A Bring Out the GIMP (Girls in Merciless Peril) Movie Review


Journey to Japan

Reviewed by Ralphus


During the prime of her career in the early 1970s, legendary Swedish cult actress Christina Lindberg went on a publicity trip to Japan to promote her new film Exposed. This resulted in an invitation to appear in Japanese "pink" exploitation movies, of which she made 2. The first is one of her best known films, Sex & Fury, which John Galt recently reviewed. The second film, by contrast, is relatively unknown and even harder to find, since it was apparently never released on DVD in this country. And that's really a shame. Journey to Japan, also known as The Pornstar Travels Around Japan, is not entirely successful, but it's well worth seeking out. To my knowledge, this is the only movie in her career where Lindberg gets bound and gagged, and if you're a fan of Christina Lindberg like I am, that is definitely a reason to see this film.

The film begins by introducing us to the bumbling lead male character, played by Ichirô Araki, a stereotypical nice guy loser who can't find a girl, and his sexual frustration is driving him crazy. Lindberg plays Ingrid Jacobsen, a Swedish girl who's in Japan to deliver a package, when she mistakenly enters the man's car and expects him to take her to her destination. The two speak different languages so the man can't understand what she's saying, but hey, she's a beautiful girl so he'll gladly take her for a ride. He reluctantly takes off with her in the passenger seat, not really knowing where to go. Halfway through, he decides to stop the charade and tries to ditch her at a coffee shop, but she gets right back into his car. The confused man thinks she wants to go home with him. Imagine the luck.

Once they're inside his home, he goes back and locks the door, causing Ingrid to turn around in surprise. He jumps at her and tries to rape her, only to stop when he cums in his pants. Damn, I guess that's what happens when you stay a virgin for 20 or so years and then all of sudden you get your big chance.

Sometime later in the night, Ingrid goes fishing through his stuff trying to find the key. And undaunted, he tries it again. You can't keep a keep a budding rapist down. This time he throws her on the bed, and when she fights back, he starts beating and slapping her. He pulls off her clothes and gets down to business. As a rape scene it's softcore and dimly lit, but it's clearly not consensual and Lindberg does a great job playing the weeping victim.

Afterward, the sexually satisfied man, clearly proud of himself, relaxes, turns on some music, smiles and looks down at his victim. There's an outstanding full-length tracking shot of a fully nude Lindberg, laying face-down on the floor, starting with her panties at her feet and finishing up on the crying girl's face, looking totally defeated. That shot alone could be considered the "orgasm moment" of the rape scene.

Ingrid decides to make a run for it. She throws open the window and shouts for the police, but our new hero is having none of that. He puts his hand over her mouth to silence her, then hastily grabs a stocking and ties it into her mouth as a gag. He also takes a rope and ties her arms and wrists behind her. He might have been a virgin before but he lives in Japan so he obviously knows bondage. I think it's a required course in school there.

He is awakened the next morning by the sound of Ingrid making all kinds of agitated noises through her gag. He had left her nicely tied, still naked of course, to a rocking chair. Upon checking her out, he discovers she had no choice but to piss on the floor while in her tied up state. Age old problem. Once you've got her tied up, eventually she's gonna have to pee. She might be more trouble than she's worth.

The next night he comes home to find his captive where he left her, now tied on his bed. He picks her up and carries her over his shoulder and loads her into the back seat of his car. She's blindfolded with her hands tied in front, but she's docile as a little lamb and doesn't struggle. He stops by the side of a bridge and tosses her suitcase into the river. Then he picks up Ingrid and prepares to do the same to her. Dude, stop! If you don't want her, I'll take her! Fortunately, a nearby police siren scares him away from that plan, so it's back home to try something else.

Deciding he's going to keep her, the determined young man gets to work. Safeguarding his home, he boards up the windows and gets something more permanent to bind up his unlucky lass, heavy-duty chains. Then he has her pose for pictures while chained up on the bed. Gotta have souvenirs, of course.

This guy is serious. He even buys a book on how to stimulate a woman, pointing out which are her erogenous zones, and of course, he has to try each one out on her. One night while he's raping her, she starts to get turned on, so it looks like all that practice is paying off. But the big doofus makes a big mistake. He takes off her gag and unchains her. Ingrid, realizing she has an out, plays along and completes the lovemaking act with him.

The next morning during breakfast, he takes off her chains for good. Won't be needing these anymore, will we? He leaves her untied, kisses her at the door and leaves her there at home with the door unlocked. She's now his faithful girlfriend and she'll still be waiting for him when he gets home, right?

Guys, if you believe that, you're even dumber and more naive than he is. He returns home with a bouquet of flowers to discover she's not only skipped out, she's robbed him too. Let this be a lesson, if wasn't already crystal clear. Never, ever untie your captive and leave her untied. They can never be trusted.

So where does Ingrid go after her stay in captivity? No, not to the police, to a nightclub. Okay, then. And she meets up with a gang of Yakuza members, including one lady, who befriend her and even offer her a place to stay. Finally, someplace safe, right? Nope, it turns out the entire country of Japan is full of perverts. They throw her down on the floor of the bar, rip off her clothes and the entire group of men proceed to gang-rape her, while the lady of the group gets out her movie camera and films the whole thing! Although again softcore, it's a fairly brutal rape scene with lots of nice shots of Lindberg's screaming face.

That is, unfortunately, the end of all the GIMP scenes in the film. What happens afterward is that Ingrid, dazed, beaten and bruised, is left alone walking the street, where she meets up with the man who abducted her in the first place. He takes her back home, cleans her up and nurses her back to health. And get this, she actually falls in love with him for real this time. Only in the movies, huh?

For this being a Japanese "pink" film, this isn't quite as harsh as many others I've seen. Despite being raped a few times, they went fairly easy on Christina Lindberg, which is kind of a disappointment considering where the film was made. Other than the nightclub rape scene, the film lacks a nasty edge that might have given it more impact. The scenes with her captor actually have a lighter, comic tone to them, and the whole second half is more a drama/love story rather than a serious bondage/rape/captivity type of film. Nonetheless, there is ample Christina Lindberg nudity, and of course, she looks great tied up naked and gagged. If that isn't motivation enough to seek this film out, I'm not sure what else you'd need.


My Grade: B

Asian Cult Cinema




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