13 Assassins (2011)

Title: 13 Assassins (2011)

Director: Takashi Miike

Review:

A while back I wrote an article called Totalitarian Futures, Big Brother is Watching You! in which I listed a group of subversive films, that is to say, films that speak up against governmental oppression and abuse. These films have many things in common amongst them. For example, films like 1984, Equilibrium, The Island, THX-1138, and Fahrenheit 451 are all about someone from within the system who can’t take it anymore and decides to fight it or escape it. One of the things that distinguishes these films from others is the emergence of a leader, a rebel. This rebel often times comes from within the ranks of the government itself; a government official or a cop as is the case with Equilibrium, a film in which Christian Bale plays a ‘Cleric’; a top ranking government official responsible for eliminating those who resist the system. At one point, this cleric realizes the beauty of art and the pleasures of reading a book and so he decides to defend the people and their right to feel and express themselves as opposed to everyone being lifeless, drone like, the same. These are my favorite kind of subversive films because they show how someone from within can also realize that there is something wrong, and that that someone can take matters into his or her own hands and actually do something about it.

 This is the case with 13 Assassins, Takashi Miike's new Samurai film in which a group of 13 Samurais decide to go up against a particularly abusive government official called Lord Naritsugu, a cruel and sadistic man who is well on his way to becoming the next Shogun. How evil is this man? Well, his own Samurais are committing suicide out of hatred towards him. They are so against his way of doing things that they kill themselves at his own door step. Lord Naritsugu does many evil deeds and then kills as many people as he has to in order to cover everything up the vile things he does. The 13 Samurai of this film realize that they cannot let this evil man become the ruler of the land, so they organize an attack to go up against him and his ever growing army. Will they succeed in their assassination attempt? Are 13 Samurai enough to go up against an entire army of more than 200 soldiers?

 In some countries human rights don’t mean a thing, especially when the government wants to stomp on its people for whatever reason they might have up their sleeves. Let’s say for example they don’t want people going to college so much, because they want people to remain stupid and controllable. Well, then they send a whole army of  armed policemen to the campus to beat the hell out any student they come across with, effectively scaring students from ever wanting to go back to college. Of course the government makes sure they stir up the students revolutionary sensibilities first, so students will revolt and the government will then have an excuse to go in there and stomp the crap out of them. Or let’s say the government is interested in a particular piece of land that they find profitable for tourism purposes, but the land is filled with poor people living in it. What will they do then? Well, they send in more heavily armored cops in there to terrorize the people, then they bring up the prices for utilities like water and light, then the people have no choice but to leave. Then they can build their hotels and condo’s. When the powers that be want something, they will find a way to achieve their purposes. What I always ask myself is, how can these police officers not realize that what they are doing is wrong? That they are being used to abuse the very people they are supposed to be protecting?

 This is why I love films like 13 Assassins, because they address the issue of the government official realizing their government isn’t doing what is right. I remember a video of a riot that occurred on the University of Puerto Rico where a student is standing in front of a cop, who is heavily armored. The cops were heavily armored, with helmets and bullet proof vests and clubs and pepper spray. The policeman had a blank stare on their faces, looking into nothingness, while the student was trying to connect with the police officers human side. The student couldn’t connect, because their was no one there. The officer was on auto pilot, he wasn’t even listening to the girl. He was ignoring her pleas for humanity; his brain had been washed in more ways than one. Things like that make me so sad, they are not upholding the law they are being used to break it. Governments like these should not exist. And the question inevitably arrizes: who watches the Watchmen? Who makes sure that these governments don’t abuse their people? Shouldn’t their be some sort of world police making sure governments are in line doing what they ought to be doing instead of abusing their people?

