Lady Snowblood 2 - Love Song of Vengeance (Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga) (1974)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Keiko A

  
  Kill Bill was no doubt based on the first, But i stort of liked this more (And oh yes don't forget Sex and Fury another pink film made here). Though i stort of liked this one's narration more and the rate the story went. Still everything is perfect and a big thumbs up… More
  Kill Bill was no doubt based on the first, But i stort of liked this more (And oh yes don't forget Sex and Fury another pink film made here). Though i stort of liked this one's narration more and the rate the story went. Still everything is perfect and a big thumbs up for the soundtrack!

• Tsubaki S

  
  An ambitious plot that doesn't go very far. Kaji barely has something to do, or say, aside from dispatching the bad guys when the time demands it. The socio-political commentary is interesting at first, but everything boils down to the usual "kill the bad guys and everything… More
  An ambitious plot that doesn't go very far. Kaji barely has something to do, or say, aside from dispatching the bad guys when the time demands it. The socio-political commentary is interesting at first, but everything boils down to the usual "kill the bad guys and everything will get fixed" angle. Not bad, but there's no rush to see this one.

• Anthony L

  
  I suppose you could say that this sequel has a slightly more intelligent storyline but unfortunately politics just isn't as entertaining as bloodthirsty revenge! Still, it's all good and Meiko Kaji is brilliant as always!

• Steve K

  
  More plot-heavy but somehow less compelling than its predecessor, Love Song of Vengeance utilizes a short running time to help deflect criticism. Fans of the original shouldn't be disappointed.

• xGary X

  
  Lady Snowblood is arrested and sentenced to death, but broken out of jail by a corrupt secret policeman who wishes to employ her talents to recover an incriminating document. Why this film is called "Love Song Of Vengeance" I have absolutely no idea because the plot is… More
  Lady Snowblood is arrested and sentenced to death, but broken out of jail by a corrupt secret policeman who wishes to employ her talents to recover an incriminating document. Why this film is called "Love Song Of Vengeance" I have absolutely no idea because the plot is basically a half-hearted slice of political intrigue which in no way can replace the original concept of a lifelong blood vendetta against rapists and murderers. The idea is all a little vague and unconvincing, and the supporting characters are allotted far too much screen time, taking focus away from Meiko Kaji herself who is obviously by far the most interesting character. It still looks nice, but it lacks the action and inspiration of the original film (although Quentin still found enough "inspiration" to steal the idea of blinding an eye-patch wearing foe!) Not a bad sequel, but it feels rather diluted compared to the first installment.

• David L

  
  Shurayuki-Hime Yuki (Lady Snowblood), Samurai blood flows through her assassin veins. Love Song of Vengeance picks up where the first Lady Snowblood left off. Yuki is now wanted by the police after taking revenge on those who had murdered her family. Armed with a Tanto short-sword,… More
  Shurayuki-Hime Yuki (Lady Snowblood), Samurai blood flows through her assassin veins. Love Song of Vengeance picks up where the first Lady Snowblood left off. Yuki is now wanted by the police after taking revenge on those who had murdered her family. Armed with a Tanto short-sword, Yuki cuts through a group of thugs who try to attack her. When the police surround her she throws her sword away and surrenders. While in prison she is offered a deal by the secret police. She must infiltrate the home of Urami Renga an anarchist revolutionary leader as she poses as his maid. She must secure an incriminating document from his possession and kill him to receive a pardon. Yuki refuses to kill him when she becomes sympathetic to his cause. The police surround them and capture Urami as she escapes with the document which she is to now give to Urami?s brother who is working as a doctor in one of Japan?s largest slums. In a final blackmail attempt Yuki takes the document to the police in exchange if the will help the people who live in the slums with food and medical aide. Only the police have other ideas that lead to a final bloody face off. Love Song of Vengeance is different than its predecessor as its focus is more on politics then revenge. This film contains the requisite amount of spurting blood, severed limbs, and eye-gouging are present only the violence in Love Song of Vengeance is more realistic then the comic book style violence in Lady Snowblood. To bad this series was cut short it would have been interesting to see how the character Lady Snowblood would have evolved film to film. As a sequel Love Song of Vengeance is a good enough film to stand on its own. Meiko Kaji returns as Lady Snowblood and she is as powerful as she was in the fist film. Love Song of Vengeance is the conclusion to the Lady Snowblood saga that takes place in the Meiji restoration, a period in the history of Japan that in many ways helped usher in ?modern? Japan. The end of Meiji restoration also brought the end of old Samurai class system. A good sequel. Well worth checking out

