Originally a Japanese anime written and directed by Yasuomi Umetsu in 1998, Kite developed a cult following for its over-the-top violence and graphic sex scenes involving under-aged girls. The super-controversial, often-censored story of an orphaned schoolgirl turned sex slave and assassin isnt for everyone, although a slicker, less overtly kinky remake should have been catnip to anyone who's a fan of the Beatrix Kiddo or Mindy Macready type of movie heroine. Sadly, this did not happen. India Eisley stars as Sawa, your average sexy-girl-assassin type who's tearing through a post-financial-crash dystopia trying to avenge the murder of her parents. Her belief that a human trafficking kingpin ordered the hit means plenty of opportunities to dress up like a prostitute, finesse her way into compromising situations and execute decadent flesh merchants. Now, it's understandable that the filmmakers wouldn't be able to follow the story exactly, or else they would risk an NC-17 rating and may not have gotten proper distribution. However, it's the lack of certain details that keep the viewers in the dark for the majority of the story. This flaw keeps Eisley from really bringing her character more to life than she could. Sawa, in this movie version, has been stripped down and you are not given a true feeling of how damaged she is and why she is compelled to exact her revenge. You know what happened, but you are never given a clear showing of just how emotionally and psychologically broken her character indeed is. In the end, bloodthirsty young women are no longer novel enough that this watered-down revenger can expect anyone to pay attention without bringing something new to the table.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
