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THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS ONE OF AN ADULT NATURE.  PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

SUMMARY

Section Zero is the police's best kept secret.  Very few know who they are or what they do.  Their operatives are equally mysterious, and are only identified by the name Rei.

Rei has been ordered to guard Nana, the girlfriend of a gangster named Natsume.  He in turn works works for Kaneda, an illegal organ trafficker.  Nana has decided to turn states evidence against Kaneda, and until the police can corroborate her testimony, Rei is her bodyguard.

On the run from Kaneda's men, Rei and Nana start to form a close friendship.  The two of them learn not only about each other, but something inside themselves they have long forgotten.

Things get complicated when government interference forces the Zero Section to call off the investigation.  Now, Rei and Nana must figure out their future, before Kaneda kills them.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The video is free of pixels and digital errors.  As the movie was recorded on digital video, you get a sharp and clean transfer.  Any defects are from the source print.

AUDIO: Well done for both the English and Japanese Dolby 2.0 tracks. The English track is louder in volume, but the Japanese language track has a fuller sound.  On both versions, the sound is crisp and rich, full of surround sound during the action elements.  

EDITS: No edits what so ever.  No crappy overlays, no clean credits, nothing.  This is the way that Japanese movies should be.

EXTRAS: Pretty thread bare.  There is a short montage of promotional images from the movie, along with trailer of other Zero Woman DVD's released by CPM.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Unlike the other "Zero Woman" movies, Miyuki Takahashi, Takashi Kaneda, and Hideazu Takahara have written the Japanese cousin to "Leon: The Professional".  While the basic elements are there (girls, guns, and sex) the writers give us something more, interesting characters, each with a history.

ACTING: I absolutely love Cheiko Shiratori as the cool and hard as nails Rei.  Her deadpan delivery is perfect. I firmly believe that if I ever met her in a dark alley, she would pop a cap in my ass.

Ichiho Matsuda was also a great casting choice.  As the bitchy yet lonely Nana, she can go from sweet and innocent, to just plain nasty in a snap.  The rest of the cast does a fine job, with Masayoshi Nogami stealing the show as the very strange Kaneda.

The English dub cast is another matter.  While Suzy Prue has the right kind of voice for Rei, her reading is a little too deadpan.  Pink Champale (love the porn name) is good as Nana, but just doesn't match up to Ichiho Matsuda.  Still, after a couple of viewings, their voices did start to grow on me.

FAN SERVICE: Well, if girls with guns is your fetish, then this movie will fill you up.  Every female is nude at some point, and there is a lesbian scene!

CONCLUSION

The Zero Woman films have been a staple of the made-for-video market since the early 90's.  Like James Bond, there always seems to be another Zero Woman.  Many of the actresses move on to bigger and better projects, allowing a new actress to continue on the track of stardom.  Harkening back to the days of the "Nikkatsu" films of the 60's, the scripts are pretty much the same. The characters are not that complex, there is lots of nudity and sex, and the violence is plentiful.  Each Zero Woman director infuses their own style, in the hope that one will stand out from the other.

This one does stand out.  Writer/Director Hideazu Takahara along with writers Miyuki Takahashi, Takashi Kaneda infuse a sense of style that has been lacking in other "Zero Woman" features.  From interesting video effects, to scenes full of symbolism, this movie is more than just a made-for-video action film. 

Don't get me wrong, the formula is the same.  Rei finishes a mission, gets assigned a new one, and spends the rest of the movie trying to complete it. A "successful" mission usually involves most of the cast getting killed, and Rei in the same place where she started.

What helps to elevate the story is the characters.  Rei is more than just a killing machine.  She is a woman who feels as if she is a fish in a bowl.  She must keep moving, or she will die.  Nana isn't just your typical gangster floozy.  She is trying anything and everyting she can to get Natsume from under the spell of the psychotic Kaneda.  There are many more stories in this movie, and everyone gets their 10 minutes.

Since I first saw Cheiko Shirator in "82 MPD Rebirth", I have been a big fan.  While she was damn funny in "82 MPD", she makes a 180 degree turn as the cold and emotionless Rei.  This movie shows that she has quite a bit of range.  I hope that her career continues to improve, much like Harumi Inoe's.

Ichiho Matsuda is a decent actress, and the role of Nana seems tailored made for her.  While she starts off as a raving bitch, we see her evolve into a woman, trapped by the life she lives, but not strong enough to change things.

It's the two of them that makes this movie work.  I truly believed and felt their emotional attachment.  Just by they familiar way the behave arround each other, you understand why these two are trying to find some sort of connection, emotional and spirital.  When they finally do connect, the way they respond looks natural.

While Cheiko and Ichiho carry the movie, it's Masayoshi Nogami who steals the show.  His hysterical ranting, laughter is the best medicine policy, and his "unique" fashion sense makes an impression that you won't soon forget.

There isn't as much gunplay as the previous Zero Woman films, but for this film, it's a good thing.   Rei is a killer, not a member of the SWAT team.  If her job is to eliminate the undesirables, what need is there for heavy duty weapons?  Plus, these are organ traffickers, not hard core Yakazua.  If you get this movie expecting wall to wall violence, you may be disappointed. 

Thanks to it's interesting characters, solid writing, and the beautiful Cheiko Shiratori, "Dangerous Game" is The best of the Zero Woman series.  In fact, this is the one you should start with and judge all others by.  

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