This is no simple little 'sexploitation' or 'women-in-prison' film. Rating this film is difficult because it attempts to do so many things. It's always cool when you put on a movie that you don't expect too much from, and the director surprises you with a whole bag of tricks.
If all you want is sexploitation, then this might work for you - I believe there are more panty-shots in this film than any other in history. Seriously. There is a hella-sexy scene of all of the women bathing together with bowls and barrels. If you're into torture in your women's prison films, then this 'Bamboo' can scratch your itch. There is some pretty hardcore stuff here - a little too much for my taste. The presence of a few Caucasian women in this Japanese concentration camp was also off-putting to me... and, the white girls always had clean hair. How stupid... Meanwhile, the director puts all of this extra effort and detail into these realistic explosions and attempted choreography. Speaking of...
Why does this sexploitation film have so many effects and stunts? Wtf was going on over in Hong Kong? There was actual fight choreography in this film... several times... and, it was bad... every time... the choreography was bad every time. The explosions were good. The car chase scene destroys an entire set. They just keep driving this car into buildings and props until they destroy the entire set they were using. And, it was awesome.
You would think that all of these explosions and poorly acted fights might distract from the either the 'sex' or the 'exploitation' aspect of the sexploitation, but, no! Even in the midst of the car chase, the director manages to include a ton of panty shots. Genius.
This film is way better than it should be and is a unique trashy gem in a genre full of generic trash.
RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria:
Acting - 1/1;
Casting - 0.5/1;
Directing - 0.5/1;
Story - 0.5/1;
Writing/Screenplay - 1/1;
Total Base Score = 3.5
Modifiers (+ or -):
Gratuitous Female Nudity: +1 (Is it weird to say that this film makes me want to visit Hong Kong? Yeah, that's weird...);
Total RealReview Rating: 4.5 (happily rounded up to 5 for IMDB)