• Cassandra M

  
  Toshiya Fujita's "Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga" aka. "Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song Of Vengeance" of 1974 is a quite different, but more than decent sequel to Fujita's blood-soaked and beautiful 1973 gem "Shurayukihime" (aka. "Lady… More
  Toshiya Fujita's "Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga" aka. "Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song Of Vengeance" of 1974 is a quite different, but more than decent sequel to Fujita's blood-soaked and beautiful 1973 gem "Shurayukihime" (aka. "Lady Snowblood"). While the film does not nearly reach the greatness of its superb predecessor, "Love Song Of Vengeance" is yet another original and highly entertaining film that no lover of Japanese Cinema in general, and Chambara and Japanese Exploitation in particular should consider missing. The film sadly cannot compete with its predecessor's unique style and beauty, but it is still stylish, and furthermore delivers a good story, and, most memorably, the wonderful Meiko Kaji, who comes back with greatness as the eponymous (anti-)heroine. As it was the case with several other sequels to popular Japanese 70s exploitation flicks, the sequel adds some political/social commentary to the mainly vengeance-based plot of its predecessor. Obviously, the film is set several years after the events in the original "Lady Snowblood". Yuki/Lady Snowblood (Meiko Kaji) is captured, and sentenced to death for the thirty-seven killings committed by her in the predecessor. She is then offered to carry out an assassination in order to escape her execution... I don't want to give away more, but I can assure that the plot gets quite interesting for my fellow Chambara-fanatics. Japanese Exploitation-Goddess Meiko Kaji (one of my personal favorite actresses ever) is once again stunningly beautiful and brilliant in her role. My personal favorite Kaji role will always be that of female prison escapee Nami Matsushima in the brilliant "Joshuu Sasori" (aka. "Female Prisoner Scorpion") films, but the role of Lady Snowblood is also essential, and no lover of Cult-cinema could afford to miss her in the role (especially in the original, but also in the sequel). Meiko's presence alone would make any film worthwhile, in my opinion, and the film has a lot more to offer. The film's is, once again, filled with quite a bit of stylish bloodshed, which is not quite as aesthetic, but at some points even bloodier than in the predecessor. Unfortunately, the score in this one is not as memorable as that in the original (for which Meiko Kaji sang the theme song), and yet it is more than decent. Nowadays, the "Lady Snowblood" films are probably best known for being the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films, but they sure deserve more attention for their own sake. The first film, "Lady Snowblood", is brilliant, and while "Love Song Of Vengeance" is not the masterpiece its predecessor was, it is still a highly entertaining, stylish and memorable film that I highly recommend to every lover of Chambara and Cult Cinema

• Dean M

  
  Fine bloody sequel of Lady Snowblood with a good chop-socky film, but the original is the whole one.

• Patrick D

  
  There's no doubt that this film is decent as all hell, but it wasn't exactly what one would hope for in a follow-up to the first. The initial premise for the film being "So you've spent your entire life building up to the moment where you kill the ultimate person… More
  There's no doubt that this film is decent as all hell, but it wasn't exactly what one would hope for in a follow-up to the first. The initial premise for the film being "So you've spent your entire life building up to the moment where you kill the ultimate person who wronged you, and succeed...now what?" is a story that is extremely interesting and not one tackled often, or maybe ever. Unfortunetly when she does find something to do and the plot twists away, she almost becomes secondary to the 3 main male characters, almost as if she it just there to guide the viewer through. But she comes into full force at the end. What's also interesting is that they place a historical context on the film, which leads to a political story, which ends up being more drama and thriller than action. It's not that the film itself could have been better, it's just that they maybe shouldn't have made it a Lady Snowblood film, being at one would hope for an all-out slice fest for a sequel and not a agreeably well made historical drama, which flares of action, and some visual reminders, in theme and style, of the last film.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings