Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
Joshuu Sasori: Dai 41 Zakkyobo 女囚さそり 第４１雑居房
Director: Shunya Ito 伊藤 俊也
Released: December 30, 1972
Distributor: Toei
Screenplay: Fumio Konami 神波史男, Hiro Matsuda 松田寛夫 and Shunya Ito 伊藤 俊也
Starring:
Meiko Kaji 梶芽衣子 as Nami Matsushima
Fumio Watanabe 渡辺文雄 as Warden Goda
Kayoko Shiraishi 白石加代子 as Oba
Yukie Kagawa 賀川雪絵 as Haru
Yuki Arasa 荒砂ゆき
Hiroko Isayama 伊佐山ひろ子
Eiko Yatsunami 八並映子
Kuniko Ishii 石井くに子
Hideo Murota 室田日出男
Mitsuo Ando 安藤三男
Info:
Based on manga by Toru Shinohara 篠原とおる.
The second film in the Sasori series. Meiko Kaji starred in the first four.
According to Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, the script originally called for Meiko Kaji's character to speak (and curse) a lot. She disapproved, though, and so the script was altered to make her character almost silent. She only has two lines in the entire film, despite being onscreen for most of it.
Plot:
Picking up where the previous film, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, left off, we find Nami in solitary confinement, shackled and unable to move any part of her body other than her head. We see her using her mouth to hold a spoon, which she scrapes along the ground until sharp. An upcoming visit from the Head Prisoner Warden to promote Warden Goda gets Nami a trip outside to stand with the other inmates for the ceremony. She immediately jumps at Goda with her sharpened spoon, shattering his glasses and nearly missing his eye.
A small riot ensues, but is quickly quelled and the guards decide to punish all of the inmates by taking them to a quarry where they are forced into hard labor. Nami, for her actions, is tied to a tree, surrounded by barking dogs and guards who then rape her, on Goda's orders, while the other inmates watch. On the way back to prison, the 6 inmates beat Nami severely, forcing the guards driving to stop the transport truck. Nami immediately kills the first guard who steps into the van and the others take out the other one.
On the run, the group of 7 women hole up in an abandoned village, and we learn the crime committed by each of them. At night, Haru sneaks out and is caught, and then released so that she can be followed back to the group. Nami kills the policeman that follows and the group moves. They come across a tour bus after three male tourists find one of the convicts and proceed to rape, beat and kill her by throwing her in the river. The other convicts find the body and begin chasing the three men. They get to the tour bus and the convicts take it over.
As they approach a checkpoint, Nami is pushed out of the bus to serve as a distraction so that the rest can get away. Nami is arrested and the bus gets away after Haru is killed by the police and the bus driver is killed by Oba. That night, the bus is cornered by the police. Goda sends Nami to the bus to ascertain the status of the hostages. Nami lies to Goda that the hostages are dead and a firefight ensues in which everyone on the bus is killed except Oba.
Oba and Nami are put in a van to be taken back to prison and Goda orders the guards to kill Nami on the way, saying she tried to escape. When the guards stop, Nami is saved by Oba and Nami kills the guards. The next morning, Oba dies from her injuries. Nami is free and she finds Goda in his new position in the city and proceeds to stab him to death.