Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion

Nami Matsushima is a young woman who falls for Sugimi, a corrupt police detective. He persuades her to infiltrate a yakuza gang he intends to bring down, then abandons her once she has served his purpose. Betrayed and consumed by a desire for revenge, she attempts to kill him, and the failed attempt lands her in prison. There she endures humiliation and abuse from both the guards and her fellow inmates, but keeps her aim fixed on escaping and settling the score with the man who used her.

The film, released in Japan in 1972, was directed by Shunya Ito and written by Hirō Matsuda and Fumio Kōnami, with Kineo Yoshimine producing for Toei Company. It was the first feature Ito directed, preceding Gray Sunset (1985), Labyrinth Romanesque (1988), Lupin the Third: Farewell to Nostradamus (1995), Demon Blade: The Assassin Katana of Onimaro (1995) and 300 Million (2010). Meiko Kaji plays Nami, the role that became her signature, opposite Isao Natsuyagi as Sugimi and Fumio Watanabe as the prison warden, with Rie Yokoyama, Yayoi Watanabe and Yōko Mihara among a credited cast of twenty-five.

Running eighty-seven minutes, the film blends action, crime, drama and thriller elements and opened the Sasori series. Audience ratings sit close together, at 7.2 out of 10 on IMDb from around 5,500 votes and 7.1 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller pool of about 190.