The Machine Girl Reviews

• 3 ½ ++ Stars: An Over-the-top Action film that Blends "Pink Violence" and Splatter Horror Elements

  
  By A2UUP58XPQW3GF on 2008-06-13
  MACHINE GIRL (aka. One-Armed Machine Girl) is an over-the-top, campy, ultra-violent action film by Iguchi Noboru (Sukeban Boy). The film is definitely NOT for everyone but will appeal to fans of Japanese cult films with a touch of dark comedy and unrealistic ultra-bloody violence made popular by Ichi the Killer and even Tarantino's magnificent "Kill Bill". Folks will either applaud or be repulsed by this film's execution, but it is a wickedly twisted, darkly-toned entertainment that knows exactly what it's going for. The film features well-known Japanese bikini model Minase Yashiro in her first feature role, ex-AV star Asami and the beautiful Honoka as the Yakuza boss' twisted wife. Do I have your attention yet?
  
  Plot synopsis partly derived from the back cover:
  Ami (Minase Yashiro) is a tough but otherwise average high school girl, trying to lead a normal life with her younger brother. Her whole world comes crushing down when her brother and his friend are killed by ruthless bullies led by a Yakuza Boss' son. When she goes to find those responsible, she finds herself in over her head and minus her left arm. Barely surviving, Ami escapes and finds shelter from a kindly mechanic and his wife Miki (Asami) who also happen to be the parents of her brother`s friend. They take pity on Ami's plight, helping her heal, training her and fitting her with a powerful machine gun where her left arm used to be. She then teams up with the tough mother to seek vengeance and together they unleash an unholy, non-stop, over the top kill fest against the equally creative machinery of their ruthless Ninja-Yakuza enemies.
  
  The film is a wild blend of 70's "pink violence" and 80's super-violent splatter horror that doesn't take itself seriously. The film is full of bloody sequences and oddball weird humor that will undoubtedly garner a cult following. It was quite inventive of the filmmakers to rely on "old-school" style violence to conduct the visual blood and gore. Whether this decision was made because of budget constraints or some other factor, it made the film work; from an entertainment standpoint kind of way. The exaggerated gallons of blood complements the film's action sequences; chainsaw-fu, machine gun-fu, swordplay and brassiere-fu are the film's many unorthodox style of brutality. The film is an example of an adult-Tokusatsu (Kid's TV show)with the wild blend of action, camp, humor, sci-fi and even horror that plays like a stunt/Gore show.
  
  The film also has some campy ideas that will make you say; "What the heck" as the film makes fun of certain anime-inspired names such as "Super Mourner Gang" and "Junior high Shuriken gang" seem attempts to somewhat tone down all the violence and brutality displayed. There are also twisted touches of oddball humor with the "sushi fingers" and "tempura arm". I've always wondered how Hellraiser's "Pinhead" got that look; Miki and Ami were very obliged to demonstrate how that sinister look can come about in a human being.
  
  Sexy Minase Yashiro plays the lead, I'm a little undecided as to how well her first starring performance is. She has the right school girl look and she has a lot of charisma, but at times she looks a little awkward with the action sequences. Asami plays Miki and she looks a little young and definitely too cool to be the mother of a teenager. Nude model Honoka adds a lot of eye-candy as the wife of Yakuza boss Kimura. The woman is twisted in her own way, she has that no-nonsense appeal further accentuated by Honoka's sheer sexiness. She is seductively, yet creepily appealing as she displays her "Drill Brassiere" as an added campy display of villainy. Shimazu Kentaro is the Yakuza Boss who seemed to have been based on "Heihachi Yashima" from the "tekken" video game. The whirling and hurling flying razor sharp "bucket" adds more to the film's twistedly, campy appeal. Boss Kimura an intimidating villain although he isn't an originally fresh concept.
  
  With Ami's Sailor Moon-inspired outfit, sentai/tokusatsu heroism, references to ninja and Yakuza elements, the film is definitely aimed at anime fan boys and those very initiated with Japanese cinema. The film's enjoyment requires a very large suspension of disbelief for its entirety. Take two cups of "Shoot `Em Up", three tablespoons of "Darkman" and even "Planet Terror" to two gallons of "Ichi The Killer" and stir vigorously, then you will have an accurate idea just how this film plays out. The film doesn't take itself seriously and if "Machine Girl" is any indication of the filmmakers take on twisted entertainment, then I'm sold to see "Tokyo Gore Police".
  
  Recommended for fans of J-cinema and Pink violence [3 ½ ++ Stars]
  
  
  
  
  

• Forget Your Stupid Superheros, THIS Movie Should Be Playing On 3000 Screens!

