:
Toru Minegishi,
Shosuke Tanihara,
Tamaki Kenmochi,
more...
:
Takashi Miike,
Takashi Miike
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Tokyo Shock
: Foreign, Japan, Gangsters, Yakuza, Quest, Revenge
: 100 min.
: Japanese
: English
see additional details...
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Seijun Suzuki meets the Grand Guignol in this wild hallucinatory yakuza drama, directed by Japan's gonzo cinema auteur Takashi Miike, about one of the ugliest family squabbles this side of Oedipus. The film opens with lifelong gangster Iwao Fudoh (Toru Minegishi) killing his grown son after an important mob deal goes south, as his younger son, Riki, looks on. Fast forward ten years, Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is the coolest kid in high school, who also runs a band of school-aged assassins. Flanked by two lethal bombshells in schoolgirl outfits -- Toko (Tamaki Kenmochi), who sports an Uzi, and Mika (played by porn star Miho Nomoto), who sports a blow gun and freakish muscle control in her nether regions -- along with a bevy of commando elementary school kids, Riki slowly seeks revenge on his father and his associates, just as Iwao's gang is planning to merge with an even more nefarious outfit hailing from Kyushu. Explosions, decapitations, and hermaphroditic coupling ensue. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
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| Quirky, gory, stylistic, yakuza-based violence with a school age twist
by hneline1
February 13, 2003 - 1:03 AM PST
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11 out of 11 members found this review helpful
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Director Takashi Miiki manages to cram a lot of weirdness into this film: a girl who shoots darts from her vagina, little boys who play soccer with a human head, a grown man who sleeps with his father, a girl who seduces her female teacher, a transsexual in a softcore sex scene, a man who tattoos himself with a dead man's blood. Oh, and there's a plot about Yakuza revenge somewhere in there. And a lot of killing. Um, and I think there is a message that modern youth corrupt themselves in defense against the moral weaknesses of the older generation and that eventually the youth will triumph. But maybe that's just my brain trying to find meaning in a film that simply needs to be appreciated for it's quirky, gory, stylistic, yakuza-based violence with a school age twist.
If you want to see violence and weirdness Japanese-style, this may be a good intro to Miiki's world for you. Enjoy. As for me, I feel like I've stepped into the wrong cult meeting and now I just want to tip toe back out without attracting attention. Whimper. |
| Occasionally random but generally successful
by mason
January 25, 2003 - 10:15 AM PST
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10 out of 10 members found this review helpful
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There's no doubt that director Miike is an acquired taste, and I'm not sure that I've acquired it yet. "Audition" was an odd one that at first didn't seem to work, but has grown better in my recollection. "Visitor Q" was mostly a waste of time. "Fudoh" lies somewhere in-between, perhaps.
The quickie synopsis is there in the description: essentially a story of a yakuza's son growing up to wreak revenge on his father for the latter's cold-blooded murder of our hero's older brother. The surrounding story of the father's plans to team up with another gang leader is a bit weak, but is mostly irrelevant anyway.
Miike's usual oddities abound here, but there's a stronger plot and fewer digressions (though still plenty) than, say, "Visitor Q". Fudoh's henchmen, from the monstrously huge new student to the girls with their various 'talents', provide most of the freaky aspects. Though we can't forget the mysterious new teacher and her secret.
As a first introduction to Miike's odd world, this is probably a good one. If the violence and wierdness don't offend you, then try some of his others. And don't let the initial scene's bloodbath turn you off; it's pretty much just there so Miike can get some blodletting out of his system.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.96)
185 Votes
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