Lady Snowblood

Set in late 19th-century Japan, Lady Snowblood follows Yuki Kashima, a young woman raised from birth to serve one purpose: revenge. Her mother, Sayo, was the sole survivor when criminals murdered her husband and son, and she conceived Yuki while imprisoned so that the child could finish what she herself could not. Trained by a Buddhist monk, Yuki grows into a skilled killer and sets out to track down the remaining men responsible for destroying her family.

Toshiya Fujita directed the film, working from a screenplay by Norio Osada, with Kikumaru Okuda producing. It was the first entry in a series for Fujita, followed the next year by Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance and then five further features through 1983. Meiko Kaji plays Yuki, heading a credited cast of twenty that also includes Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza, Shinichi Uchida and Takeo Chii.

Released in Japan in December 1973, the film runs 97 minutes and mixes action, crime and drama. On IMDb it holds a 7.6 rating from around 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.5 from roughly 440 votes. A critics' rating of 7.9 from ten reviews places it slightly above the audience scores.