  
  By A1VDRK69F22YMN on 2008-06-02
  After her brother is murdered by a ninja-yakuza clan, a teenage girl seeks vengeance with her gatling gun. First and foremost, this movie has enough blood spray to fill Lake Erie. The death scenes are numerous, highly inventive, and extremely entertaining. The pacing is just about perfect, with the action scenes positioned within the running time in such a way that avoids any dullness. One surprising positive is the camera-work, which shows blood sprays for incredibly long periods of time. This is definitely a movie that soaks itself in excess. The story itself plays out rather seriously, but the black humor is laid on thick during the fights, so some laugh-out-loud moments are almost guaranteed along the way. This is a very satisfying action gore-fest because of its impressively long finale.
  
  I've already heard some artsy snobs complaining about this movie in terms of character development. I'm just wondering why these tards even decided to watch this movie to begin with. They should have known exactly what they were going to get. You don't see the name Tsai Ming-liang on the DVD case, do you?
  
  This really was my summer blockbuster popcorn flick of 2008. Everyone else can have their little CGI prairie dogs, animated monkeys, and space aliens. You can have your superheros, sequels, and remakes (can Hollywood think of anything new?). The fact remains that THIS movie should be playing on 3,000 screens! That will never happen in the USA though with it's dumb-as-dirt moviegoers who flock like sheep to see the most derivative tripe dished out by those Californian bloodsuckers. Do you people have ANY standards whatsoever?
  
  On a positive note, that's 2-for-2 this year in terms of my most highly anticipated films. "Chocolate" (a Thai action flick) and "The Machine Girl" were both insanely entertaining. I have full confidence that "Tokyo Gore Police" will be something really, really special. And maybe "High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter", "Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge", and "Onechanbara" can round out a great 2008 for Japanese Horror.
  
  You don't get great stuff like this out of the States. Man, is there any reason to watch American movies anymore?
  
  

• This review is meant for those who take ALL their movies serious.

  
  By ADH5E2OE07PAQ on 2008-07-26
  If avoiding or hating movies like this means that I'm close minded and have absolutely no taste at all. That's fine and I'll continue living this way. I gave The Machine Girl a chance simply because I wanted to expand my range in movie watching. Plus most of my amazon friends like it. I have no ill feelings towards any of them at all for recommending this. But this movie is at the top of the list of things that I wish I can unsee. I hate this movie. I hated the fight scenes, the cheesy dialogue, the poor special effects, the horrendous acting, the ridiculous ideas. I don't have anything good to say about this movie. People actually compare this to Planet Terror in a good way. I was interested in checking that out too. But there's no way I'm bothering with that. I really did come into this movie wanting to like it because of the mindless violence. But it just didn't do it for me. The point of this 1 star rant is to let people with similar taste to mine, know what they are getting into. It took me 4 tries in 6 days to finish a 90 minute movie. What more do I have to say?
  
  

• Sadistic and completely hilarious.

  
  By APCHVFMSQZVY4 on 2008-06-21
  Wow, what can I say about this terrific and absolutely ridiculous film. I'm just speechless, this film had my jaw drop to the floor so many times thinking "did I just see that". The Machine Girl is the latest gore flick that's also a tribute to old grindhouse cinema (check out the great credit sequence) and other films from the past. Director Noboru Iguchi completely understands this style of film, and the audience he's aiming for and you can tell from the way the film was shot that it also copies the styles of anime in the ridiculous poses right before a fight scene especially with the ninjas and theres even that cartoon sound effect. Ami and her brother Yu are struggling to make it on their own after their parents commit suicide after being wrongly accused of murder. Yu is continuously bullied at school by a crew of ruthless boys led by the son of a Yakuza clan and it ultimately leads to him being bullied to death and the boys make it look like suicide but Ami knows better, she goes in search of answers and she finds out that the group is led by the son of a Yakuza clan and basically gets her bloody revenge by killing, chopping and maiming some gang members only to be caught and tortured and then having her arm chopped off. She then gets her arm fitted with a prosthetic machine gun which is capable of blowing holes in people's faces and stomaches, there is also a Yakuza gang member that gets completely chopped in half by a chainsaw which I thought was rather cool, yes very nice! but some might think it was sick. This was the goriest and most over the top Japanese flick I've ever seen, it makes Kill Bill and Hostel look like Disney's Highschool musical. There is tons of blood and gore in this film so if your a gore hound then your going to love it but if your looking for a story then look elsewhere, the story worked fine by me cause it sets up all these gory and brutal death scenes and carnage. This has quite a few great fight scenes as well and I'm sure it will appeal to those of you who like gory horror/comedies and martial arts flicks like Dead Alive, Toxic Avenger, Ichi The Killer, Riki-oh etc. cause I noticed that a few scenes were also inspired by those films, infact it mixes alot of other elements from other films so its not exactly original and the acting was horrible but I think they've done that on purpose cause its so over the top especially with Ami's best friend who's high pitched and whiny voice sounds like she came straight from an anime cartoon, but I still thought it was great and it was also a hilarious and fast paced gore flick that was alot of fun. This is what you will expect from the film! gallons of blood spraying from everywhere, severed limbs, exploding heads, guys cut into pieces, a mechanical drill bra and theres more but I'm not going to ruin the surprise so just watch it. Yes there are some cliches but I don't think you'll find a gorier film than The Machine Girl this year, I highly recommend this enjoy.
  
