Female impersonator Akihiro Miwa stars as Black Lizard (also the English-language title), a notorious jewel thief who sets her sights on the Star of Egypt diamond and plots the kidnapping of its owner’s daughter to force him to hand it over. The owner turns to the famed detective Akechi (Isao Kimura) to protect his daughter and the gem, and a battle of wits ensues between detective and thief, with a more layered relationship developing between the two over time. Heavy on style but rather slow-moving.

  Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 537 for 2021.