Lady Snowblood (Japan, 1973)

Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born by a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Though she dies in childbirth, she makes sure that the child will be raised as an assassin to kill the criminals who destroyed her family. Young Yuki never knows the love of a family, but only killing and revenge.

This is the original film which more than inspired Quentin Tarantino to make Kill Bill. It's a violent, bloody road of vengeance that Yuki faces when she tracks down the four people that ruined her family. The story originates from a manga by the same author who wrote the Lone Wolf and Cub series, so the man really had a thing for gory samurai violence. Meiko Kaji (Female Prisoner 701) is such a foxy and cool main actress, and she also sang the main theme of the movie. 

A sequel was released in 1974, called Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance, but wasn't nearly as good as the first one.

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller