Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail

 After the bloody and brutal adventures of the (gorgeous) Revy, the only thing remaining to watch in the franchise is the spin-off story Roberta's Blood Trail.

And in this 5 episode long mini-series, we follow the story of the housemaid slash assassin of the Venezuelan crime family, the Lovelace's.

 

When her master is taken out by the US military, she vows to go out on a vengeance. In Roanapur, the Lagoon company is minding it's business assets.  The young new master of the Lovelace family hires them in order to stop Roberta's rampage though, and bring her back into the family.

As the Lagoon Company sets out to try and find Roberta and what her next target is, Rock still learns more about himself and his friends in this bloody business they are part off.  But the various mafia factions in the area also take an intrest in trying to take Roberta down to ensure the relations with the drugcartel.  

 

As Roberta is chased through the city, she manages to escape time and again (the taking out of soldiers one by one with a cannon-like gun was brutal), but is chased by Revy. They also encounter some other assassin's from the earlier series (chainsaw wielding girl!) on their chase, as Roberta, high on anti-depressants, keeps managing to envade them.  But when the young master comes across her as she beats up an enemy, she loses it completely.  When the marines think they "save" the Young Master from her, she comes after them.

Rock is searching for a backer in the meantime, as he wants to bring down the Hong Kong mafia of Chang that is trying to take control of the situation to their own benefit.  The Russians from Balalayka step in, making sure Revy and her allies are not able to take part in the upcoming battle.  As the americans go to the extraction point, Roberta gives chase even surviving an ambush from the Russians. 

Scheming all the actors onto the stage, Rock brings his plan into motion, as the extraction ship for Garcia and the americans is none other then the Lagoon's ship.  And the scene is set at nighttime in the jungles of the Mekong river.  Roberta hunts the soldiers down, before the Young Master manages to contact her and tell her where to rendez-vous.  A gravely wounded Roberta comes, as Rock reveals to Revy it is all a plan by Chang to keep the drugtraffic between the Golden Triangle and Roanupur secret.  The Young Master takes away Roberta's ultimate chance for revenge, before he kisses her as he is shot by Roberta in a trial of faith.  A setup to bring her out of her mindset of violence, and take on their life together again.  

Now this was one brutal series, and I enjoyed it a lot to be honest, perhaps the most intense set of episodes of the whole franchise and that is saying something!  And of course the topless shower scene of Revy in episode 2 makes this the summon of series ;-)