Starring - Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female, Twin Peaks), Ann Jillian (The Twilight Zone, Killer in the Mirror), and Thomas Byrd (Twilight Zone: The Movie, Young Guns II)
Release Date - 1983
Genre - Crime/Drama
Tagline - "Enter the frightening reality of the Japanese mafia and the white slave trade"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
I knew the Primetime Panic set from Fun City Editions was going to be fun but I never expected to love these films as much as I did. Freedom was a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoyable but Dreams Don't Die was absolutely fantastic. I could see myself revisiting that one again very soon and never tiring of it. I was curious about the third film in the set and assumed that it would be the weakest link in the set after seeing how much fun the first two films were. I was dead fucking wrong. Death Ride to Osaka, aka Girls of the White Orchid, was a fantastic film and probably my favorite of the set. Fun City Editions did an amazing job and fucking slayed this release.
The film follows the young and gullible Carol (Leigh) who is an aspiring musician living in LA and working at a small diner. She responds to an ad from an agent searching for talent and finds herself heading to Japan to perform several times a night in an upscale club. However, when she notices that many of the other ladies are sleeping with the rich business men that frequent the club she tries to leave. She soon learns that her passport has been stolen and the money she is promised is used to cover her room and board. Broke, and distraught, she turns to the American embassy who refuses to help her and when she turns to the police she finds herself on the wrong side of the law. Cornered, with nowhere to go, her former boyfriend arrives and tries to help her leave but the Yakuza has other plans for her.
Death Ride to Osaka was just sleazy enough and crime filled to completely pull me in. I found myself completely mesmerized by the story and the cast. Honestly, I feel like this could have easily been a VS release but it fits in perfectly in the Primetime Panic set. The acting in this one is great and probably my favorite in the film. I know that a lot of cinema fans love Jennifer Jason Leigh but this was the first film I've seen her in that I actually enjoyed. She fucking delivered on the character and it was a fantastic experience to watch each and every scene with her. The same can be said about Ann Jillian. I'm not too familiar with her myself but she was seductive and fucking killed in every scene she was in. The supporting cast was solid but these two ladies stole the show and mesmerized the viewer. The story for this one is a bit different than the other three films. It's not a coming of age teenage drama. It's centered for adults and features nudity, prostitution, and a forced sex trade. I like how it mixed with Japanese mafia and wasn't that predictable. Sure, you know exactly where the film is going but it takes a different path to the destination you suspected. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could see this same story get a more modern adaptation and still be just as fun. Finally, the film has a little blood and some decent make-up effects but don't expect a bloody flick. It's focuses more on the character and story aspect over a body count. Overall, Death Ride to Osaka was fucking fantastic and a highlight of the set. I highly recommend Primetime Panic just for this film alone. Check it out.
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