However, if we want to trace the roots, the appearance of "killers" or "assasins" as a historically recorded group may be the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period in China. In Sima Qian’s "Historical Records", there is a single "Biography of the Assassins", which introduces six assassins such as Cao Mo, Zhuan Zhu, Yu Rang, Nie Zheng, Jing Ke, and Gao Jianli one by one. "Yao Li Ci Qing" has become a widely circulated folk story.
Our neighbour, Japan, is the birthplace of another great "killer" culture. It is different from the individual spirit of the pre-Qin assassins in our country who pursued the pursuit of "persons who die for their confidants". It is more embodied in Japanese "killers" (assassins). It is the fate bound by the times. As the Assassin Group or Ninja Group during the Warring States Period in Japan were often affiliated to the shogunate, daimyo, or nobles, there were often situations where individual will deviate from the collective mission, which ultimately led to a sad and tragic fate. Fuutaro Yamada’s immortal masterpiece "Koga Ninfacho" tells such a story. Under the drive of fate, the young couple Kazunosuke Kazuyuki, who belonged to the two major ninja camps, had to fall in love with each other and go to Huangquan together.
A similar cruel plot is also reflected in "Girl Killer Amo". The killer group in this film also bears the mission of serving as a political tool. From the time these children are adopted, their puppet-like fate has been doomed. When they left the valley where they had lived since childhood and embarked on the road of removing political enemies for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first order of the mentor was to let these brothers and sisters kill each other in pairs, and the offenders were like a dead end; and as a killer. When the team encountered the wanton looting ronin on the way, the full of righteous indignation was suppressed by the mentor's strict orders, and watched the villagers fall one by one; even when their companions were dying due to the drug, they were also ordered to abandon them by the mentor. . It is true that as an excellent killer, the iron law must be obeyed, but as a young man with an uncompromising human nature, such a process is extremely cruel.
The protagonist of the film is set as the image of a girl, which is contrasted with the natural weakness of women, which invisibly deepens the ruthlessness of the chaotic world and the tragedy of the killer world. In the two-to-two kills mentioned above, Amo’s opponent is Nachi, who is secretly in love with her, and the scene of the lover's cannibalism is obviously more embarrassing than the brothers smashing the wall.
In addition, in the frame of the Japanese sword halberd film, a beautiful girl appears coldly in the scene of broken limbs and blood flowing in a river, which infinitely strengthens Amo’s super-high martial arts and sassy and heroic posture. This "Hundred People Killing Girl" has the unique charm of both rigidity and softness. Of course, this exaggerated form of expression relies on the original manga. In this film directed by Kitamura Ryuhei, the style of manga is revealed everywhere from modeling, camera to editing. One of the most noteworthy is the final battle between Amo and the best beauty pill at the end of the film. The 360-degree rotating motion lens is dazzling and can be said to be a highlight of the film's external form.
Like many other "killer" movies, the core torture of "Girl Killer Amo" is still the killer's questioning and determination of his identity. Is it to be a machine that only knows how to kill, or to be a normal person who does something and does something wrong? From the beginning of unconditional obedience, to the questioning, and then to the defiance of the teacher's orders later, Amo gradually formed her own values and behavior standards. Especially after putting on her daughter’s makeup, she was attacked by a ronin and strengthened her to fight violence with force. The determination, until the final scene of killing Kato Kiyomasa at sea is no longer a mission.
Although "Girl Killer Amo" is not excellent, it has its own delicate and unique features. At least it has no scribbles on the description of the killer's psychology and destiny. The world of "killers" is by no means as glamorous as it seems. It not only requires the consciousness to die at any time, but also faces the psychological struggle of sacrificing human nature and emotion, and being a man and a devil in one thought.
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