LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS: OKATSU THE FUGITIVE (1969) **
Apparently feudal
Okatsu the Fugitive is probably the weakest of the Legends of the Poisonous Seductress series. After the cool title sequence, things get a little too plot heavy and the violence is kinda muted next to the more graphic (and fun) second film. Miyazono’s performance is yet again the main reason to watch it, with the bloody sword battles coming in a close second. There’s a decent amount of spurting blood and eye gouging, but again, not nearly as much as the previous entries.
I have a soft spot in my heart for a hot chick brandishing a samurai sword, but even I have to admit, Okatsu the Fugitive left me a little cold. The film does have it’s share of samurai duels, but the sluggish pacing and extraneous plot stuff ultimately sinks it.
The major flaw of the three film Legends of the Poisonous Seductress series is that in each film, Miyazono plays three different samurai chicks. I’m not sure why the filmmakers chose to have her play three different characters in three different stories (Sure, they all more or less go through the same stuff, but still.), instead of having her play one character who slowly progresses through a series of films. While Miyazono is quite good in all three, the lack of continuity between the films is kind of a big turn-off for me. Since there is nothing holding these three films together (save for Miyazono), I’d suggest only checking out the second flick, Quick-Draw Okatsu, and skipping this one and Part Uno entirely.
Okatsu’s dad gets the best line of the movie: “You are inferior to a bitch!”
AKA: Okatsu the Fugitive.