ZERO WOMAN (1995) is a slick low-budget Japanese exploitation action saga that redefined the girls-with-guns genre. The film is influenced by LA FEMME NIKITA, but the producers of this series up the ante with the addition of sleazy sex, rape, and graphic violence. The international success of ZERO WOMAN spawned a series of sequels that continue to this day, and influenced countless other imitators. The thing thats sets ZERO WOMAN apart from other girls-with-guns flicks is that the lead character Rei uses sex as a weapon--and she loves sex as much as she loves to kill people. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of ZERO WOMAN, Rei is sexy, strong, smart, and works for a secret police organization called Section Zero. She knows nothing about Section Zero or the other operatives; as she receives commands from her superior whom she has never met. For this film and one other, Rei is portrayed by the luscious Natsuki Ozawa. The remaining sequels all feature different sexy starlets as Zero Woman. Media Blasters brought this sleazy franchise to Region 1 DVD as part of it’s eclectic Tokyo Shock line, which comprises everything from sex thrillers, to samurai films, to giant monster flicks. In other words, all the best stuff that Japanese cinema has to offer.

Section Zero assigns Rei to recover some stolen stock certificates, which are coveted by a trio of thieves, corrupt cops, and gangsters. While Rei searches for clues for the certificates whereabouts, she gets shot, raped, and drugged (not necessarily in that order). She then endures a long and drawn-out bullet removal scene—one of the most painful and realistic sequences we’ve ever seen. Rei gets even with her rapist by using a meathook to snag his manhood and force him to give her information. Her partner on the case has his own agenda which jeopardizes her mission. The plot boils down to a matter of who’s using who. Treachery, back-stabbing, and greed take precedence over the beautiful moments of ZERO WOMAN. And there are plenty of those, too. Natsuki Ozawa struts her stuff like a true sex kitten. In fact, all the women in ZERO WOMAN are amazingly beautiful, but we only get to see Ozawa in her birthday suit, and strutting around in a tight mini-skirt.

ZERO WOMAN is quality B-movie filmmaking that is superior to American films of this nature. Director Daisuke Gotoh gives the film a nihilistic tone, and portrays Rei as self-destructive and psychologically unstable. Despite the slick presentation, ZERO WOMAN offers cruel death and doom for all the major characters, except for Rei (but even she goes through hell). All the females in the film are sexually assaulted by sleazy criminals. Gotoh captures this aura of dread and oppression, without any humor or irony. The violence is not glamorized--it’s very real in it’s brutality. When someone gets shot, it’s a sad moment. Quite different from a movie like the THE KILLER where John Woo whips the viewer up into a frenzy. In ZERO WOMAN, you’ll see a guy get his arm amputated, a slit throat, and several shot gun blasts to the head. The film features some competent acting from a B-movie cast including Kane Kosugi as one of the martial arts bad guys.

-  Victor Bryant 

BACK TO: