while others, like the part where they come across an old woman who sings their backstories in the "He Had It Comin'" from the movie "Chicago" fashion, before dying, making Autumn come prematurely and getting buried with leaves, are just baffling.Some of the supporting characters include the two guards from the first film, the slightly Mexican one and the slightly nerdy one, who serve as second-to-final bosses. There's also a busful of rapey tourists, some of them being WWII veterans who brag about having raped women in Manchuria, which makes this one of the rare films to mention Japanese war crimes in Manchuria. The final scene has one of the coolest screen transitions I've seen; Matsu simply slices the screen in half and moves to a different location.The story to this film is a lot weaker than the one in the first film, and there is some awkward editing, but it's still entertaining and worth a watch.

Considered by most as the pinnacle of the series Meiko Kaji revises her role as prisoner 701: scorpion. She has become a bit of legend in prison as she has been kept underground for over a year in solitary. The cycloptic warden ( whom blames her for the loss of his eye) is being promoted and has an example made of her consisting of 4 people raping her in front of the other prisoners. She is then transported to another prison with several other prisoners whilst on route they escape thus the story begins.The film focus even more on the art-house area of the film with underlying themes of feminism, human rights and is quite psychedelic in parts which can be expected from an early 70s film. The nudity is toned down a lot but there is still enough violence and action to keep people entertained throughout and quite a few twists. Sasori speaks even less than in the previous film uttering only a few lines throughout the film. Its highly enjoyable and well written and beautifully shot i particularly liked the waterfall of blood which was done with practical effects and looks great it is quite similar to Suspiria in terms of lighting but I actually enjoy this more. so check it out if you haven't already.

After beginning the brilliant "Sasori" series starring the great Meiko Kaji, with "Joshuu 701-gô: Sasori" in 1972, director Shunya Ito carried on to make this first sequel, "Joshuu Sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô" aka. "Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41", which comes very close to the brilliance of the first part. "Sasori: Jailhouse 41", as it is called where i live, is easily the most surreal of all Sasori films. As the first part, this is THE perfect proof that it is possible to make Exploitation and Art-house cinema at the same time. Brutal and beautiful, sleazy and visually stunning, full of violence as well as full of symbolism, "Jailhouse 41" is another true gem of Exploitation-Art.After disrupting a prison ceremony, which was to impress a government official, Female prisoner 701, Nami Matsushima aka. "Sasori" (Meiko Kaji) is tortured and abused even heavier than usual on behalf of the sadistic Inspector Goda (Fumio Watanbe). Sasori endures the torture with her usual stamina, and takes the first chance to escape with six other female prisoners...As the first film, "Jailhouse 41" is again very violent. This film, however, is by far the most surreal of the entire series. Brutal tortures, murders and rapes are featured as well as visually stunning artistic elements, symbolism, and dream-like sequences. The stunningly beautiful Meiko Kaji is once again brilliant in her role of Sasori, I simply lack the words to express my admiration for this wonderful actress. Fumio Watanbe is also excellent and wonderfully sadistic as Inspector Goda. The rest of the performances are also great, especially the women who play the six other escapees are very good in their roles. As the first part and the sequels to follow, the main theme song is the iconic "Urami-Bushi", which Kaji, who is not only a brilliant actress but also a wonderful singer, sings herself.Personally, I still prefer the first "Sasori" film, and the third part "Joshuu sasori: Kemono-beya" aka. "Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable" (1973), which is arguably the best of them all. However, "Jailhouse 41" is doubtlessly a masterpiece too, and there probably little point in arguing which of these fantastic films is No. 1. The entire "Sasori" series is an absolutely outstanding highlight of exploitation cinema, and "Jailhouse 41" is ingenious in every aspect. This is a must-see for my fellow fans of Exploitation cinema and Art-house cinema alike, and a cinematic highlight that is highly recommendable to all lovers of cult-cinema!

I saw the fantastic Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion recently and was thoroughly impressed by it. Jailhouse #41 is the first sequel to said masterpiece and sees the successful reunion of director Shunya Ito and star Meiko Kaji. I'm guessing that the first film was a big success in its native Japan (and rightly so) as the pair obviously wasted no time in making this sequel, seeing as it was released the very same year! The two films have obvious similarities and follow something like the same plot formula, but the two couldn't be much different in terms of style as while the first film was your 'by the book' women in prison flick, this one takes a more risky approach! The film starts as the last one left off with a scene that sees our heroine Matsu (a.k.a. Scorpion) being tortured by the merciless prison guards - lead by the one eyed guard that Matsu had a hand in disfiguring in the first film. She's brought out of the dungeon to attend the visit of a high ranking official, but after a riot breaks out, Matsu takes her chance to escape along with six other prisoners...As was the case with the first film, this one excellently straddles the line between trash and art. The story and the action is largely very sleazy, but it's shot in such an artful way that you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The sleaze comes mostly by way of character actions and violence rather than nudity - of which there is very little. The film is not as bloody as the first film either, though the focus here seems to be more on surreal hallucinations and the film features plenty! I'm undecided as to how much I liked this element of the film, although the hallucination sequences are largely very memorable and serve in giving the film its own unique style. Meiko Kaji excellently steps back into her role, and this time she is required to look daggers more often and speak less often as she has very few words in the film. She fits the role like a glove, however, and is easily one of the main standouts of the film. The revenge theme goes on throughout once again, and climaxes well (although familiarly) at the end. Overall, I can't say that I liked this film as much as the original; but it's certainly a good follow up and comes recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first in the series.