 This is where the 13 Assassins come in, in Takashi Miike’s wonderfully subversive film. Back in those days, the Samurai served as the government’s personal police force. They were especially trained in the ways of the sword and in the Bushido mentality. They were taught not to show any emotions and to follow the Shogun’s orders without question, no matter what the request might be. But the Samurai’s also lived by a personal code of ethics. They had a deep sense of what was right and what was wrong, which was often times in contras with their Shogun’s orders. This is what happens in 13 Assassins. Though the Samurai work for the Shogun, they realize that one of his officials is pure evil, and needs to be eradicated before he becomes a Shogun himself.  And so this film can be divided into two parts: the first half in which the 13 Assassins gather and prepare for their upcoming confrontation and the second half which presents us with the actual confrontation itself. The first half is actually very interesting because we get to know each individual Samurai and their reasons for agreeing to go up against Lord Naritsugu. I loved this part because we get to see these men getting together for the greater good, they tell themselves “let’s see if there are any good Samurai’s left”. They know they are going up against incredible odds, yet they go for it anyways accentuating the common theme in all subversive or rebellious minded films: the willingness to die for what you believe in; the idea that you’d rather die then live as a slave.

Films dealing with rebellion have to be realistic as well. One cannot make a film like this one and make it look as if everything will be fine and dandy if you go up against an evil powerful government. In many movies where a character goes up against the proverbial ‘system’, things don’t usually end up well for the rebel. In many of these types of films, the rebel usually ends up dead. If you want to read more about this subject matter check out a series of articles I wrote a while back during my VIVA LA REVOLUTION! three day event where Neil Fulwood from The Agitation of the Mind and I celebrated and explored Revolution on film. It was a pretty nifty collaboration, highly recommend checking it out. I think 13 Assassins displayed the idea of revolution realistically, I mean the second half of the movie is a 50 minute long battle sequence where a lot of people die! Takashi Miike really out did himself with this whole sequence. Literally, its slicing and dicing for almost a whole hour! One thing is made clear, going up against a despotic powerful government is not a clean wholesome affair. Lot ’s of blood is spilled, lots of death takes place, and many good people die.

I loved the confrontation between the 13 Samurais and Lord Naritsugu’s army. These Samurai’s display such bravery, cunning and smarts! And the dialog during these sequences really captures the outrage and indignation of the rebel mentality, special attention should be paid to the dialog in the last confrontation between a Samurai and Lord Naritsugu. During these sequences, the Samurai practically tells it like it is to the evil dictator. I loved that about the last half of the film, the honesty in the dialog. Also, I loved this sequence where the rebels don’t identify themselves with any political group or mentality; they call themselves “nobodies” because they are not siding with anyone but man. The are not fighting for a political ideology but for the basic human rights that we are all entitled too: the right to freedom and happiness. That’s what really matters in this world and that’s what we should all be willing to die for if need be. This could quite literally be Takashi Miike’s masterpiece. I do believe it is one of his best films, one of his most profound and relevant ones. It stands proudly next to other great Samurai films like Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), one of the most obvious influences over this picture.

Rating: 5 out of 5 

 

Ichi the Killer (2001)

Title: Ichi the Killer (2001)

Director: Takashi Miike

Review:

The first time I watched Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer, I didn’t know what to make of it. By this I mean that normally, when I watch a film I am constantly analyzing what it’s trying to tell me, the message that it’s trying to bring across. Most of the times I can pick up themes pretty quickly, but sometimes, with some films, nothing happens. Sometimes a film will speak nothing to me. For me, this was the case with Ichi the Killer, in my opinion a vapid film with not much to offer but violence, blood and gore. And that’s okay! Some films are meant to be enjoyed on that level alone. Not every film has to offer the meaning of the universe to you. Some movies, like Ichi the Killer are there simply to titillate and amuse us. Ichi the Killer achieves this with gleeful aplomb.

That's gotta hurt! 

In Ichi the Killer we meet a Yakuza gang whose boss has just gone missing. The gangs second in command, a violence loving man called Kakihara is investigating what happened. You see, he refuses to believe that ‘Boss Anjo’ as he is called, has died. He thinks a rival gang has kidnapped him and is holding him for ransom. So he goes around town, torturing suspects, questioning people in search for his boss. In the meantime, there’s a killer on the loose, but he is not just any killer! This killer kills Yakuza’s for a living, and his name is ‘Ichi’ which is Japanese for #1. He goes around killing Yakuza’s in extremely gruesome ways. It isnt long before Kakihara and his men realize that Ichi is a menace to them, so they go on a hunt for Ichi.

