Love & Crime Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Love & Crime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 22, 2025

Perhaps because it came out in the wake of its even more massive All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror set, Severin Films' House of Psychotic Women Rarities Collection (also curated by Kier-La Janisse) didn't seem to cause as much of a stir as the earlier aggregation. For those who missed that particular set and would like what might be jokingly referred to as a Reader's Digest redaction of at least some of House of Psychotic Women's "themes" or maybe more accurately underlying conceit, look no further than Love & Crime. This is a rather strange portmanteau of sorts by the frequently provocative Teruo Ishii, who somewhat fitfully toes a line that supposedly offers depictions of various real life female killers through several centuries in some pretty florid and evidently highly fictionalized versions, while also dipping that same toe into what might be called cinéma vérité elements with some inclusions of interview and quasi- newsreel footage featuring a notorious contemporary "killer" (even if her victim was consensual) who (how to put this delicately?) shared a certain infamy with the later Lorena Bobbitt (albeit in this case, again evidently consensual and post mortem, and, no, I'm not kidding).

The conceit of Love & Crime involves a forensic pathologist named Murase (Teruo Yoshida) who for reasons which won't be spoiled here ends up becoming more or less obsessed with female sociopathy after he conducts an autopsy. Murase's "investigations" lead to the aforementioned "anthology" aspect of the film, as various supposed real life crimes are depicted. At least some of these are fairly well known, maybe even infamous, in their native Japan, but may not have the same "cultural" significance for Western viewers. Things are often played to the second balcony in any case, though Ishii really shows some considerable style throughout. Rather oddly, as is addressed in the two main supplements on this disc, while the bulk of the film is in color, it suddenly goes to black and white for a long penultimate sequence which perhaps ironically is devoted to a male serial killer. As co-commentator Amber T. jokes, there's probably nothing more symbolic than having a film supposedly about women but with a perhaps misogynistic undertone then being "taken over" by a vignette involving a man.

Love & Crime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Love & Crime is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. There's no technical information of major import offered on the packaging, other than the fact that this is evidently the first time the film has been available outside of its native country. This has the look of some of the "pre-delivered" Toei masters that other boutique labels have offered, though in this case, the presentation is generally very nice looking. I found the grading of the color sequences to be slightly skewed toward a yellow-green quality, something that can make flesh tones in particular look a little odd in passing, and at times blacks can have a minor blue or purplish undertone, but on the whole the palette pops quite agreeably and detail levels remain secure, even despite some florid Ishii "artistic" touches. The black and white sequence offers nice contrast and appealingly modulated gray scale. My score is 3.75.

Love & Crime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Love & Crime features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio. Despite the ostensible historical milieu of many of the stories, the sound design is often fairly minimal, relying on occasional ambient environmental effects and stabs of underscoring from Masao Yagi to offer some layering and depth. Otherwise, though, all dialogue (and voiceover) is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Love & Crime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Jasper Sharp and Amber T.


• Kiss of Death: Mark Schilling on Love & Crime (HD; 17:50) offers the critic and journalist's thoughts on the film.


• Trailer (HD; 3:27)


• Image Gallery (HD; 00:59)

A DVD is also included. Additionally 88 Films provides a nicely appointed insert booklet with an in depth essay by Nathan Stuart, who identifies himself as a "Toei obsessive". The keepcase insert sleeve is reversible. A numbered Obi strip is also included.

Love & Crime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Love & Crime might be seen as Ishii's own take on that "ripped from headlines" approach that another property whose title regularly features an ampersand, Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise, often does. The "headlines" in this instance may be centuries old in some cases and perhaps not quite as viscerally upsetting for Western audiences, but the stories depicted here are certainly memorable. Technical merits are generally solid and the two main supplements interesting and informative. Recommended.