  

• blood blood gimme gimme what?

  
  By A6DOCZ10B7JAJ on 2008-07-20
  Hmmm, those American folk love their violence. Let's cram it down their throat and watch them choke on it.
  That's the overall feeling I got from Machine Girl. Like a kid sneaking a cookie and mommy forces him to eat the whole bag as punishment.
  It's another revenge flick with a plethora of absurdly oozing blood and gory mayhem. Some great special effects, unbelievably cheesy events, plus horrendous acting. Actually the acting probably wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't dubbed in English.
  
  Anyway, this is the type of movie I usually love. Just this time I felt they were exploiting my stupidity, haha. 3.5 stars.
  
  
• Welcome to the modern Asian grindhouse!
  By A3AAK33K3BUUTM on 2008-06-19
  If arterial spray was a sexual fetish, "The Machine Girl" would be hardcore porn. If cinematic cheese were real cheese, it could open it's own pizza parlor. If an ultraviolent anime came to life, it would be this film. I haven't seen a display like this since Riki-Oh. And at least that one had the restraint to refrain from drill-bra versus chainsaw duels and Power Ranger-esque ninja death squads. But make no mistake, this is one of the most hysterically good times a gorehound can have with a single DVD.
  
  Blood covers the screen, the heroines, the villains, the floor, and everything else in this film, sometimes to the point where it's all you can see. Fingers are made into sushi, an arm is battered and deep-fried, a woman discovers her son's head in her soup and then vomits as she is stabbed through the mouth from behind, her blood mixing with the extra-chunky puke to pour enticingly onto her son's disembodied head in the bowl in front of her (OWNED!), and that's before the giant machine-gun arm comes in! Have I given everything away? Not by a long shot. By this time you're either in or out, but I'll give you one more teaser. The Flying Guillotine: corniest martial-arts weapon EVER! Love it.
  
  Get ready to laugh yourself sick...or maybe just get sick. Either way, this is one of the giddiest, most profanely violent, and cheesiest grindhouse films I've ever seen. It even comes complete with a score that could have come straight out of a 70's exploitation flick. Consider my faith in Japanese cinema officially restored. This is what I want to see when I pick up a movie with a DVD cover like this one's: a Japanese schoolgirl with a ridiculous machine gun arm blow a hole in a guy and then stick the gun through the hole she just shot in the guy to shoot a hole in another guy's face. Is that too much to ask? Director Iguchi Noboru says "HELL NO!". And God bless him for that.
  4 1/2 stars rounded down for some poor special effects.
  
  
• THIS ONES DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE
  By A26PEFWHKUHN7O on 2008-07-31
  Dear Machine Girl,
  
  I was so happy when I finally found you;
  the blood-soaked girl of my dreams.
  I think you're gatling gun arm was just super.
  You were so bloody I could bathe in your torrents of gore.
  And I loved that some of the color in your scenes were washed out.
  Your were so pretty that night, with your plots of vengeance.
  Remember when you severed that punks hand with a sickle,
  or kicked a pipe through that other punks mouth, and out the back of his head.
  That was just lovely.
  You really made my night with that one.
  Or the time you busted a hole in that red-ninja,
  and then aimed through it and mowed another hole in his buddies skull.
  Don't you remember all we've been through together,
  the decaptations, the horizontal & vertical mutilations,
  the showers of blood together.
  We had so many romantic dinners, like the fried arm, and the finger sushi.
  Remember that knife through that womans mouth,
  oh what a joy to see her vomit blood on her sons decapitated head.
  We had some good times didn't we??
  Don't get me wrong every special effect we had was as corny as "he who walks behind the rows".
  But they were fun weren't they.
  Don't you recall??
  Pounding nails in our enemies face,
  the chainsaw leg, the flying guillotine, and the motorized drill bra.
  I can't believe our bloody, slow-mo, skull-swapping conclusion.
  It was all to sudden.
  Come back to me Machine Girl,
  I love you,
  I need to feel your waves of blood on my face again.
  You fill my world with gore.
  