The reason why I was expecting some depth from Ichi the Killer is because my favorite Miike films have some depth to them, for example, Visitor Q (2001) which is one of my favorites. But let’s face it, Miike isn’t exactly known for depth in his movies, he’s better known for their style, their shock value, their violence and their gore. He is also a very diverse filmmaker, making all sorts of films from all sorts of different genres. But I don’t normally finish watching a Miike film and dwell on it’s themes, most of the times, the feeling is just shock. A feeling of “wow, did I just watch that?!” Miikes films always make an impression on you, they always trigger a very visceral sort of reaction. And on this department Ichi the Killer delivers in spades. Kakihara, the henchman who’s looking for his boss is a sadomasochist and the real reason he is looking of Boss Anjo is because Boss Anjo used to inflict him with tremendous amounts of pain, and Kakihara liked it. Kakihara is the kind of guy who has no problems with cutting off his own tongue to prove a point! He has no problems with torturing someone by pouring red hot cooking oil on his back! He pays prostitutes to beat him, because he misses Boss Anjo’s beatings! The guy is in love with pain, but more than that, he is addicted to sensations, always looking for the thrilling, shocking sensation. He wants to meet Ichi because thinks Ichi will give him the ultimate pain, the pain he has been looking for all his life. So, he doesn’t want to find Ichi to kill him, he wants to find Ichi so Ichi can inflict him with an ultimate dose of pain. For me, it was this strange brew of characters that made this film interesting.

And speaking of Ichi himself, he really is a strange sort of protagonist. He is supposed to be some sort of superhero/crimefighter. He wears a special bodysuit when he goes hunting for bad guys, the suit has a big yellow #1 on its back. But Ichi is anything but a traditional superhero. In my book, he is a really weak main character. He is manipulated and used; he seems to have no real control over his actions. He is fed lies that make him act a certain way. When he is about to murder bad guys, he cries uncontrollably because he doesn’t want to kill anyone, yet he does it because he’s been conditioned to do so. When he is about to kill a bad guy, he gets an erection. He sees a raping going on, he doesn’t try to stop it, he feels aroused and wants to participate. I mean, this guy is all sorts of weird. Yet when it comes down to killing a couple of Yakuza’s he does it almost effortlessly with these blades that come out of the heels of his shoes. With this film, Miike switches everything around, the hero is a wimp, while the villain is the intelligent one. Hell, there is no doubt that Kakihara is the main character in this movie even though the film is named Ichi the Killer, it’s Kakihara’s face that’s on the films cover, not Ichi’s. Actually, Kakihara is on the film more than Ichi is.

Ichi, a strange sort of 'hero'

This is a film filled with very troubled individuals. Both protagonists (Ichi and Kakihara) have sexual frustrations and dysfunctions. I mean, Ichi gets aroused when he’s going to kill someone and Kakihara gets aroused when he is inflicted with pain. These freaky sexual antics are something to be expected from a Takashi Miike film, a filmmaker that like Cronenberg isn’t shy about exploring human sexuality. I mean, in Gozu (2003) there is a character who can only get an erection by inserting spoons up his ass! I kid you not! So anyways, I hope this review has helped in giving you an idea of what to expect from Ichi the Killer. There’s freaky sexuality and there are copious amounts of violence and gore. A word on the gore: most of it comes off as cartoonish and over the top. Characters get horrendous amounts of pain inflicted upon them and don’t pass out or die, I mean, in one scene Ichi slices a guy in half like a freaking watermelon. Kakihara slices of his own tongue and keeps on walking as if nothing had happened to him. In fact, he simply sews his tongue shut and keeps going about his business. Final words: Ichi the Killer is your typical violence filled gangster movie with not much to say, but lots of things to freak you out. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Takashi Miike: Master of Diversity

Takashii Miike is a director who shoots films with machine gun speed and a Samurai’s sword precision. They guy simply doesn’t stop working! As I write this, Takashi Miike has been involved in 85 films since he first started way back in 1991 when his cinematic career started with a straight to video film called Toppuu! Minipato Tai – Aikyacchi Jankushon. Currently he is working on three films: one of them is called Ninja Kids (2011), a children’s film about a kid called Rantaro and his adventures in a ninjitsu academy. To give you an idea of the speed at which Miike works, keep in mind that in 2002 alone Miike made 8 films! It goes without saying that he is an extremely prolific director who doesn't just stick to one genre, he tries them all. And he waists no time in doing it. In this way, he reminds me of Ridley Scott a director who is continually trying a different genre. Miike could make a Yakuza Film like Fudoh: The New Generation (1996) just as well as he could make a children’s film like Yatterman (2009). He can make a drama like The Bird People of China (1998) just as well as he can make a horror film like Audition (2000). He’s films can go from the extremely surreal Yakuza film Goku (2003) to the experimental potpourri of genres known as The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001). As you can see, Miike’s filmology is anything but conventional.

What makes a Takashi Miike film, a Takashi Miike film? Believe it or not, even though he covers a great many genres with his films, they do have a uniqueness to them. Certain elements set them apart, some elements bond his films together. For example, a lot of Miike’s films are extremely violent or gory; the gore on his films can be extreme, but at the same time cartoonish, kind of like reading a very violent manga where buckets of blood spray in the air. But even though his films can get quite graphic and gory, they always have a depth of philosophical exploration to them. For example, Miike’s segment for Three Extremes (2004) entitled ‘Box’ wasn’t just a short film about twin sisters who work as contortionists in a circus, this visually engaging short film was also an exploration on the theme of incest. Much like the films of David Cronenberg, often times there’s are a psychological or philosophical exploration behind Miike’s films. Another thing that makes Miike, Miike is that he loves his Yakuza films! In this he is similar to Martin Scorsese who loves making his gangster films. Go through his filmography to see just how many of his films are about Yakuza's, there's quite a bunch of them. I'll be reviewing some of them soon, I'm going to try and focus on his Dead Alive series, so look forward to that!

But what I like most about Miike films is that they are not afraid to explore taboo subject matter. This probably has a lot to do with the freedom that Japanese filmmakers have, they don’t have as many restrictions as American cinema, they don’t have to deal with an MPAA rating and judging their films. Films from around the world can go deeper, explore themes further. And when it comes to themes dealing with human sexuality, well, Miike goes pretty far. Again, same as Cronenberg, Miike’s films mix the psychological, the sexual and the violent. It’s no wonder Miike sites Cronenberg as one of his favorite filmmakers. These two directors dont fear exploring the darker areas of the human psyche and sexuality, so when you watch a Miike film, expect lots of nudity and sexually explicit situations. 

Sometimes it’s difficult to fathom how the same guy who made the controversial and ultra violent Ichi the Killer (2001) is the same guy who made the big budget children’s fantasy film The Great Yokai War (2005)! That’s like saying that David Cronenberg had directed The Never Ending Story or something. But such is the nature of the great Takashii Miike, as a filmmaker he is totally unpredictable. You never know what he’s going to do next. And that to me is part of what makes this very unique filmmaker special. 

With this article I don' t even cover a tenth of Miike's films, he has so many films in his filmography that it would take way more then one article to do that. But don't worry! Since here on The Film Connoisseur I’m currently on a Japanese kick, I'll end up reviewing some Takashi Miike films in the next couple of days. In the mean time, I thought you guys would like to read a bit about some of Takashi Miike’s body of work. The films I’ll be mentioning on this article are a small sample of his vast filmography. The main idea is that you guys and gals out there who have yet to experience a Miike film will get an idea of what this very special Japanese filmmaker is all about. Enjoy!

