The long awaited second part of Ishii’s famous film-noir series is very different in its approach from part one. The story is about Mayo, in other words the Black Angel, a top hit-woman who is part of a secret group of assassins. Her latest assignment is to kill Yakazi, a powerful Yakuza boss, who is about to start a gang war. Mayo has her first try in a remote underground car park, but hesitates when Yamabe, Yakazi’s bodyguard, jumps in front of his boss: Yamabe looks like the man who protected her from a rape when she was a teenager. Yamabe however doesn’t recognise Mayo and shoots. He misses and hits a passer by, the husband of Suzu, who is about to have her first child and has to look on powerless as herhusband dies in her arms. Mayo gets another urgent order to kill Yakazi, but her love for Yamabe puts a spanner in the works. At the same time Mayo is being followed by Yamabe, who is in turn being shadowed by Suzu, who has decided to avenge her husband’s death.Unlike the more manga-like scenes in part 1, part 2 stresses the drama between Mayo, Yamabe and Suzu. Ishii succeeded in retaining the visually stunning action scenes and also getting the best from the three actors.