  MORAL OF THE STORY:
  blood, Blood, BLOOD!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Most ridiculous, violent and bloody movie... but that's why you're here.
  By A2FZXYK42HEZY3 on 2008-05-30
  So anybody viewing this product already knows what they should expect. I mean, look at the DVD art... you're not going to get oscar-winning cinema here, but what you will get is some of the more violent, gory, gruesome and action-filled movies i have ever seen. We all know about Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition) and Riki-Oh - The Story of Ricky and i think this could be lumped into the same category. Totally over the top action and violence to see how far the creators can go. So down to MACHINE GIRL specifically. Acting and overall plot were pretty good considering... A young girl's brother and his friend are killed by a gang of high-school aged yakuza and she seeks revenge, only to get her arm chopped off in the process. She finds herself at the parent's house of the other kid who was killed and they nurse her back to health. They also make her a gigantic machine gun arm just in time to have ninjas show up to make use of it. The father is killed and "Machine Girl" and the mother of the other dead boy basically go out to seek revenge on the rest of the family. EXTREME violence ensues throughout - holes blown in people's head, chests; decapitations; drill-bras; limbs chopped off; bodies cut into pieces, Kill Bill, Volume 1 style blood-sprays - the works. I was surprised to see that the special effects were for the most part top notch in the old-school manner. Most were all practical effects and all worked - even if they were a lil cheesy, i think it worked for the movie considering it was all that way. This will be a great movie to add to a gore-hound's collection, or those who are fond of grindhouse-revival cinema. I'm proud to add it to my collection (of over 850 titles) and can't wait to show it off to my friends who could stomach it... lol
  
  
• mmm, tempura
  By A2CRIEA7FXEFST on 2008-07-08
  Although she is quite tough and excels in sports such as basketball, Hyuga Ami is a normal high school girl. However, there is one aspect to her that is a bit different than other girls, her parents committed suicide after being accused of murder. With this dark cloud hanging over her head, Ami fights to get by each day with the support of her younger brother Yu. Yet, there is a major problem. Yu, along with his chunky, bespectacled friend Takeshi, are the targets of a vicious gang of school bullies led by Kimura Sho, the son of a powerful yakuza and scion of the Hattori Hanzo clan, the name of a historical samurai and a name that should be familiar to all fans of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Going beyond the normal bullying and extortion, Kimura and his gang kill Yu and Takeshi. Ami, unable to gain sympathy from anyone, goes on a killing spree herself when she finds her brother's diary which contains a list of the people he would like to kill. After arriving at the home of her first victim, the insanity truly begins.
  
  After Kimura's underling heads off to school, Ami is attacked by the underling's parents, the father attacking her with a double golf club attack and the mother deep frying the poor girl's left arm like it was a big hunk of meat in tempura batter. Ami, however, is able to escape when she throws some boiling water on the dad. That night, Ami returns to the home and kills the mother and Kimura's underling. She then declares that she is a demon bent on Kimura's destruction, however, unfortunately for her, she is caught by Kimura's dad and has her fingers and arm cut off. After managing to escape, she makes her way to the home of Takeshi's parents, two mechanics, who aid her and build her a Gatling gun that attaches to the stump of her left arm. Now, the true action begins.
  
  The Machine Girl is obviously a film that had a limited budget which it tries to make up for by adding enough blood and gore to make fans of 1970s and 1980s splattercore proud, and by adding enough eye candy, the bikini model Yashiro Minase as Ami, the former adult video star Asami as Miki, Takeshi's mom, and nude model Honoka as Kimura Sho's mother, for those who like cheesecake to go with their gore. Although incredibly bloody and gory, The Machine Girl is so over-the-top that the buckets of blood and guts produce laughs instead of cringes. Campy, poorly acted, and bizarre, The Machine Girl makes for a bit of mindless fun on a boring day.
  
  
• Finger Sushi, Drill Bras, Chainsaws, Ninjas, Tempura Arm and the Machine Gun Arm!
  By A2KWG1J285Z4QA on 2008-06-13
  This review is from; The Machine Girl
  
  If you enjoy over-the-top Japanese action flicks such as "Ichi the Killer" & "Battle Royale" then this movie is right up your alley. I can't help, but think the lead actress's machine-gun arm was influenced by Rose McGowen's machine-gun leg in Rober Rodriguez's "Planet Terror". The action in this movie is non-stop and the blood sprays farther than your backyard sprinkler. This is a very, gory movie, but it is actually comedic to watch because it is so silly. A chef is forced to eat his own fingers served "sushi style". Talking about finger food! the lady's drill bra is a trip to watch! Sorry, but the tempura arm actually made me hungry because it looked so crunchy and fluffy on the outside!
  
  In a nut shell, the film is about a young lady's brother & friend who are brutally murdered by the son of Japanese Yakuza and his own friends. After an unsuccessful revenge attempt she survives, but her arm is unforunatley severed. After seeking refuge in the parents' house of her brother's slain friend, she is nursed back to health and her arm is outfitted with the "hardware". From then on, the violence driven by revenge ensues in extreme fashion!
  
  As for the DVD it's a solid release by Tokyo Shock. Widescreen transfer, Japanese or English 5.1 language and subtitles. There is a 10 minute featurette with behind the scenes footage and cast interviews in Japanese with English subtitles. The trailer for "the Machine Girl" is included as well as trailers for other Tokyo Shock films.
  
