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Released by: Danger After Dark
Released on: September 11, 2012.
Director: Mark P. Forever
Cast: Nina, Kaori Sasaki, Hitomi Usano, Mako Higashio
Year: 2012
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The Movie:
Directed by the mysterious Mark P. Forever, 2012's Strip Mahjong: Battle Royale is brought to you by the same production company that brought you the two Death Tube movies (check out our reviews here and here - done? Good). Now with that sort of pedigree exposed, you more or less know what to expect and, for once, we get a movie that delivers pretty much exactly what its title implies.
When the film begins, four hot Japanese chicks find themselves held hostage in some sort of underground prison compound where they're watched by the security cameras placed strategically around the rooms. Why are they here? Because they're guilty of wasting too much of their time and money on mahjong and have been selected to compete in a strip mahjong tournament being broadcast to someone somewhere for some reason. Now you'd think these four ladies would be able to talk their way out of it or maybe even put their heads together and form some sort of escape plan, but no dice. See, while they were knocked out, someone put a collar on each one of them and should they not go willingly into the tournament, some guy with a plastic gun will pull a trigger and electrocute them.
So with that slightly familiar plot device set into motion, the women set about competing against one another in the tournament, the loser of each game required to shed some clothing for the voyeuristic viewers on the other side of the cameras. All of this is lorded over by the world' most unusual game show host, Mac, a man in a black suit with a giant sequined gold colored bowtie and a weak moustache and his assistant, a big tough guy who parades around in a diaper. As the tournament continues, the girls learn what's really going to happen to them, and a couple of them make out with each other. Hooray!
Stagey in that it's more or less shot in a couple of very minimalist locations, Strip Mahjong: Battle Royale is sexy enough to hold your attention and stupid enough to work. The requisite amount of gratuitous nudity you'd want out of a movie like this is here in spades but additionally the film works in some really bizarre set pieces and twisted, sometimes even cruel, comedy that comes so far out of left field it's hard to know what to make of it. There isn't much in the way of character development and the plot is pretty simplistic but the filmmakers get bonus points for taking the Battle Royale concept and adding nudity and… mahjong. The movie even takes in the whole 'the last winner will show up for the final round' idea that Fukasaku's movie used so well and works it in here.
The whole movie really only exists to get the female cast members naked, but at least it does that well. Some of the comedy works, some of it is creepy, but the movie goes at a good pace and offers up some cheap, tawdry softcore thrills so long as you don't need to take any of it too seriously.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Strip Mahjong: Battle Royale looks fine for a shot on video production. Framed at 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen the movie is a bit soft in spots but that seems to be intentional. The movie takes place almost entirely inside dark, dimly lit rooms so don't expect glorious color reproduction but skin tones look good and black levels are fine.
Audio chores are handled by a Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track with optional subtitles offered up in English. No problems here - the levels are properly balanced ensuring that the dialogue comes through well enough and the score sounds good. No hiss or distortion to report and the subtitles are easy to read.
There are no extras outside of static menus and chapter selection and trailers for a few other Danger After Dark releases.
The Final Word:
Strip Mahjong: Battle Royale is as silly as it is sexy but this low budget underground offering from Japan offers exactly what its title implies - stripping and mahjong, two great tastes that taste great together? Regardless, its' a fun and completely off the wall movie that breezes by in under eight minutes and is filled to the rim with pretty, and often naked, Japanese girls.