Film: Fudoh: The New Generation (1996)

Synopsis: This one is all about a family feud that takes place within a Yakuza family. Riki Fudoh is a teenager in highschool, but he is a little different: his father is head of a Yakuza Organiztion! One day, Riki sees his own father killing his brother, and from there on in, it is Riki’s mission in life to bring down his father’s Yakuza organization. In order to do this effectively, Riki get’s starts building his own army of underage killers. Amongst these killers is a beautiful girl who can shoot darts out of her vagina! Yes, you read that last comment right. Pretty soon, Riki takes over the school and controls it entirely, once his army of misfits is complete, he goes up against his own fathers organization in a climactic fight to the death. This is one of Miike’s earliest films, he made it when he was still making straight to video films, yet it shows he’s always been fond of shock, and gore. This one is full of gory moments including a Yakuza that chops his sons head clean off in order to appease his Yakuza master. 

Stand Out Shock Scene: One of Riki Fudoh’s body guards in the school is a girl who can shoot poisonous darts from her vagina. At one point, she shoots one of her darts, which shoots out of her vagina along with a huge spray of blood. In reply to her surprised enemy she says “sorry, I’m on my period!”

Film: Full Metal Yakuza (1997) 

Synopsis: Ever wondered what a Japanese version of Robocop would be like? Well, wonder no further, this is it! Miike making this film makes perfect sense when we take in consideration that he’s such a big fan of Paul Veerhoven; the director behind Robocop (1987). Still, Full Metal Yakuza is in no way a rip off, it's not an exact copy of Veerhoven's 80's classic. Full Metal Yakuza has many things that make it even more hardcore than Robocop ever was. For example, the main character in this film isn’t a cop, but the contrary, a wannabe Yakuza. He aspires to be the best Yakuza, but he isn't. In fact, he ends up getting killed by a rival Yakuza gang. Lucky for him that a scientist takes his body and replaces the damaged parts with robotic parts…as an added bonus, the scientist is so nice that he reverses his impotency by giving him a gigantic robot penis! He even has his old Yakuza boss’s heart beating inside of him! Now he is out for revenge on those who wronged him. Miike made this one straight to video and it’s low budget is very evident, especially when it comes to the quality of the image and its special effects. This was a film made cheaply, and quickly for the straight to video market. But the film has enough gore, creativity and depravity to keep you interested all through out. Not Miike’s brightest or deepest, but it is so violent and depraved that its entertaining.

Stand Out Shock Scene: Full Metal Yakuza takes the head of one of his enemies and hurls it so hard through the air that it travels from one building to the next!

Film: Audition (2000) 

Synopsis: Audition was the first Miike film to bring him international acclaim. Thanks to the boom that J-Horror films experienced around the start of the millennium, Audition along with Ichi the Killer were the two films that got Miike's name known to American genre fans. Nowadays his name is a house hold name amongst horror fans, and lovers of Japanese Cinema, but back then, when Audition was first released on dvd, he was just starting to get recognition outside of Japan . This film tells the story of a wannabe actress named Asami, who is desperate to get her first acting gig. She ends up going to an audition for a film. Problem comes when the audition that she goes to turns out to be a farce. You see, a producer wants to help his friend find a new wife, so he sets up a fake audition just so his lonely friend could meet a bunch of girls and pick one as his new wife. Problem comes when the girl doesn’t like the fact that she’s been lied to! Then, her psychotic side emerges and things get ugly from there on in. This film takes a while for its tension and horror to kick in. For it's first half, the film actually feels like a love story. It's only during it's last half that the film shows its ugly claws and rips your heart out. 

Stand Out Shock Scene: When Asami puts on her black plastic gloves and picks up some piano strings, get ready for some grueling, torturous scenes of bloody mayhem! Not gonna spoil it for ya.