  Overall, this is fantastic and fun to watch for fanatics like me who appreciate unusual, over-the-top cinema like this, but not so for the light-hearted viewers! Can only be appreciated if you have a "sick" sense of humor for the extreme!
  
  
  
• Extremely bloody "gorefest", but it's so stupid that it's funny.
  By ACVFTS9X2MKJ8 on 2008-06-14
  "Tongue in cheek - funny". I mean, you gotta be kidding me. Are Japanese people really entertained by these kinds of violent films? Very bad special effects and totally unlikable people? You would think that when people get cut or lose a limb, they would just bleed. But no, in Japanese films, people spray blood just like having a fire hydrant burst open. It's so ridiculous looking that it's funny. I've heard of being under stress, but these films give "being under pressure" a whole new meaning. Jeez, I'd imagine that have some pretty intense farts too.
  
  This is like a totally, bloody, gory, film with "over the top" exaggerated sarcastic evil with a wealthy family that definitely has social problems. Even their son is dressed to be an evil effeminate pansy if I've ever seen one so, of course, you'd want to see him blown away in the end. Everyone's kinda sick in this movie. I didn't think that Japanese audiences were this warped with what entertains them.
  
  
  
• Over the Top...In Every Way Possible
  By A3TYC8T6W81DDB on 2008-05-31
  This is the story of Ami Hyuga, the older sister of Yu Hyuga. They're all each other has as their parents committed suicide after being suspected of committing murder. When Yu starts being bullied by Sho, whose father is part of the yakuza, and his gang...things start to get ugly. Yu is told to bring Sho insane amounts of money or else Sho will go after Ami to put her in his father's whorehouse. Takeshi, a friend of Yu's, is on the same boat and when they don't pay the gang one day...they pay the consequences. Now, with Yu gone, Ami swears revenge. She winds up at Sho's house and tries to avenge her brother's death, but winds up getting captured...and loses an arm in the process. After she escapes, she manages to make it back to Takeshi's house. His parents wind up helping her and Takeshi's father makes it his responsibility to make her a machine gun for an arm. Thus Machine Girl is born.
  
  I went into this with not necessarily high expectations, but I had been looking forward to it since I'd been keeping up with trailers and clips when they were released. It looked ridiculous and like it was going to be a lot of fun. The problem though was that I feel like I wound up biting off more than I could chew. The film was ridiculous, but way more than I was expecting. This movie is over the top in every sense of the phrase. The gore is outlandish, the acting is overdone, and the storyline is completely ridiculous. I went in wanting this to be a fun gorefest and walked out with an unexpected helping or two of cheese.
  
  Machine Girl isn't completely horrible. It's still pretty entertaining. While the acting is overdone, it's pretty humorous at times. The fact that blood sprays in every direction for several minutes in just about every other scene in the film is entertaining in itself. There are several scenes in the film that are so over the top and so ludicrous that you can't help but laugh.
  
  If you don't take this film too seriously, you may have some fun with it. It's like they knew ahead of time that this film couldn't be serious and took full advantage of it while they were making it. The movie is worth watching for some of the fight scenes alone as they're some of the bloodiest I've ever seen. If you liked Zombie Strippers or The Day of the Dead remake, then this is definitely a film for you.
  
  Rating: 5/10
  
  
• Drill Bra!!
  By A3GACBU1LDXBUV on 2008-06-03
  Those two words are all you need to know. This movie is long on action, and short on plot. That's not to say there isn't a plot, but it's very predictable, and just barely cohesive enough to hold together the almost random scenes of gratuitous violence (Actually, violence isn't a good enough word. It's more like extreme slapstick) together.
  However, there is a method to the madness. This is FAR more than a bunch of swordfights with arterial spray thrown in. The methods of death-dealing are what makes this movie an unexpected gem. Anyone can cut off a sushi chef's fingers, but what movie has the testicular fortitude to make him eat them afterwards?
  If that's what you're into, then this movie won't sit on your shelf much. Every one of your equally sick friends will be wanting to borrow it, and that's a fact!
  
  
• Yes !!!!!!!!!!
  By A2I16SKF3RHED6 on 2008-06-04
  This is an awesome, bloody, gory, comic book type movie!
  
  If you have ever seen "Dead Alive" then you know what to expect from this type of film. Blood, more blood and lots more blood!
  
  There are many moments throughout the film that make you think you're reading a comic book and that's exactly what you're doing when watching this film. Hang your brain at the door and let your ID run free!
  
  Enjoy!
  
