Tonypulp
Shunya Iso is on a winning streak. It's the third Scorpion film, again presenting us the legendary Matsu and her heaps of problems. A different setting, but with plenty of familiar ingredients lurking around. It's almost unbelievable. The Scorpion series shows some significant changes each time but they all have the same sort of appeal. The second film already got rid of the prison setting for the most part and this time we don't even visit the cold walls until the very end. The change of atmosphere seems vital, but it's not without any risks.This one starts off with the best opening so far. An impressive and rather hilarious start certainly triggers your excitement muscle. Watching Matsu run down the street with a dismembered arm dangling from her wrist while listening to the lovely soundtrack (still 'Song of Vengeance') is pure gold. I even dare to go as far as to say it's one of the coolest scenes ever.But stick around, because there's a lot more to come. Introducing various subjects such as prostitution, rape, incest, and of course murder. It's a compelling bunch of problems which definitely gives 'Beast Stable' some new ingredients to cook with.It has some great writing, keeping you hooked non stop. The environmental changes are perfectly timed, switching from parts in the gloomy city to dirty sewers and even jail. It will take you all over the place. Of course drenched with a stylish sauce. Probably not even close to the crazy ideas in the first and mainly second film, but the almost (of course relatively) subtle approach feels spot on at all times.Matsu remains unforgettable and she makes me beg for more and more. I still have Grudge's Song to go so I'll be seeing plenty of her later on. I shouldn't forget the 'Stray Cat' films she's in and of course Lady Snowblood. Damn, I've got so much to look forward to!I've said it all, I guess. It's becoming hard to come up with new complementing words for every brilliant Scorpion film. Let's hope the fourth one is as good as all of Ito's work. But I guess Hasebe should be capable of pulling it off. Let's keep some fingers and possibly all other body parts crossed, because I can only hope for a happy finish.
Witchfinder General 666
The third film in a cycle of incomparably brilliant Exploitation movies, and the third masterpiece in a row, "Joshuu Sasori: Kemono-beya" aka. "Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable" (aka. "Sasori: Den Of The Beast" where I live) of 1973 is a film that differs from its predecessors in some aspects, but that equals (or arguably even surpasses) them in brilliance. The entire original Sasori series with the wonderful Meiko Kaji stands out as the absolute highlight in WIP cinema, and all of the films, especially the first three, uniquely combine Exploitation and Art-house cinema like no other movie does. "Beast Stable" is the third, and second-to-last "Sasori" film with Meiko Kaji, the last one to be directed by genius director Shunya Ito and, in my opinion, the greatest of them all. The first film "Joshuu 701-gô: Sasori" of 1972 is an absolute masterpiece of Exploitation cinema and simply THE Definition of Exploitation-Art. In the equally brilliant first sequel, "Joshuu Sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô" Ito added more surrealism and symbolism. The third "Sasori" film, "Beast Stable" keeps up the surrealism (allthough not quite to the same extent as the second), and features even more social criticism than its predecessors. Topics like poverty, forced prostitution and the exploitation of the poor are central themes of the movie. This third "Sasori" film is ingenious and sublime in all aspects and arguably the greatest of the, generally brilliant, cycle (to me it's this one, with the first one as a close second). Once again, "Best Stable" is both very artistic and very Exploitation-like. The visually stunning film features an enormous amount of brutal violence and sleaze again, as well as sequences of enormous surrealistic beauty. The stunningly beautiful Meiko Kaji is once again brilliant in her role of Nami Matsushima (aka. Sasori). I absolutely worship this wonderful actress, and I'm sure I'm not the only one to do so. The rest of the performances are also great, especially Mikio Narita is great as a police Inspector who is obsessed with catching Sasori. The musical score is the same throughout all three films, with "Urami-Bushi", sung by Meiko Kaji herself, as the main theme, which is great, since the score is, simply put, pure perfection. As its predecessors, "Beast Stable" is an absolutely brilliant masterpiece of Exploitation-Art that no serious lover of film can afford to miss. The entire Sasori-cycle ranges high on my personal all-time favorite list. "Beast Stable" is arguably the most brilliant masterpiece of them all! 10/10
fertilecelluloid
"Female Convict Scorpion - Beast Stable", the third in the series, is a magnificent piece of pulp sleaze. Closer in tone and subject to a Nikkatsu violent pinker than other Scorpion entries, it is stunningly photographed, directed with lurid enthusiasm, and populated with a rogue's gallery of villains and degenerates. Shinya Ito, the director of the first installment, returns for this surreal fable which begins with Scorpion (Meiko Kaji) cutting the arm off a cop she is handcuffed to and fleeing into the Tokyo subway with said arm still swinging from her wrist. She takes refuge in a red light district where she befriends a prostitute, who is first seen seen having incestuous intercourse with her brother (who ends up impregnating her). Scorpion's desire to protect this unfortunate woman eventually exposes her identity and all hell breaks loose. She is beaten, sexually assaulted, and locked inside a bizarre bird cage in the villain's lair. I loved everything about this hypnotic, nihilistic, and emotionally touching movie. It is the superior of the three first Scorpion films and features one great scene after another. I can't recommend it highly enough.
carrienations
Unfortunately, the third film in the Sasori series isn't of the same quality as the first two films. The script is vastly inferior to the first two, and in particular, the second film. The pace through the majority of the film is glacial at best, with the first twenty to thirty minutes being almost painfully slow. This is in stark contrast to the energy of the second film, Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41. Kaji Meiko is stellar as usual, but just doesn't have much to work with. Director Ito Shunya utilizes some of the signature visual flare that he demonstrated in the first two films, but not frequently or creatively enough in this effort. On a scale of 1 to 10, this film rates about a 6, with Kaji Meiko earning almost all of that score, while the first film is about an 8 and the second a 10.