Film: Visitor Q (2001) 

Synopsis: This is one of my personal favorite Miike films because it is so thought provoking and such a critique on family life and family dynamics. One day, a mysterious character simply known as “Visitor Q” suddenly pops up and joins a Japanese family on their day to day lives. Thing is that this family is anything but traditional, in fact, everyone in this family is a little messed in the head. The Father wants to have sex with his daughter, who is a prostitute. The son, beats his mom, who in turn is a drug addict. Miike is obviously portraying terrible characters as a way of commenting on negative family behaviour. Q functions as the ultimate watcher, the ultimate voyeur. An observer of human behavior. He rarely comments on things, he just watches. In most occasions, the family ignores Q as if he wasn’t even there. This made me see the character of Q as a godlike figure. One of Miike’s most thought provoking films. This film was part of a series of films called “Love Cinema”. These films where shot by six independent filmmakers, as a low budget exercise, to explore the benefits of shooting on low cost digital video and a miniscule budget, as a way of showing that a lot can be achieved with very little as long as the talent behind the camera is good, as it was with this film. The result was a film with a very real, documentary style look, something that is growing in popularity in American cinema. Examples of this style of filmmaking in American cinema are Paranormal Activity (2007) and The Last Exorcism (2010). 

Stand Out Shock Scene: At one point the mother who is not pregnant and has no babies, starts to squeeze her breasts until milk starts coming out of her nipples. Then, to freak you out a little more, her husband helps himself to a couple of drops. Paging Dr. Freud…

Film: Gozu (2003)

Synopsis: Once again Miike revisits one of his favorite premises: The Yakuza Crime Scene! On this film, we meet Azamawari, the leader of a Yakuza family who is worried about the strange and erratic behavior of Ozaki, one of his henchmen. So he does what any intelligent Yakuza Lord would do, he orders one of his other henchman to take Ozaki to the town of Negoya to have him killed. Azamawari does not want a loose cannon like Ozaki on his organization. Problem comes when Ozaki’s would be executioners take him to Negoya; that’s when things start to get just a little bit weird on this movie! This film has got to be hands down one of the weirdest films in Miike’s filmography, and that’s saying a lot! When we finally arrive at Negoya, it’s as if we’ve somehow entered The Twilight Zone or a David Lynch film. Take your pic. Speaking of Lynch, this film has a very strong Lynchian vibe going for it, again, this is probably Miike’s way of paying his respects to one of his favorite filmmakers. But again, Miike is even more unhinged then Lynch could ever be. This movie is extremely freaking weird. If I had to compare this film to a Lynch film, I’d say its close to what Lynch did in Lost Highway (1997). But nothing I say will prepare you for this movie; you simply have to see it. Highly recommend it for one of those nights when you just want to see some fucked up weird shit. 

Stand Out Shock Scene: Ozaki (the unhinged gangster) sees a person walking a Chihuahua out on the streets and is convinced that it is a ‘Yakuza watchdog’ for a rival Yakuza family. So what does he do? He walks out into the street, grabs the dogs’ collar, gives the dog a couple of swings in the air and then smashes the little Chihuahua against the crystal window of the restaurant where his boss is eating at. This my friends is just one of many moments in this film, trust me, they get way crazier.

Film: The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) 

Synopsis: This is the best of example of just how prolific a director Miike actually is. This film is difficult to categorize within any particular genre because it covers so many of them! This film is a kaleidoscope of genres! At times the film feels like a comedy, because this is film about a family of depressed individuals who’s hotel, called ‘The White Lovers Inn’ is practically going out of business. Problem is that practically every customer that comes into the hospital ends up either committing suicide or getting murdered. Then the dead customers turn into zombies. Then there is a musical number. And then it’s a love story. And it keeps jumping from genre to genre like that. The film even has some stop animation sequences. This is a very off beat film, but at the same time, very light hearted and fun. Funny thing is that even Miike’s attempts at making a comedy ending up being disturbing and dark. 

Stand Out Shock Scene: A zombie musical sequence, where zombies toe tap and head nod as they dance to a happy song about enjoying life while we are here, reminiscent of Monty Python’s musical numbers like Life of Brian’s “Always look on the bright side of life”.

