The Machine Girl (2008)

Touches You

Excellent but underrated film

Best movie ever!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Right, well if you have made your way to actually sit down to watch "The Machine Girl" (aka "Kataude mashin gâru"), then you already know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Because this is one of those unique Japanese gory splatterfest movies that are so over-the-top that it is entertaining and fun to watch.The story in "The Machine Girl" is about Ami (played by Minase Yashiro), an average college girl who is captured by a vicious Yakuza family and end up with her arm chopped off. She manages to escape the clutches of the ruthless Yakuza and end up at a local machine shop owner who takes her in, nurtures her back to health and give her a custom built machine gun replacement for her missing arm. Vengeance is now in the hands... sorry, hand of Ami, and vengeance is a dish best served with countless of bullets.Right, this is what you are getting yourself into. It is fun and bloody all the way. And if you are familiar with the Japanese gore genre, then this should not be a surprise to you.The effects in the movie were adequate. After all, you know what you are getting into, and the Japanese gore movies are not overly known for having multi million dollar budgets and the best of effects or CGI available. "The Machine Girl" is no different. But the effects and CGI team made good use of what they had and managed to come up with effects that entertain and prove effective for what they were supposed to do.I was laughing a good amount throughout the course of the movie, especially because of the special effects and CGI. But the dialogue also did spur a good laugh here and there.And this is, of course, nowhere near being a Shakespearing thespian experience, so don't get your hopes up in terms of having a masterpiece of acting performances dazzle you on the screen. That being said, then don't get me wrong. I am not saying that people were doing bad jobs in acting in "The Machine Girl". It is just that the genre of the movie does have a certain type of talents that usually end up landing the roles. I think that the acting in the movie was adequate enough and was fitting enough for the type of movie and genre that it is.All in all then "The Machine Girl" is a good, fun and entertaining movie if you enjoy the Japanese gore splatterfest genre. If you are not fond of this particular odd genre, then you should probably stay well clear of this movie to start with.I am rating "The Machine Girl" a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

Chopped off limbs, arterial spray, fist-sized holes shot through torsos and heads... The Japanese ultra-violence action genre is not for the squeamish, but jaded thrill seekers looking for a true grind house experience should find much to enjoy here. The violence is so over-the-top that it becomes cartoonish and is actually quite funny to watch, and the gore effects are often inventive and clever. The plot is a familiar vehicle for this sort of exercise - two boys die at the hands of a Yakuza brat and their surviving relatives go on a revenge kick. But nobody watches these movies for the stories or character drama, right? The insane fight scenes are everything here along with the mayhem that results, and it's a pretty entertaining 90-min. ride. Enjoy.

This is so over the top full of gore that even if you aren't into Asian flicks you will love it. Everything gorehounds love is available in this entertaining flick. The red stuff is sputtering all over bodies, even on the camera lens. There are decapitations, ninja fighting, bodies been cut in two, beheading, bodies being burned an of course you just can't take it seriously. If someone would encounter the things that are happening with the main lead you just won't survive it. But if you watch the opening credits than it's clear that they wanted to make some kind of exploitation. The surely succeeded in it. There are naturally some use of CGI and some cheap effects or stupid mistakes for example when one of the girls is being killed you still can see her heart beating in her neck. Nevertheless, big fun. And I was lucky to have met Asami, one of the coming stars in the genre, she was so friendly, I even had signed this DVD and had a picture together with her.

Recap: Yu is bullied by the son of a yakuza leader and his gang, to the extent that he is actually killed. His only remaining family, his big sister Ami vows to take revenge. That quest don't go too well though, resulting in the loss of Ami's forearm. Fortunately she can attach a machine gun to the stump, and the quest for revenge can begin again.Comments: Well, the standard is set right away, so you will know what to expect just by watching the first few minutes. And the standard is low. Sure, I didn't expect any award winning drama in any way, but the extent of blood, gore and violence is so over the top it is beyond silly. And then it continues on for 90 more minutes, in the same style, more or less over the top.To make a slasher movie like this actually demands quite a fine balance. It should be outrageously gory, but it loses most of its edge if it goes over the top, past a certain hard defined line. Machine Girl is so ridiculously beyond that line so it becomes dull and repetitive. But that's a matter of taste I suppose.3/10