A
chance encounter between a young boxer and a prostitute causes an all-out
gang war and they are both caught right in the middle of it. This is
prime Miike, back in form, doing what he does best. Frenzied action,
grotesque violence with a crackerjack narrative. This is probably Takashi
Miike's best film in a decade! Here is a major triumph for the prolific
director, proving again there is no such thing as an over-the-top Yakuza
crime movie.
Specifically,
when a shaky scheme concocted by a low-level gangster goes horribly
wrong, a terminally ill boxer and a drug-addicted hooker find themselves
innocently caught in the crosshairs of two warring Yakuza gangs. The
film crescendos into a minding-blowing finale that will remind the viewer
of Miike's DEAD
OR ALIVE conclusion. Perhaps [gasp!] better.
This is Miike's 103rd film since 1991, preceding his
SciFi thriller LAPLACE'S
WITCH. It is immediately reminiscent of his much earlier RAINY
DOGSwith a sly nod toGOZU.
A Japanese
film with optional ON/OFF English subtitles or an English dubbed version;
widescreen format, uncut (109 minutes), DVD encoded for REGION 1 NTSC
FORMAT;
extras include theatrical trailer
Graphic
Violence/Drugs/Sexual Brutality
Recommended For Mature Audiences