Film: Three Extremes (2004) 

Synopsis: This excellent horror anthology film is composed of three different stories by three different  directors. And they are not just any directors! These guys are special! The first one called ‘Dumplings’ is directed by Chinese director Fruit Chan. ‘Dumplings’ is about a woman who makes these magical dumplings that make you look younger! What’s the secret ingredient for youth? The second one called ‘Cut’, directed by Chan Wook Park (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) is about a disgruntled movie extra who wants revenge on the film director that never gave him a leading role. And finally, Takashi Miike directed the one called ‘Box’ about a pair of twin sisters who work as contortionists in a circus with their dad. Why does dad favor one daughter over the other? Miike’s short is very beautiful to look at, very dark, very gothic and very surreal. But like some of the best Miike films, its message is a powerful one. Three Extreme’s is an excellent anthology film. You get three films by three excellent directors who know a thing or two about great cinema. If you haven’t seen this one yet, get ready to be shocked by three awesome horror stories that fall more on the artistic and intellectual side of things.

Film: The Great Yokai War (2005) 

Synopsis: This isnt your traditional Miike film. As I’ve mentioned on this article, Miike loves trying new genres of film, and this time around he took a stab at directing a children’s film. On this one we meet a young boy who is one day chosen (during a village festival) to be the Kirin Rider. A warrior that is meant to protect everyone from evil spirits, and evil in general. Problem is that his magic sword is broken and he needs to find the magical blacksmith that can fix it, he needs his sword fixed in order to prepare for the coming Spirit War or Yokai War. The final brawl is one filled with thousands upon thousands of spirits and many uneven half assed effects. Some effects work, some don’t. The film is uneven that way, there is stop motion, there is CGI, there’s men in suits and every monster is completely different then the last one. It is interesting for that alone, all the different monsters that pop up on screen, and trust me, at one point you’ll be seeing literally thousands of monsters. It was interesting to see Miike directing a children’s fantasy film. I’d like to see more of these, like Zebraman (2004). 

Stand Out Shock Scene: A giant turtle spirit flies through the skies and a bystander looks at it and says “oh, its only Gamera!” making reference to 'Gamera' a popular Japanese Kaiju film, and one of Godzilla’s many enemies.

Film: Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) 

Synopsis: This film is about a gun totting vigilante that arrives to a town where he is caught between two gangs both of which are fighting to get to a treasure first than the other. The stranger will give his services and help to the highest bidder. So he plays both sides. This flick is a hyper stylized homage to spaghetti westerns; it’s a love letter to films like Django (1966), which is also about a gunslinger who is caught between two feuding factions. There’s lots of love for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966) as well. My main problem is that plot can get a bit confusing at times, you can get lost at times, but thankfully there is enough eye candy to keep us entertained. Tarantino himself makes a cameo in the film as an aging gunslinger remembering the good old days. It obvious that Mike and Tarantino both share an appreciation for westerns, it makes sense that Tarantino is now making his own Django film entitled Django Unchained, cant wait to see how that one turns out! 

Stand Out Shock Scene: Two characters are having a fight, one has a sword, the other a gun. The gunslinger shoots a bullet and the sword swinger slices the bullet in half with his sword! Then, the continue their sword and gun fight, with the gunslinger using his gun like a sword. You gotta see it to believe it.

Well, thats it ladies and gents, hope you enjoyed the article. I'll be exploring some Takashi Miike in the next couple of days! Look forward to more reviews of his films. 

#2 of the Top Five Bizarro Films Countdown!

