The Violent Action Thriller On Max That Created Kill Bill

Based on a manga of the same name, Lady Snowblood was directed by Toshiya Fujita. It was part of the 70s, low-budget exploitation film boom and starred Meiko Kaji an actress known for her role in another exploitation film about a vengeful woman called Female Prisoner Scorpion.

The movie would go on to find international success, especially on home release, where it was beloved by audiences and critics alike, receiving 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Lady Snowblood is a fairly straightforward, very dark, revenge story, following a young woman named Yuki as she methodically hunts and kills a group of criminals who assaulted and enslaved her mother.

Yuki’s entire life is wrapped up in her plot for revenge, having been conceived explicitly for that purpose and raised as an assassin. She is aided in her pursuit of vengeance by the priest who raised her, a reporter who spreads her story, and an organization of beggars. 

The action in Lady Snowblood is somewhat uneven, largely due to its budget. There are moments where killing blows visibly never make contact or when the effects are more cheesy than evocative. However other fight scenes in the movie are brilliantly shot with beautiful stylized action.

Despite the overly simple story, uneven pacing, and occasional low-budget feel, Lady Snowblood is full of iconic visual moments. Yuki’s signature paracel floating into a courtyard just before a fight, her graceful, wire-assisted leaping, and the final scene of Yuki lying wounded in the snow are all burned into my brain. It’s these moments that made me fall in love with the film. 

Another distinguishing feature of Lady Snowblood is its mixture of traditional Japanese elements with modern, and Western aesthetics. The film’s music is the most obvious way this blending of aesthetics manifests, combining traditional Japanese music with jazz and Classical Western music.

This gives the movie a distinctly 1970s feel, influenced by Hollywood, despite its 19th-century setting. 

While 70s exploitation films in general are a major influence on Quentin Tarantino’s filmography, Lady Snowblood’s influence on Kill Bill is particularly strong.

Narratively, the simple female-led revenge plot against a small list of villains is obviously similar. However, the real influence is stylistic, with the hyper-violent blood-soaked fight scenes and use of modern music in Kill Bill perfectly evoking the earlier movie’s feel. 

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Lady Snowblood is a strange, sometimes messy but frequently brilliant movie. It’s easy to see why it had such a strong effect on Tarantino, with its stylish, hyper-violent action scenes that feel larger than life. You can see how Lady Snowblood influenced Kill Bill for yourself by watching it on Max.