Crime Hunter 3: Killing Bullet

The third and final film in the series, released within a year of the original. All the expected ingredients are firmly in place and handled with increasing confidence, as Joe investigates another shady crime syndicate that threatens the life of his partner (a lady cop, this time).

Joe reunites with his ex-lover Serika, unbeknownst that she is the mistress and pawn of Mexican-Japanese crime lord Nicol (Shimizu Kentaro from Ikeda Toshiharu’s Mermaid Legend). Joe’s superiors see Serika as a suspect and a member of Nicol’s gang, so when she disappears, Joe must recruit outside help to get her back. Here a sympathetic female colleague named Sunny and a tearaway member of Nicol’s gang aid him in his search.

The third film was largely shot on the island of Guam for added American flavour. Actors from parts 1 and 2 appear once again as new characters, including series regular Matano Seiji, the half-Italian, half-Japanese actor who would become Toei’s V-Cinema answer to Sly Stallone. This is topped off by the welcome return of Takeuchi Riki, already on his way to V-Cinema superstardom and therefore much more prominent here than in his fleeting appearance in the first film. He even speaks a few lines in English before he and Joe (with bandana, of course) team up for an impressive and explosive finale that outdoes the previous two entries, including in its hardware.

– Tom Mes

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