Waga jinsei saiaku no toki

This and the subsequent films that followed The Most Terrible Time in My Life will most likely get lost in the deep annals of film history. But for those that got the chance to watch these films, these movies take you back to an old-school genre that seems so familiar and accessible, even if it is in Japanese.

Maiku Hama is such a silly and over the top character that you have to think this was a comedy in the making, but Hama displays rather quickly that he is a competent private eye who takes his work seriously, albeit he drives around in a rather ludicrous car. The interesting thing about this movie is that it didn't feel like the beginning to a trilogy. Instead, this is the one movie in the series that can stand alone.

I highly recommend folks watch movies that they've never heard of before, and those they come across only by chance. The results can range from real gems, to absolute stinkers, to sometimes just fun joy rides, but one way or another they may lead us down a rabbit hole of finding more, and we'll expand our purview as movie-goers. Take this 1994 release, for example. It was the luck of the draw that brought me to a film that mixes together a contemporary setting, select aesthetics and notions pulled from detective or noir stories of the 40s or 50s, sensibilities of hard violence from the 60s onward, and sparing touches of humor of the 90s. That grab bag alone catches one's attention quite swiftly, and the execution also shows itself in no time to be a blend of the earnest and the (wryly) playful. With this in mind there's much to appreciate in 'The most terrible time in my life,' to one extent or another including Hayashi Kaizo's shrewd shot composition and Nagata Yuichi's luscious cinematography; the fetching production design and art direction; the fetching costume design, hair, and makeup; and plainly vivid stunts and effects. From the use of lighting and shadow, to the black and white presentation, to the rich, varied, vibrant music of Kumagai Yoko, Urata Kazuharu, and Urayama Hidehiko, this flick bursts with flavor in many different ways, and I truly appreciate the craftsmanship, and the skill and intelligence that everyone contributed to shape scattered influences into something fresh and original.

The storytelling is a smidgen less sure-footed, perhaps, whether owing to Hayashi's direction, the screenplay he penned with Tengan Daisuke, or at times Tomita Nobuko's editing and sequencing. Whether as written or realized, some scenes and plot development are lacking in absolute clarity or cohesion, and the editing chops things up more than is necessary. In a swirl of thoughts from different decades and genres, we're given an engaging, compelling narrative of a plucky private investigator whose innocent search for a Taiwanese immigrant spins out into the nasty business of brutal gangs. The plot is marvelously smart and compelling all told, with distinct, absorbing threads that are all interesting in and of themselves - moreover including fine characters, robust scene writing, and meaningful dialogue. I just rather think that when all is said and done the picture could have been tightened and more focused, thereby rendering it more fully cogent, especially as the tone shifts somewhat roughly from beginning to end. Far more than not 'The most terrible time in my life' is excellent, and it's even better than I could have hoped when I stumbled onto it. It's just that in seeing what it mostly does so well, I also see where it falters to some degree, and the entirety isn't perfect, or as impactful as it could have been with a tad more mindfulness. Of course, for as sharp as this mostly is, at this point any question of quality is one of semantics more than substance.

The feature isn't necessarily one to go out of your way to see, but quibble as we may about the particulars, it's hard to go wrong here. Provided strong violence is no obstacle this is pretty great overall, and I'm happy to give 'The most terrible time in my life' my solid recommendation.

Okay, so we begin with the Mike Hammer parody, the office in a movie theater, and the detective (wildly overdressed) drives a Rambler. Then the mood turns serious and we're supposed to take this clown seriously after all. There was either a bad script or a director who didn't understand the script. The results are a few moments of humor, some pretty gory violence, and almost total incomprehension on my part. There may have been clever curve balls the director was throwing, and I couldn't pick up the spin of the ball. If so, ah well. But if I'm correct, this confection just isn't worth the time it takes to watch it. Good cinematography and clever "cute" ideas start the film off, but they wear out their welcome about halfway in.

The Most Terrible Time In My Life is quite simply a real oddity of a film. The film is a hodgepodge of influences (namely Seijun Suzuki and Mickey Spillane), genres (Japanese '60s B-movies, film-noir, and comedy), and ideas. Really, the film should feel like a mess as it shifts on the drop of a dime from trying to appear like a serious noir to being a wacky comedy, but surprisingly it all manages to work.

Kaizo Hayashi, the director, even gets to work in his heavy influence from Seijun Suzuki without it feeling derivative (that right there, you have to admit, is a feat worthy of notice!). It is strange to watch a Japanese movie from 1994 that simultaneously feels like it is a mid-'90s Japanese film and an early '60s B-movie shot by Suzuki on one of his much less abstract and experimental endeavors.

But see, right there is one of the most charming and endearing characteristics of The Most Terrible Time In My Life; that the film feels old and new, original and old-hat, that it acts serious and then suddenly goofy and then back to being serious, that it can be hip and carefree and then gritty and a downer and back again--and all of this throughout the film somehow works.

This film is incredibly entertaining and interesting, and immensely enjoyable (plus the cameo by Jo Shishido *AS* Jo Shishido, who seemingly is not an actor in the world of the movie but instead the long-standing P.I. mentor to the protagonist, is mind blowing to anyone who is a fan of "Cheek's" films or his work with Suzuki). If you can get a hold of this film, you really should, it is well worth your time if you have any interest in film noir/neo-noir, Mike Hammer, Seijun Suzuki, or left-field Japanese cinema.

I went to my public library to browse their pretty large DVD collection and stumbled upon "The Most Terrible Time in My Life" in the foreign section. I watched it that afternoon and was so impressed that i had to watch it again later that night. It's a perfect blend of what the average American moviegoer would notice as "Kill Bill" (or any Tarantino film) meets "Lethal Weapon" meets "Kung Fu Hustle" meets "Gross Pointe Blank." Really, even this description is selling the movie short. The acting is so effective that even Englsh speaking viewers who usually watch foreign films with the dubbing turned on would appreciate the option of original track w/subtitles. No voice actor could compare. The movie is a beautifully shot homage to classic French, Asian, and American Cinema, while remaining modern enough in story, dialog and situation to appeal to a broad scope of audience types. In short, this movie is definitely one for the collection.