I originally saw this film shortly after the release of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill and while I was impressed by the amount of bloodshed, I didn't hold the film in particularly high regard. Since then, I've gone on to check out more of the Japanese 'Pinky' genre and I can now say, without doubt, that Lady Snowblood belongs on the absolute top of the pile! Director Toshiya Fujita has created a film that, while somewhat shallow, lays on the style thick and this coupled with the heavy amount of bloodshed means that Lady Snowblood hits all the right notes. The story focuses a mother that finds herself giving birth in prison. She desperately tries to have a child as she needs one to use for revenge on those that wronged her. She hopes for a strong boy, but has a daughter instead. After the death of her mother, the daughter then goes into heavy training where she learns to fight and use a Samurai sword. The child eventually grows up to become the title character; Lady Snowblood, and sets out to gain bloody revenge for her mother.<br /><br />The first thing you will notice about the film is that the idea of holding back just doesn't appeal to the director, and therefore the film is very gritty and very, very violent; which is a very good thing in my opinion. The Pinky genre is famous for sequences that see blood spraying out everywhere; and this film is possibly at least partly responsible for that, as the blood drenches the screen every time the title character uses her sword! The character herself is played by Meiko Kaji (who also took the lead role in the fantastic Female Prisoner Scorpion series) and while she is a lady of few words, it's easy to get involved with her thirst for revenge because of the interesting atmosphere surrounding the character. The plot is broken up into chapters and moves episodically, mostly just going from murder to the next. This does ensure that the film lacks substance; but it's certainly never boring. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful and the director really makes the best of the idea of the contrast between bright red blood and crisp white snow. Overall, this is an absolutely great film and one that is a must see for anyone that considers themselves a Pinky Violence fan!