WTF Japan?!?: Black Panther Bitch M

 No, this does not serve to fill my need for a new Marvel Film.  This is, say it with me, Black Panther Bitch M, a 1973 Film from Japan.  It was made by the Nikkatsu Corporation, who are behind a number of Films from the 1920s to as recently as stuff like Tokyo Gore Police.  I still love that Film (and Title).  With many Films, I get a deluge of information and have to pick and choose what to highlight.  I don't always mention if 'That Guy from That Movie was on That Show.'  For instance, I didn't mention that Ernest Dickerson was the Direct of Photography on Vampires, long before he became a regular Director for The Walking Dead.  This Film is kind of the opposite.  The Site I got this copy of the Film describes it as such 'Reiko Ike’s first appearance in a Nikkatsu film.'  Thanks.  What does IMDB say about it?  The Plot Summary is as follow- 'Add a Plot »'  Thanks for that.  What is the Plot then, me?  It involves a Corporation, a man trying to take over it and a woman hired by that man's boss (and target) to take him out first.  That woman- Black Panther Bitch M.  It's not my name- see below for yourself!  The reason for her name will come up later.  The Film has it all...if you like '70s Japanese Karate Thrillers.  It has Violence.  It has misogyny.  It has silly fashions (like our Heroine's floppy hat).  It has that especially kind of grating that Japanese Kids' voices can get.  Sorry, Japanese Kids- you have it coming!  The Film has an odd tone where it stays serious, but randomly has goofy stuff happen.  They aren't comedic moments- just odd ones.  I'll get into it, I guess.  To see what makes her better than Black Panther Bitch L, read on...

Our Heroine calls her Boss and begins to trail a Businessman.  

Naturally, she's the Master of Disguise in that giant hat and all-white ensemble.

We learn that the guy is divorced from his Wife and estranged from his Daughter.  Said Daughter is saved by our Heroine, which just sets up the ironic contrast for the end.

Of course, outside of that, letting him see her face is obviously a bad thing for her plan.

The guy is making a power grab against 'The President' and his intermediary is having none of it.

He sends goons to beat up the man, who fights back.

A random thumb poke to the stomach apparently kills him...20 minutes later.

Our Heroine watches the guy more, even having a weird scene where she uses the first of her two powers- super zoom-in eyes- to read his lips from across the Street.

An attempt to take him out leads to a long, but mostly-interesting fight/chase Scene.

The climax involves one henchman catching her off-guard to, well, have some fun with her.  He gets killed instead.

The next time he goes out, it is a trap.

Said trap involves casually hiding a SNIPER RIFLE in his golf bag.  He pulls it out to shoot her and, well, nobody seems to notice or care.

Our Heroine avoids getting shot by running towards the shooter.  No, really.

In the ensuing fight, we see her other cat-based power- shooting the scene with a fish-eye lens.

Other than that, I can't quite figure out how this helps her fight.

She gets wounded, so I guess that was an accurate critique.

The wounded M manages to hide out in, of all of the possible places, the ex-Wife's Restuarant.

In a long Scene, she tries to muster up the strength to kill him...but fails.

Once recovered, we get the next version of the Chase-Fight-Chase Scene.

Some new additions include throwing a pitchfork, a man rolling in a barrel during a shoot-out and a prolonged choking/escape scene.

M uses her connection with the Daughter to draw the man out (and alone this time).

The climax involves a swing set, an impossible flip and this not-so-subtle commentary on violence.

M calls her boss (The President) and goes to her next assignment.  The End.

A fun, but somewhat uneven Film.  The Film isn't especially-long, but the Pacing is weird.  Some Scenes- like the first Chase- go on for a very long time.  It's not a bad Scene, but a good Editor could have trimmed it down.  Likewise, they stretch out the 'watching from the window' Scene with the wounded M a bit too.  Again- a good Scene still.  The Action Scenes are fun and shot pretty well.  The little flourishes you get later with stuff like M's weird power help for the most part.  When these kinds of Scenes lack Drama, they can be a bit repetitive.  Thankfully, they pace them well enough to avoid the issue.  The '70s aesthetic is pretty strong here and it helps make the Film more enjoyable (to weirdos like me).  Everything you think of- short of an afro- is here.  There's also a weird sort-of tribute to Bruce Lee here (I think) with the Boss having 2 full-sized Posters from Enter the Dragon on his wall.  They are never addressed, so I don't know what the actual context is.  Black Panther Bitch M is a Film with a weird title that tells you nothing about what to expect.  Since IMDB is no help, I hope I was.  Take us away, unlicensed Donald Duck...

Next up, a new Month and some make-up Films to talk about.  Let's see what I've been skipping for this Month's theme.  Stay tuned...