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artistic insanity
Review date: 2006-06-02 Rating: 8 out of 10
This is one of the few times reviews and straplines have not lied when they say "You will never have seen anything like this". This film is truly original. I admit that maybe the fact there are five interlinking stories is similar to Magnolia, The Player and Pulp Fiction, but the content of these stories is so insane you would only ever encounter them in an arthouse short film. This film however has far more budget and talent than that.
You can enjoy this film purely for visual reasons. Each shot is beautifully sculpted and the sets are amazing. Asano's house is probably the visual highlight, at times sophisticated and at times garish, but never less than eyecatching.
The acting talent on display is also top level. Asano of course keeps up his standards of excellence, Sonny Chiba plays a nice humorous cameo and Vinny Jones at least looks the part.
I must admit it took me almost half of the 2 hour running time to actually get into the style and humour of this film. Despite its audacious visual flair the jokes are actually quite subtle, not slapstick. There are some amazingly funny lines which almost escape you like the schoolgirl's conversation about being pecked by a crow. Most hilarious is definitely the advertising exec laughing as she imagines the campaigns she has in her head, these are...well...unconventional. It's truly a case of us laughing at her and not with.
The first time director (name escapes me and is not on Amazon) does an excellent job pulling this together. Supposedly his background is in TV ads which is very visible from the style of this film, a lot of cuts, extreme visuals etc. It will be interesting to see what he does next.
This is definitely a film worth watching, maybe not for all but even if you dont like it, you wont forget it.
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Reviews
What is your purpose in life?
Review date: 2006-05-22 Rating: 8 out of 10
I saw this at the Sci-Fi London film festival and really enjoyed it - it's very, very funny but brutal too. Vinnie Jones is the face most westerners will recognise and he's pretty good as the hitman with a philosphical bent - but there are lots of Japanese actors here that you might recognise if you watch many Japanese films (Tadanobu Asano "Ichi the Killer", YosiYosi Arakawa "Ping Pong" and , of course, Sonny Chiba "Kill Bill") and they all do good work.
The plot features five threads - there is a man who has killed his wife, but she won't stay dead; a salary man who gets hypnotised to believe he is a bird; the story of a female advertising executive whose idea of what makes a great advert is... unconventional; and three young burglars, two of whom are undergoing an important awakening.
Tying it all together in a most satisfying way is the fifth thread, Vinnie Jones the ultraviolent English hitman who has a tendency to demand of people "What is your purpose in life?" and his wannabe tough-guy translator who bring chaos wherever they go.
If that all sounds confusing, well it is sometimes, but it is also hilariously funny, entertainingly acted, there's a fantastic pumping soundtrack (turn it up loud) and a brilliant conclusion.
This is fun. Highly recommended, in case you hadn't guessed.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Reika Hashimoto
Kyôko Koizumi
Ittoku Kishibe
Hiroshi Abe
Tadanobu Asano
Creators:
Tadanobu Asano (Primary Contributor)
Reika Hashimoto (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Starz Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Starz Home Entertainment
EAN: 5022366500845
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-05-29
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 120 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Japanese (Original Language)