First Love. (15.)
Directed by Takeshi Miike.
Starring Becky, Masataka Kubota, Jun Murakami, Shota Sometani and Nao Omori. Japanese and Chinese with subtitles. 107 mins.
Takeshi Miike directs films at a rate broadly equivalent to that which Michael Caine used to act in them, and with a similar range in quality. His 103rd movie, like many of those he's made over the last three decades, is a gangster flick and one of the very best. This is a twisty and twisted piece of comic crime mayhem that stand comparison with the work of all the usual names that get mentioned when discussing excellence in this area.
Over a long night in Tokyo, a pair of innocents (boxer Masataka Kubota, and a girl, Becky, given to the Yakuza by her father to cover his debts) get caught up in a turf war involving double-crosses and shoot outs. It's a bravura display of callous comedy, packed with invention and the occasional moment of tenderness, just enough to justify the title. It's a tremendous entertainment, proof that practice makes perfect.
Directed by Takeshi Miike.
Starring Becky, Masataka Kubota, Jun Murakami, Shota Sometani and Nao Omori. Japanese and Chinese with subtitles. 107 mins.
Takeshi Miike directs films at a rate broadly equivalent to that which Michael Caine used to act in them, and with a similar range in quality. His 103rd movie, like many of those he's made over the last three decades, is a gangster flick and one of the very best. This is a twisty and twisted piece of comic crime mayhem that stand comparison with the work of all the usual names that get mentioned when discussing excellence in this area.
Over a long night in Tokyo, a pair of innocents (boxer Masataka Kubota, and a girl, Becky, given to the Yakuza by her father to cover his debts) get caught up in a turf war involving double-crosses and shoot outs. It's a bravura display of callous comedy, packed with invention and the occasional moment of tenderness, just enough to justify the title. It's a tremendous entertainment, proof that practice makes perfect.
