In some parts of the movie, there is a surreal artistry, and in scenes such as the quite memorable ending, there is a style of cool that no doubt helped to cement Matsu as the unforgettable Scorpion (a name never mentioned in this first film).

Plot:
It can be described as a combination of Cool Hand Luke and a revenge exploitation movie. I will not spoil the intricate web that is spun in the film; however, the basic set up is that Matsu used by her lover. After attempting to kill him, she is in a prison run by an unforgiving warden and staffed by sadistic guards. She has but one goal: escape from prison and kill those who destroyed her life.

Conclusion:
This film is finely performed with interesting characters. Meiko Kaji portrays the character of Matsu with an intensity, even when she doesn't speak. Sleepy as I was, I couldn't stop the film due to the parade of interesting characters and situations.

I rate the elements as such:

Characters: A
Style: A
Pacing: A
Fight Choreography: Not a martial arts film.
Erotica: B+ (plenty of 70s nudity)

Uttering as few words as possible, Nami Matsushima (played by the stunningly beautiful Meiko Kaji) dispenses with the pleasantries and builds a reasonably impressive body count by the end of "Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion," one of the premiere films in the women's prison genre of films.

Natsuyagi is a cop looking to move ahead in his life, and money, after all, is the root of all evil. He hatches a scheme to use his lovely girlfriend, Nami, to lure the local mafia bosses into a scheme. But when the gang feels something's amiss, they escort Nami into a back room and rape her. Breaking in, Natsuyagi realizes he finally has what he wants: ignoring his fallen girlfriend, he convinces the mob that he can make all of their problems go away if they pay him off. They agree, and Natsuyagi has Nami thrown into prison . where she undergoes the obligatory beatings, teasing, and other forms of degradation so common to 'girls behind bars' films.

What makes "Scorpion" different is the fact that Director Shunya Ito - in his debut film - decided to ride the fine line between art and trash. He combines the best elements of the vindictive woman's feature along with artsy lighting in order to achieve the effect of a car crash: the viewer really hates to slow down and watch, but there really must be something to see here, right? The violence is gratuitous, if not psychedelic, at times, but it all manages to flesh out (pun intended) before Nami manages to finally break out of prison and go on her murderous rampage, taking out the mobsters one-by-one until her final showdown with the unsuspecting Natsuyagi.

Also, in Kaji's graceful hands, Nami isn't so much a victim as she is an antihero, not at all unlike Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. The viewer is pulled into this world by means of a very beautiful woman who refuses to be a 'prisoner' to the genre. Instead, she's defiant and calculating at every turn, refusing to comply with the warden's demands of good behavior. She challenges every authority, instituting her own code of justice which applies to everyone: her fellow inmates, the prison guards, and even the police outside. Uncompromising in her dedication, she ignores the acts she endures for the sake of focusing on one sole objective: revenge.

...and that's an act she takes with complete seriousness.