  
  
• violently good movie
  By AXN2IO1UBOF6A on 2008-06-05
  Dont look for no oscar here. Excllent movie, very violent , and bloody the way I like it
  
  
• ridiculously stupid movie ever. I am so embarrassed which I dont have to though.....
  By A3CCHR27X1RTLS on 2008-07-22
  At first, I got shocked when I saw this movie's trailer, and second I got shocked again because that movie was really stupidly silly.
  If you think this is about real japanese culture, you are silly too.
  YAKUZA dont use the sword usually and never use "shuriken" which is like , Ninja used to through in the past.
  This is one of the completely prejudice, stereo type, misunderstanding movie.
  This is not funny at all and I got bored in the middle of the movie so I did not watch whole movie but hey, what is the point of this movie ?
  If you wanna waste your time , then watch it.
  I dont know why US people tend to like this kind of movie.
  We have tons of awesome movies that you maybe accept.
  US and foreign people tend to see japan as exotic, traditional asian country but it is completely misunderstanding. YES, Y.E.S, we have traditional culture that is similar with chinese one but it is not the thing what you already know.
  Anyway, this was stupid movie ever.
  
  
  
• Abunai Fun
  By A34ZY8SF7XYSZS on 2008-06-13
  This movie delievers. It has just the right amount of gore, violence, and black humor to appeal to me.
  The action scenes look great and can stand along side the best scenes from Kill Bill. This movie takes the violence in Kill Bill and cranks it up several notches higher.
  Also, it doesn't disappoint the gorehound in me. It takes the gore from such directors as Lucio Fulci, George Romero, Dario Argento, and Mario Bava and takes it to the same extremes. In fact, one shot reminds me of the infamous vomiting up intestines scene from Fulci's Gates of Hell (City of the Living Dead.)
  Despite all the bloodshed and killing, it really is a fun movie to watch. Just like Evil Dead II and Dawn of the Dead.
  The pacing is fine for this type of entertainment. The movie isn't too slow or fast for my tastes.
  Once the action starts, it erupts on the screen and doesn't stop.
  It is much more entertaining than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
  Yashiro Minase is so cute as the lead actress, (especially when she isn't covered from head to toe in blood), that its hard not to fall in love with her character.
  My only complaint is that Machine Girl should be playing at your local cinema instead of being available on DVD in the US. It deserves the big screen treatment.
  I love all types of Japanese movies from Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi to Miike, Kitano, and Nakata and I think this film earns its place as a cool Japanese action movie.
  
  
• Fun for the whole family...the Manson family!
  By A1U0FLNRDGBA8O on 2008-06-20
  If you're going into this movie expecting Oscar worthy performances, or are so closed-minded to say that the similarities of Planet Terror or Evil Dead make this a bad movie, don't bother watching this.
  
  If you're going into this movie expecting to see mindless violence and take it at face value you'll have a blast!
  
  I insist on rating this movie because I think the more this movie catches on the more movie snobs will bash this film due to "overacting" or the "lack of plot" and so on. Of course every character in here extremely overacts. Absolutely there isn't much of a plot at all. It's a typical revenge tale. A young girls brother gets killed by a gang. She gets pissed. She gets her arm chopped off by said gang. She gets more pissed. She gets a gun. She kills them. Sorry to spoil it for you. Not much to it I know. But who cares? It's fun! Bloody Bloody Fun!
  
  Also any movie that has ninjas dressed as old school Run DMC is A-OK in my book!
  
  
• Funny Clever Splatterific 5 stars
  By A1QWGDAW536975 on 2008-07-05
  Its doesn't get much better than this if you are looking for offbeat splatterrific entertainment.
  Funny....YES
  Clever...YES
  Good Story.....YES
  Good Characters.....YES
  Action.......YES
  Stupid Good.....YES
  Blood....YES
  Invite your friends over..........YES
  
  WICKED AWESOME>>>>>>>>YOU BET
  
  
• Splatter-rific
  By A1YHOHJV98Y7ET on 2008-07-28
  Laugh-out-Loud splatter fest that is way over the top. This is a great movie for those looking for a fun movie outside of the hollywood recycle machine. If your looking for 'high-art' or 'culture' then this is not for you and should be avoided at all costs. But, if you want to watch a movie that you and your friends will be talking about for a very long time - then this is your movie.
  
  The number 1 reason to buy this movie immediately is because "Wrestleanimaniac" hated it...nuff said.
  
  
• either love it or hate it!
  By AM5CZCAWFP8VT on 2008-08-26
  And I hate it for sure. The "Scrapheap Girl" is the worst movie I seen this year and one of the worst i seen ever. Everyting about it is bad. the acting, cheesy dialogue, everything. And its meant to be that way. Well to each his own. I truly believe this movie is either a love it or hate it and no in between. Anybody who is in between, 3 star reviews for example. is worried about votes, review ranking, and being cool with the amazon cliques roaming this website. In other words, they bulls***in' and don't want to come clean and say this flick sucks.
  
  
• Machine Girl dissapointment
  By A2M49039UVEUTN on 2008-09-07
  Machine girl ...the best parts are in the trailer. Not recommended. Loved the trailer.
  Cheers.
  
