Rating: 
Summary: Very nice juicy crime flick.
Review: I've been exploring the works of Miike since first stumbling upon "Audition" back when it hit the art house theater circuits over a year or so ago, and while that movie still seems to be his plot-driven-film climax, "City Of Lost Souls" has turned out to be the most entertaining and re-watchable Miike movie to come out of my viewings. Plot, violence, tenderness, action, it all seems quite balanced in this one, and the ending is something I never even saw coming, and was a wee bit angry at for a split-second, yet after thinking on it, I really could accept it. Overall, quite enjoyable and involving, my favorite Miike to date.
Rating: 
Summary: Hugely entertaining
Review: If you've seen Audition and are looking for another Takashi Miike film to watch, City of Lost Souls may surprise you, since it's completely different from that horrific masterpiece. Where Audition is slow-paced and character-driven, Lost Souls is fast, flashy and features characters that are at best cartoonish. (Imagine True Romance with a weaker script but MUCH better direction.) This thing is a wonder of pure cinema. Freely imaginative, colorful filmmaking that's such a blast to watch that it doesn't matter if you really don't care much about the protagonists, Kei and Mario, a couple of ruthless lovers on the lam. But there's too much wit and invention on display to dismiss this film as the sort of souless spectacle you usually get with American action films. There's genuine lyricism in some of the shots, and there's an undercurrent of melancholy through much of the movie. But there's lots of mischievous humor as well. It's obvious that Miike delights in constantly throwing curves at the audience, and unexpected, bizarrely funny moments abound. This is a beautifully shot film, and the DVD transfer looks very good. Included are a "making of" documentary and an interview with director Miike.
Rating:
Summary: Hugely entertaining
Review: If you've seen Audition and are looking for another Takashi Miike film to watch, City of Lost Souls may surprise you, since it's completely different from that horrific masterpiece. Where Audition is slow-paced and character-driven, Lost Souls is fast, flashy and features characters that are at best cartoonish. (Imagine True Romance with a weaker script but MUCH better direction.) This thing is a wonder of pure cinema. Freely imaginative, colorful filmmaking that's such a blast to watch that it doesn't matter if you really don't care much about the protagonists, Kei and Mario, a couple of ruthless lovers on the lam. But there's too much wit and invention on display to dismiss this film as the sort of souless spectacle you usually get with American action films. There's genuine lyricism in some of the shots, and there's an undercurrent of melancholy through much of the movie. But there's lots of mischievous humor as well. It's obvious that Miike delights in constantly throwing curves at the audience, and unexpected, bizarrely funny moments abound. This is a beautifully shot film, and the DVD transfer looks very good. Included are a "making of" documentary and an interview with director Miike.
Rating:
Summary: One of the cooler movies of recent years
Review: It seems that when people in the know discuss Takashi Miike, it's not long before the name Quentin Tarantino comes up. That comparison is certainly not inapt, as Miike shares Tarantino's gift for showing viewers a world in which conventional notions of law and morality are virtually nonexistent. That said, "City of Lost Souls" is the work of a visual stylist who clearly stands on his own abilities. As one would expect from the guy who made the action classic "Dead or Alive," "City of Lost Souls" explores a dark underside of Japanese life filled with unsavory characters and violent happenings. Also like "Dead or Alive," the movie explores (though admittedly not in much depth) the interactions of different peoples in Japanese soceity, in this case the Japanese, the Chinese, and Brazilians. Perhaps most notable, though, is the presence of a high level of bizarre and even surreal elements that set Miike well apart from the action-movie pack. Of course, it's all filmed in Miike's skewed, frenetic style, which makes the movie distinctive enough on its own.
The plot, to the extent that one exists, centers around Mario and Kei, one of the more unlikely couples you'll see in a movie. Mario is a deadly Brazilian criminal who opens the movie by shooting up a bar in his home country; Kei is an absurdly gorgeous apprentice hairdresser who starts the movie on a bus waiting to be deported to her native China. That all changes, though, when Mario stages a dramatic rescue involving an assault rifle and a commandeered helicopter. While the relationsip of Kei and Mario clearly takes center stage here, it's equally clear early on that this is no ordinary love story.
