Kyônetsu no kisetsu

Great looking, but ultimately rambling story of two thugs and a prostitute who get out of prison an continue their wanton ways, while taking revenge on, and repeatedly crossing paths with, the people who put them there.

Playing like a Japanese Breathless or Rebel Without a Cause, this is wonderful looking movie. The film was clearly shot on real locations so it has a sense of place that few films I've seen can match. Luscious black and white photography is arresting to see. I'm guessing the cities and country sides never looked this good.

The cast is very good and keep you watching even when the plot seems to be going nowhere for a good chunk of the first half.

Thats the rub, the plot. This hip and happening tale of young Japan rambles around for a good chunk of it going nowhere. Its not that its bad, its just it took a long time to get where it was going, or at least feel like it was heading somewhere. The point of the film is to contrast the three antiheroes with the pair who sent them away, and who are seen, in the end to be just as awful as those they despise. Once that happens the first time we're only left with a repetition of the point the two or three more times it happens. Sprinkled with profanity, rape, robbery and abortion this would have gotten banned in many communities had it showed up in the US at the time of release in Japan. Even today its more than likely liable to get a rise out of most audience. Its a walk on a dark side that rattles you with its matter of factness.

Is it worth seeing? On most levels yes. Its a wonderful antidote for what was being done elsewhere in the world at the same time (its also more real than many similar Hollywood films). The music is great and the hip, often nihilistic attitude almost saves it all. On the other hand odds are that this is probably not going to be a film you watch a second time, there's nothing wrong with it, its just not as meaty as it thinks it is or we hoped it would be. Ultimately its a movie I admire more than I like.

A movie that's certainly confronting by the standards of the early 1960s (some scenes are still uncomfortable to watch), I can safely say that the Ones were indeed Warped. It follows a young juvenile offender who's released from custody and sets about wreaking havoc, seemingly motivated by equal parts revenge and boredom.

It's only about 75 minutes long, so it does more or less get away with just being a premise, and not feeling too dependent on plot until the final act, when things naturally get a bit more dramatic. Much of the film rushes by with a maniacal energy, and viewers aren't spared a great deal when it comes to seeing what the main character and two of his equally warped friends get up to. It's one of many crime/dramas from Japan in the early 1960s that touch upon rebellion and a disaffected population of youths, and I think it explores all that stuff well.

Its brevity and aggressive directness make it hard to elaborate much further than that. I was alarmed in what I think were the right ways, and though it wasn't enjoyable, it was engaging. It's well-made for its time, and the visuals are nice and stylish. It definitely fits in with that new wave sort of feel, be it Japanese new wave or new wave in general (I can't be bothered to look up dates or specifics at this point... it's late, I'm tired, and I'm going to feel warped tomorrow if I don't rest soon).

A seemingly plot less film driven by relentless shifts in locales in and around Tokyo about an anti-social criminal, his accomplice, who's a little more sociable, and their girlfriend, a prostitute, who, as part of the trio, attracts men with money to rob. The camera work and the running jazz soundtrack add to the overall disassociated sense that makes this similar to 60's New Wave films. It all seems to come together as the film progresses, however. So there is a sense of satisfaction after all if you require a plot. But the impulsive characters and the wild camera that accompanies them are what characterize the film as a bit of a classic.

The social situation in Rebel Without a Cause looks pretty healthy in comparison to Akira's life in this film. Make no mistake, the director probably didn't want you to find this guy empathetic or romantic regardless of his ingenuity, optimism, or opinions on abstract expressionism. He isn't so much a character with an arc as a force of nature motivating others, a plot device.

Oddly enough, The Warped Ones is really a conservative film even if it doesn't realize it, warning of the breakdown of the family unit, the failure of the reform system, the rise of gang violence, and the perils of Western culture eroding traditional Japanese values. Everyone and everything that comes into contact with the sneering, jazz-deranged lunatic tainted or perverted. Akira merely the flea carrying the plague virus. Gotta give the film credit for not copping out at the end.

Japanese films in the 50s and 60s were just great. This is one of the best.