  
• (2.5 Stars) Japan's Answer to "Kill Bill"? Not Exactly...
  By ABO2ZI2Y5DQ9T on 2008-09-10
  "The Machine Girl" follows the story of bloody revenge of Ami, an ordinary Japanese high school girl whose brother is killed by a spoiled son of a ninja clan. Or was that yakuza, Japanese mafia? Never mind. One-armed Ami fights ferociously with a machinegun attached to the left arm. She kills like Rambo (of the newest film), fighting the evil crime syndicate Hattori. The resourceful Hattori clan fights back with flying daggers and a flying guillotine. Oh, and don't forget a bra. Yes, a bra can be very dangerous.
  
  Some may think director Noboru Iguchi's film "Kataude Mashin Garu" (literally translated "One-Armed Machine Girl") is Japan's answer to "Kill Bill" or "Grindhouse" and numerous exploitation films that have inspired the Tarantino-Rodriguez film, especially Rodriguez segment of "Grindhouse." However, "The Machine Girl" (which is actually produced by an American company, shot with all-Japanese cast in Japan) lacks the high-octane energy and crazy fun Rodriguez is known for. "The Machine Girl" is funny and entertaining, but only sporadically.
  
  I think I know what the director is trying to do. He is obviously more attracted to old-fashioned Japanese films and TV shows. The ruthless wife of the Hattori Clan's boss is a nod to Japanese yakuza films; the three ninja-like assassins in red suit are parody of Japanese "sentai" (fighters) actions, still popular genre in Japan; and the heroine's story (and tortures) is probably inspired by the Japanese revenge drama in the 70s like "The Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion" (starring Meiko Kaji, inspiration of the Uma Thurman character in "Kill Bill"). Some of the cast are good, some just amateurs. Minase Yashiro, known as gravure idol (model), did a fine job as the cute heroine that tunes into a killing machine. But something is missing here.
  
  The film's biggest problem for me is not its excessive gores; it is the way they are used. As the film provides lots of blood, body count rises, but the pace is sluggish and deaths look repetitious. Except some nice gadgets, the film offers nothing new. Sloppy editing sometimes ruins the action scenes that could have been better with faster pace. Also, dialogues are not the best kind even in original Japanese and jokes including sushi and tempura are not very funny.
  
  Perhaps "The Machine Girl" could be better with shorter running time. Not a big success, not a big disappointment either.
  
  
  
• Blood Gore and Ninjas
  By A3062ECWSS2TRC on 2008-06-13
  School girls'little brother and his friend get bullied and then knocked off by a yakuza familys' kid who runs a crew of his own. She then goes after the killers gets tortured and beaten,escapes then gets her bloody revenge in the end. Don't worry this is not a spoiler it's on the back of the box . Watching her get her revenge is all the fun , ecspeically with the large body count. Go pick this one up if you like them violent and red with some cheese on top. I highly recommend for any fan of horror and spaltterfest.
  
  
• The Machine Girl
  By A18D0R137EYS6C on 2008-06-18
  Machine Girl is a film that seeks to be every type of cult japanese film that it can be in its short running time all wrapped up in a big bow of exploitation. Theres the revenge quotient, some chanbara action with yakuza and wrapped up with a bunch of other stuff I'm too meak to categorize. Its main distributor Nikkatsu is known for producing mainly exploitation films and really the film isn't very serious and silly at the most. But what more can you think when a movies villains aren't only Yakuza but descendants of the Ninja Hattori Hanzo. Despite the glowing sense of stupidity that permeates the whole thing I was wearing a big stupid grin on my face through the whole mess of a film.
  
  Ami is a likeable college student good at basketball who takes care of her younger brother Yu. Of course in the opening minutes we learn that Yu is being bullied and unfortunately tries to fight back. This unfortunately leads to him a friend being thrown to their deaths. Ami trying hard to do the right thing finds herself assaulted by the family she confronts (having her hand fried as tempura but thats not what necesitates the machine gun arm). She then goes into revenge mode and everything goes further into crazy territory as Ami looses her arm and after teaming up with the parents of the Yu's murdered friend gains a gatling gun for an arm. But that doesn't even begin to describe things like a drill bra, a high school ninja assassin team and some reaonably well done gore.
  
  I find it hard to really defend or critique a film this ridiculous. The acting is bland and straight out of the b-movie quality it should be. The gore is too obvious and over the top but once they showed a screaming head with its face torn off any idea that they might have been aiming for realism vanished (and was never there to begin with). And the villains were so overdone but funny in their own little way (not including a crooked police man and his laughing wife, the main villains feed someone his fingers as his sushi and induce their bodygaurds to necrophilia with odd reasoning). This isn't a serious film and its not meant to be. It doesn't reach the heights of some more the insane classics from Japan but with a cheap price tag its at least worth checking out for those interested.
  
