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Released by: Pink Eiga
Released on: 1/14/2009
Director: Shuji Katoaka
Cast: Shiro Shimomoto, Hiromi Saotome, Ayu Kiyokawa, Yutaka Ikejima, Yoshie Mogami
Year: 1986
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The Movie:
The director of Subway Serial Rape, Shuji Katoaka, directed four films in the S&M Hunter series in the 1980s, the other films in the series being S&M Hunter Begins, S&M Hunter: Office Lady Kidnapping, and S&M Hunter Chronicle: The Legend Of The Yakuza.
When the film begins, a lone man named Joe (Bunmei Tobayama ) goes to a secret sexual dungeon somewhere in urban Japan where we lay witness to him meeting and discussing the pleasures and perils of the past time with the man who runs the place. We see a man whip and molest a pretty woman dressed up as a nun and wanting to be punished and as the host makes some sort of strange attempt to explain all of this behavior, we learn that the visitor is not a sadist after all. After a bit of psycho-analysis, the dungeon master tells him that he is not a sadist but that he is in fact a masochist. From here he introduces the man to the S&M Hunter (Shiro Shimomoto), a sort of perverted Japanese Clint Eastwood wearing a bowler hat, an eye patch with a skull and crossbones logo on it, and a clerical collar. We see him demonstrate his ability with ropes as he almost instantly binds and then pleasures (by plucking the rope like a guitar string) an unwitting and unnamed woman.
After this amazing introduction, we learn why this man has decided to seek out this dungeon. It seems that an ultra tough girl gang calling themselves the Bombers has kidnapped his boyfriend, Jack (Akira Fukuda), and is using him as a sex slave. We cut to a scene where one of the Bombers is sitting on the poor gay man's face yelling at him and telling him that every man needs pussy! As S&M Hunter takes it upon himself to save the poor gay guy from the perils of rough and tumble heterosexual turmoil, we see him rope, bind and fuck his way through the sexual underworld culminating in a showdown with the gang leader, Machi (Ayu Kiyokawa), who, for no logical reason, dresses up like a Nazi behind a massive red Swastika flag.
Oh Hell yes, this is where it's at! Played straight enough to work but often times presented with tongue somewhat firmly in cheek, you don't have to take too much of this seriously - just sit back and enjoy the deliriously sleazy show. This is a movie where a guy in a priest's shirt with an eye patch saves a stereotype from a bunch of hot chicks in kinky outfits by tying them up and roping them until they cum. If that right there doesn't sell you on it it's hard to say what will, but throw in some surprisingly nasty gratuitous violence, a fantastic instrumental soundtrack and a naughty schoolgirl or two and you've got yourself one hell of an unsung exploitation classic that just begs for a larger audience. Why this movie isn't held in similarly high regard to better known Euro-trash fare like Mad Foxes is anyone's guess but director Shuji Katoaka really deserves some sort of medal or commendation for creating such a rowdy sixty-one minutes of perverted bliss.
Shiro Shimomoto is not a man to be trifled with. He walks through this film with few words but his steely-eyed stare says more than lines of dialogue ever could. Perfectly cast with his tough look and 'don't fuck with me' demeanor, he steals the show and carries the film with ease. The rest of the cast are also quite impressive, especially a few stand out members of The Bombers, but there's a reason that the picture is named after Shimomoto's character and it's because he's simply too cool for school. Think of this one as Hanzo The Razor meets… I don't even know. Batman maybe? Either way, it's a master piece of a trash film that's insanely entertaining, surprisingly well lot and shot, and incredibly fast paced. Anyone with even an inkling of an interest in Japanese sex films really shouldn't live without this one in their library.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Unfortunately, the 1.85.1 widescreen transfer is non-anamorphic and interlaced. It's a newer picture so there isn't any dirt or debris to complain about and the colors, including the black levels, are fairly strong if occasionally faded. It's all perfectly watchable, but it won't knock you out. The image is clean though there are some mild compression artifacts present. There are no edge enhancement problems to complain about, but detail isn't particularly strong. Had this been anamorphic it'd have definitely scored higher but this isn't a horrible transfer once you get past that part.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track on the disc is in Japanese with burned in English subtitles. There isn't really any heavy channel separation to note, maybe a bit here and there in regards to the score, but the dialogue is clear enough. Not being able to remove the subtitles is always obnoxious but at least there aren't any obvious typos and they're plenty easy to read.
There aren't a tone of extras on this disc, but there are a few starting with some text bios and filmographies for the principal cast and crew members and a couple of still galleries. Two different trailers for the feature are included here, as are trailers for bunch of other Pink Eiga releases (including S&M Hunter - How It All Began), menus and chapter selections. Dig the cover art on this recent re-release by Cinema Sewer's Robin Bougie.
The Final Word:
Jaw dropping in its political incorrectness, S&M Hunter has to be seen to be believed. If you've always felt you needed more movies in your life where a bondage master with a top hat, clerical collar and eye patch battled naughty school girls and kinky Nazi's then this is the movie for you. Pink Eiga's release won't amaze you, but the movie damn well will.