It's after that rescue scene that things start to get a little complicated. Trying to get out of the country, Mario and Kei wind up getting caught between the Yakuza and the Chinese Triad when they steal some cocaine during a deal between the two sides. Pretty soon both groups are on their trail, meaning Mario, Kei, and the tight-knit Brazilian community around them are all in danger of catching a bullet at any moment. Making a bad situation worse, the Yakuza leader, Fushimi, is an unhinged sociopath staging a power grab, and the top Triad, Ko, is Kei's ex-boyfriend and still hasn't quite let go of her in his mind. So, to sum up, the Yakuza and the Triad are both after Kei and Mario, Ko is after Kei, the Brazilian community is soon after Mario, and Fushimi is seemingly after anyone who gets within shooting distance.
Naturally, Miike uses this plot and the accompanying explosive situation as a springboard for the expected series of twisted happenings and profuse bloodshed. Whatever this movie may lack in terms of plot or character development is more than made up for in sheer visual appeal. Obviously a gifted director of action, Miike also impresses with his knack for constructing the kind of set pieces that you just won't see in mainstream American action movies. Mixed in with the conventional shootings, beatings, and explosions are such decidedly unconventional elements as a cockfighting scene inspired by "The Matrix" of all movies, a scene in which Kei sets a guy on fire with some Vodka, and a ping-pong match with deadly consequences for one of the participants. Better yet, much like "Dead Or Alive," the movie hits its climax with a frenetic, shoot-'em-up finale that's sort of like a miniature version of one of John Woo's legendary denouements.
In the end, while it is a bit shallow, "City of Lost Souls" is a more than sufficiently entertaining film for those into the genre. Miike's highly caffeinated, stylish direction is perfect for those with short attention spans, and the whole movie makes a brilliant piece of eye candy. It may not be great, but it looks great, and that's plenty close enough. Any movie with this many cool shots and bullets flying around is worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: Another Miike Classic!
Review: This film was made by Takashi Miike, one of Japan's newest avant-garde directors (also known for using enormous amounts of violence and gore in his films). This film is one of his tamer offerings, and pays homage to the classic noir and Hong Kong action films. The story is about Mario, a Japanese-Brazilian immigrant and his Chinese girlfriend Kei, who become involved with a heist only end up with a shipment of cocaine instead of cash. The two have to escape the country while evading the Yakuza and Chinese gangs seeking the stolen drugs. The film is rather unique with its perspective of multicultural Japan and Miike's trademark craziness featuring midgets brushing their teeth with cocaine, a hilarious Matrix spoof using cockfighting and death by ping pong.
Rating:
Summary: Another Miike Classic!
Review: This film was made by Takashi Miike, one of Japan's newest avant-garde directors (also known for using enormous amounts of violence and gore in his films). This film is one of his tamer offerings, and pays homage to the classic noir and Hong Kong action films. The story is about Mario, a Japanese-Brazilian immigrant and his Chinese girlfriend Kei, who become involved with a heist only end up with a shipment of cocaine instead of cash. The two have to escape the country while evading the Yakuza and Chinese gangs seeking the stolen drugs. The film is rather unique with its perspective of multicultural Japan and Miike's trademark craziness featuring midgets brushing their teeth with cocaine, a hilarious Matrix spoof using cockfighting and death by ping pong.
Rating:
Summary: Fun film
Review: To me this would be the most overlooked Takashi Miike film. Or to say that's it's more overlooked of his region-1 DVD releases.This film is nothing like i've ever seen done. It takes multiple languages/cultures and clashes them in a funny, violent and all around fun film. The characters are kinda cartoonish but they all have a dark edge to them. The lead man Mario (played by japanese-brazilian porno star Teah) barely speaks thoughout the film but he has some sorta superhuman edge to him. The story here is that Mario just got outta jail and his woman Kei is risking deportation so after crashing the deportation bus and killing a few people he gets Kei, not before they envelop a plan to rip off some coke from a yakuza/triad/russian mob connection. Yeah it's confusing but easy to follow. The soundtrack is awesome, with some punkish tunes to fit the mood and more mellow songs to fit that mood. It all works well. There is violence, and lots of it, a few quick but awesome shootouts and some bloodier goings on but not as brutal as other Miike films (DOA for one). The acting is good, but like I said it's a bit cartoonish and over-the-top at times. The ending is well.... A letdown in terms of quality. But this is still a great film, with lotsa style (a CG chicken cockfight for one term), humor (a midget, slapstick humor) and just plain fun. Recommended.
|