The Film Connoisseur’s #2 Bizarro Film: GOZU (Takashi Miike, Japan, 2003) 

The Celluloid Highway's # 2 Bizarro Film: FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES (Toshio Matsumoto, Japan, 1969)

This is a very challenging film both formally and at the level of narrative content from writer/director Toshio Matsumoto. It charts in a unique fashion the difficulties, prejudices, and challenges faced by a sub-cultural community of transvestites in Japan. The structure is episodic, and the editing strategy owes more to the montage approach than to the linearity of cause and effect - the result, as is the norm for many cult films, is that the challenge to the viewer is trying to make sense of the story amid a whirlwind of formal experimentation. Of course this isn’t helped one jot by the fact that this is a product of Japan which always provides just the right amount of cultural distinction to give films of this type an unknowable and alien quality. The major influence within Matsumoto’s splintered vision is the unregimented approach of European art cinema, and the variety of new wave movements within that. As a result the film has a formal sensibility that allies it with western avant-garde experimentation. That’s fine for those well versed in the conventions of those forms, but to anyone else this will provide a very difficult challenge. An oedipal element at least gives the fragmented narrative something recognisable to clutch onto - but the mixing of narrative and documentary style techniques only adds to the unreliability of the world we see. This is a very uncertain vision of Tokyo in flux, and the order of the day is chaos amid a desperate attempt for acceptance and understanding. Within this sub-culture we also get to explore the drugs scene and to his credit Matsumoto avoids sermonising. Instead he prefers to allow the characters and the situations to speak for themselves. The profusion of flashbacks, flash forward, repetition of images, and speeded up footage gives the whole thing a spaced out, drug induced, and elliptical hallucinatory quality that is not alleviated by an unforgettably violent finale. The visual experimentation certainly dates it, but the beautiful black and white cinematography gives grandeur to the subtle and brilliant performances within. A definite obscurity, but one worth seeking out for those who enjoy a less passive viewing experience.

Takashi Miike is the kind of director that has tackled all kinds of films in his career. In a way, he is like Ridley Scott who has made all kinds of different films from all kinds of different genres. Miike has done ultra violent gangster films like Ichi The Killer (2001), he has done science fiction/action films like Full Metal Yakuza (1997). Miike has even done a fantasy western film called Sukiyaki Wester Django. Hell, there’s even a children’s film in his repertoire, if you don’t believe me check out The Great Yokai War (2005), one of the most bizarre children’s film you will ever see. I think its interesting how a lot of the directors we have mentioned on this count down have been influenced in one way or another by David Lynch. In my opinion Takashi Miike can be included in this list of directors who’ve obviously seen a David Lynch film or two. Gozu is a film that exists in a universe similar to a Lynch film. It’s about this gangster whose days are numbered. His boss has decided he knows too much, and has to be eliminated. So, they send him out on a false mission in a far away town. In reality, they just want to send him to a lonely spot to kill him. He manages to elude his assassin, and ends up in a strange town where everything is just a little off. The thing you need to remember about this film is that it’s that kind of film where the characters suddenly find themselves in this alternate dimension where everything is strange, everything is weird. Kind of like stepping into the Twilight Zone. In this way, Gozu reminded me of John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994), where suddenly the characters find themselves in this alternate dimension in which everyone seems to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. This film is similar to David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997). A weird town, stranger inhabitants, surreal imagery, characters that seem to morph into other people. Body switching and the such. There’s all sorts of strange people here, including a guy who can only get sexual satisfaction by shoving spoons up his ass! Like I said, bizarre. Don’t think that’s bizarre enough? How about a guy who has a human body and a cows head? Will our main guy ever escape this strange town? For this post I was divided between choosing this film or The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001), another incredibly bizarre Miike film. In the end, Gozu won the battle because it is that much crazier. Stay tuned till the shocking finale which offers up one of the most bizarre situations/images I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Just when you think you seen it all, Miike proves you that you aint seen a thing.

This Top Five Bizarro Films Countdown  is being done in collaboration with Shaun Anderson from the excellent movie review blog The Celluloid Highway, check it out if you haven't done so already, its a very well written and informative blog I know many of you will enjoy! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the #1 choices for most bizarre films, where we will reveal the two weirdest movies you will have ever heard of. The countdown will only get weirder and weirder! See you tomorrow!

For part 3 of the Top Five Bizarro Films Countdown CLICK HERE!