This time Miki Sugimoto is the star and Reiko Ike takes the secondary lead female role. Sugimoto stars as Massayo, the daughter of a murdered alcholic/addict by powerful Yakuza boss, Obi(ôji Hayama), sent to prison when she attempts to kill him in a club. Ike is Maki, Obi's squeeze, in prison she meets Massayo and they become respected "adversaries." Massayo befriends other inmates and they partner up after serving their time, vowing to take down Obi's organization by causing a Yakuza war between him and another inferior gang, the Hamayasu clan who operate the docking port of the city. Massayo prostitutes herself to Americans exchanging sexual favors for artillery, concocting a weapons trade with old man boss Hamayasu's volatile son, Tetsu(Takeo Chii). Maki is back around Obi's arm and warns Massayo of clearing out of town, or else. The rest of the film shows how Massayo and her clever female clan rip apart the two Yakuza gangs by pitting them against each other, while also shedding some blood themselves in the process. And, you can better believe Maki and Massayo will have one more confrontational showdown when so much money and dope are at stake.Fans of pinku revenge crime flicks get their moneys's worth with CRIMINAL WOMAN:KILLING MELODY. As expected nudity and ultra-violence are in abundance with lots of gunfire and Yakuza gangsters blown to smithereens. It's always entertaining seeing a motley group of gorgeous females waging war with the Yakuza, using their brains and looks to gain an advantage. You get a rather mild torture sequence this time around as Massayo is rescued from a rather grim fate by Maki. Chii's bonkers Tetsu(..always with a large bottle of liquor, downing it before shooting at somebody or raising hell against Obi)is hilarious as are the instances where animated Yakuza gangsters are either lifted in the air by dynamite/grenades or shot to pieces by bullet-fire. We get not one but TWO hand-to-hand combats between Sugimoto and Ike(..the first in prison, testing each other's endurance, is a dandy)which it in itself is added incentive for pinku fans to check this flick out. Plenty of bare flesh between Ike and Sugimoto as well. It was nice seeing Sugimoto this time getting to star as the lady of vengeance and when she stares you down with death in her eyes..LOOK OUT! Nothing more dangerous than Sugimoto scorned! Ike may not have the lucrative role here, but she's still looking mighty fine. As expected, the pace is excellent(..the editing and camera work are first-rate)and action set pieces thrilling. And, as you'd expect, nearly everyone is dead by the end of the film.

A typical example of the early seventies action/crime exploitation subgenres that were booming simultaneously in America, Italy and Japan, Criminal Woman might be pinku by the numbers but the guarantees that involves are not to be scoffed at. Starting out as a WIP flick and slowly moving into revengesploitation territory as Reiko Ike fresh out of prison goes after the yakuza gang that murdered her father, the movie is fast-paced, entertaining and stylish as only pinkus know how to be. Memorable moments of violence include a torture scene, mild by today's standards but still a burnt nipple is a burnt nipple, and several highly energetic gunfights between rival yakuza gangs that recall the yakuza movies from the same time, red gun muzzles and all. Genre stalwarts Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto are both as good as we've come to expect, thankfully not refusing to shed their clothes when the opportunity arises, and duking it out catfight style twice before the end credits roll. Overall, this is a good enough pinku that genre fans will enjoy, if only because it fulfills the quotient of OTT violence and sleaze we expect from this kind of movie.

'Criminal Woman: Killing Melody' is a strong entry in the 'Pinky Violence' box set, mostly due to the presence of both Reiko Ike, and the amazing Miki Sugimoto, as rivals/comrades. This film is a more straight forward revenge tale, and it moves at a good pace. Reiko Ike stars as Maki, a woman out for revenge against a Yakuza gang responsible for her fathers death. The original Zero Woman, Miki Sugimoto exudes a strange elegant quality in this one, as the wife of the Yakuza boss. The two wildcats meet for the first time in prison, and than again on the outside, when Maki's revenge plan begins to to take form. Reiko Ike is tough & uncompromising in this one, bent on wiping out the gangsters, while Massayo (Sugimoto) must retain a cool exterior; she doesn't really want any harm to come to her former cell mate, as she can respect the other woman's strength. At the same time, she feels some loyalty to her husband, or so we think. Miki Sugimoto remains my favorite 'Pink Heroine'. There is such strength in her voice, and in this one, much of her body is tattooed! Before i watched this I was afraid that it would be marred with silly comedic overtones, something which in my opinion ruined 'Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess'. But there is none of that silliness here, just a straight forward approach, with fine melodramatic overtones, as well as some great sleaze. Not nearly as sadistic as 'Terrifying Girls Highschool', which is my personal favorite in the collection. But there are those moments that are expected from this genre, in particular a scene where Miki Sugimoto burns Reiko Ike's breasts with a lit cigarette. 'Criminal Woman: Killing Melody' is a classic 'pink' film.

Fine all action, sex and violence Japanese style with real style. Simple yet effective this is, for once, a fairly straight forward tale of revenge with the super women to the fore. Big cat fight at the start is matched by a rematch at the end and everything in between is just pure fun. Bits of nasty violence, the cigarette stub and threat of chainsaw were surprises but mainly fast moving with decent mix of s&v. Nice sequence to illustrate our heroine having to go on the game to earn the dosh to set up the action. Instead of any boring build up with sad undertones we get a quick montage of humps and payments from US soldiers uniform pockets.