  
• Best Shock Film in the last 10 years!!!
  By AXP13RLF3AABV on 2008-06-20
  Best Shock Film I have seen in the last 10 years! It starts out running and never stops! It's a Japanese School Girl Blood Bath Gore Fest that will have you laughing one second then going EWE the next. If you are into low budget, cheesy, gorey movies then I highly recommend this movie.
  
  
• Machine Girl Is Awesome
  By A12CSO9MTL1YTI on 2008-07-03
  My short review would be Machine Girl is awesome! Unfortunately short reviews are for punks so I gotta keep going.
  
  Machine Girl stars Minase Yashiro as Ami, a pretty high schooler who's a bit of a tomboy. Ami cares for her younger brother Yu since their parents committed suicide after a supposed murder frame up leaving the kids to fend for themselves.
  
  Amis brother and his best friend Takashi are killed by an extorting bully who is also the son of a Yakuza Ninja couple who are a few rice balls short of a bento box.
  Of course the only way for a young girl to get justice is to seek revenge on the boys who killed her brother. Maybe that murder frame up in her families past wasn't such a frame up since Ami seems really quick to turn to homicidal tendencies. Even her brother had a list in his diary of people he wanted to kill, which leads Ami in her schoolgirl uniform to her first violent confrontation with a family of one of her brothers killers.
  
  I don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing Ami eventually loses an arm in her quest for bloody vengeance. This leads to an alliance with Takashis mechanic parents. Miki, excellently played by Japanese AV star Asami, takes her under her wing and trains Ami to fight while Sugeru, the father, constructs a machine gun arm to replace Ami's missing limb.
  
  There is one other star of this film. Arterial spray. This flick shoots as much of the red stuff as any Lone Wolf and Cub film. Doesn't matter if you lose a finger or get stabbed in the head. Blood will spurt in unbelievable amounts. Half the film seems to be filmed in a pink mist, and that's fine by me. I haven't seen exaggerated maiming like this since the classic Story Of Ricky-O. As outrageous as Ricky-O was, the violence seems even stronger when it centers around a beautiful girl with an amazing smile.
  
  I gotta tell you. Guy or gal, if you don't fall in love with the screen combo of Ami and Miki then your tastes probably run to the ultra fetishist or non human since both women are gorgeous, tough and sexy.
  
  There are so many high points to this film. The Red Junior High School Ninjas, the Super Mourners Gang comprised of parents of boys Ami has taken revenge on. A chainsaw leg and a drill bra, I'll wait for that one to sink in, A Drill BRA rounding out the mechanics of destruction. Finger sushi, face nailing, the list goes on and on!
  
  Machine Girl is a near perfect modern revenge flick. It is thoroughly entertaining and never takes itself too seriously. Of course if you don't like gore for gores sake, you may want to skip this one. I recommend putting the kids to sleep, getting some friends over and creating a drinking game based on this film and the copious amount of bloodletting. You'll be drunk before the credits roll.
  
  Machine Girl moves into my top list of films to join such classics as Shaun and Dawn of the Dead, Battle Royale and Kill Bill to name a few.
  
  
• Prepared to get blasted out of your seat!
  By A3F3D064D0QW95 on 2008-07-15
  If you like Planet Terror, than you'll love Machine Girl. This one armed, one gatlin gun armed girl will blow you away. It's cheese at its best. A cult classic like Evil Dead. Haven't seen this much blood in a movie since I don't know when. When a girl seeks revenge for the death of her brother, all heck breaks loose. Filled with imaginitive death scenes and more blood than the sea has water, you laugh, cringe and have a great time. Only downside was when the girl loses her arm, they do a terrible time trying to hide it in her recovery scenes.
  
  
• Buy this movie now!!!
  By A1154MTH4PXJRT on 2008-07-29
  This movie is just awesome. You got a cute girl brutally killing bad guys...what more could you want? The action is so over the top that it is downright hilarious. This movie is NOT meant to be taken seriously. This is my new favorite movie. I have never written a review before, but I had to on this one because it needs to be in your collection. What are you waiting for? Buy it now!
  
  
• Get a clue
  By A1PY4BCMI543EX on 2008-08-26
  There seems to be many here who think this movie is absolute trash. In one sense it is. However, one has to view The Machine Girl from the proper perspective; this is the Japanese version of camp and cheese all rolled up into one gory horror movie. With that said, you shouldn't expect something thought provoking. On the other hand, you should expect that this flick will some day gain cult status in a relatively short time.
  
  Admittedly, this slice and dice approach to horror is over the top but that's what gives this movie its charm. Don't take it seriously because that's not how it was meant to be viewed. Have low expectations, relax, and enjoy the show.
  
  As far as the transfer goes, I would like to point out that the video quality is first-rate with muted colors and solid blacks and whites. The audio was also clear.
  
  If you're not sure, rent it before you buy it. That's the safest approach.
  
  
  
  

• Inside (Unrated)
• Meatball Machine
• Frontier(s)
• Doomsday (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
• Appleseed Ex Machina (Single-Disc Edition)