Today, we look at a Japanese classic action movie and revenge thriller that was a huge inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Directed by Toshiya Fujita and starring Meiko Kaji in the lead role, Snowblood is gory and violent but features some excellent, visually appealing scenes and slick cinematography. The movie is based on a manga series of the same name.

The plot of Snowblood is an age-old story of revenge, told several times on screen, with predictable twists. However, strong performances, great camera work from Masaki Tamura, well-constructed sets, astounding outdoor shots, great action sequences, and a fast-moving plot keep the audience engaged.

In 1984, an inmate, Sayo (Miyoko Akaza), delivers a female baby, Yuki, at a female prison in Tokyo. A furious snowstorm is in effect as the woman names her child Snowblood. Sayo was known for her promiscuity and had numerous sexual encounters while serving her sentence for murder.

After narrating a tale of woe, Sayo breathes her last. Sayo was happily married to a school teacher and had a son. A group of five criminals came to her village, swindled its poor citizens, and brutally assaulted Sayo after hacking her husband and son to death.

Sayo is forcefully taken on by Shokei Tokuichi (Takeo Chii), one of the criminals, as a mistress. Soon, Sayo finds an opportunity to exact vengeance on him and, as a result, is sent to prison.

Realizing that she will not have the opportunity to kill the rest of her attackers, Sayo seduces many men in prison and conceives Yuki (Meiko Kaji). Yuki, whose destiny was determined even before her birth, grows up to be Shurayuki-hime (Snowblood), a dangerous assassin, under the strict and harsh tutelage of a priest and former vassal, Dōkai.

She begins her journey of vengeance by ambushing Shibayama, one of the remaining killers, and his men on the street. After killing him, she visits Matsuemon (Hitoshi Takagi), a slumlord who commands an army of beggars.

Matsuemon has a huge network of spies throughout Japan. Entrusted to find the remaining murderers, Matsuemon locates one of them, Banzō (Noboru Nakaya), who is a gambling alcoholic in severe debt.

Yuki sets out to kill Banzō and meets Kobue, his daughter, who is selling herself to men to support herself and her father. Yuki kills Banzō, angering Kobue, who vows revenge.

Yuki is disappointed when she learns that Tsukamoto Gishirō (Eiji Okada), another of her mother’s assailants, has died in a shipwreck. She visits his grave, destroys the flowers around it, and departs. She is unable to find Kitahama Okono, the only woman among the murderers of her parents and brother.

Ryūrei Ashio (Toshio Kurosawa), a young man who sees her desecrate Gishirō’s grave, follows her. Later, he accosts her and reveals that he is a journalist. Yuki is shocked to learn that Ashio has revealed the entire story of her birth and her quest for revenge in a local newspaper.

Interestingly, she learns that it was Dōkai who put Ashio on this task. Dōkai explains to Yuki that this was part of his plan to flush out the absconding Okono.

The rest of the plot is predictable but features some great action scenes. Needless to say, Yuki begins a relationship with Ashio. Dōkai’s plan works, and Okono comes out of hiding. There will be another predictable twist, and the climax will feature a fight sequence at a masquerade ball party.

As mentioned, the movie has great action scenes. One aspect that stood out was how far Japan had advanced even in the 1800s. It had newspapers, beautifully decorated homes, and its gentry lived lavish lives, borrowing heavily from the West, as is demonstrated in the masquerade ball scenes.

Meiko Kaji competently performs the role of the deadly Yuki, skilled in wielding the katana. She may seem gentle and vulnerable at times, caressing a rose or appreciating children singing, perhaps longing for a childhood she never had. Kaji is also a melodious singer, and a song she performed is heard in some of the alluring background score of the movie.

As mentioned, Snowblood heavily inspired Tarantino, who had all the actors in Kill Bill watch this movie. Snowblood is worth seeing for its action scenes, fine performances, and slick photography.