Shield of Straw

A security police and his team convoyed a sex offender for little girls who raped them and killed after that. A reword of a billion yen, about nine millon dollars in US dollars, was set on his head. There were some complexed thoughts. Some people thought they should kill him because he was crazy and they would be able to get huge money. In other side, some members of security police were confused by their own justice. Should they protect him even if he was the worst and such a terrible man? Also he exploited his position and sniggered. I didn't see where justice was.

Inpite of struggling to convoy him, he talked to them like he wanted to piss them off. I liked Tatsuya Fujiwara with the vulgarity.

Shield of Straw probably is Miike's most humane and ''deep''-film. After watching it you will think about it for hours.

Does it place a mirror in front of our politically-correct pseudo-''good mind'' society and say : ''Look how absurd and self-righteous you are!'' Does it show us a true modern hero -Mirari ? One who stayed true to his principles when other were driven by greed and weakness? Does it examine the psychology of ''our money is everything'' mindset? Almost limitless food for thought. And that s what makes a film excellent. Not to mention the good as always story , acting , cinematography , soundtrack , etc. Some say Miike went mainstream with his film- wrong! Sorry for you-better watch Transformers then.

After watching it you will think about it for hours. As always the master filmmaker knows how to grip the viewer and no letting loose. Unique , gripping , provocative...and good. Watching Miike ,known for his bizarre and brutal films, never felt so right. 8/10 Drama Miike-style.

Shield of Straw (2013) (Japanese Thriller)

Viewed on April 26th, 2013 at Shinuku Piccadilly Cinema in Tokyo, Japan. No subtitles.

After a young girl is murdered, the grandfather publicly issues a $10 million bounty on the head of the prime suspect (an already convicted rapist/murderer played by Tatsuya Fujiwara). An idealistic cop (Takao Osawa) is assigned the protect and transport the suspect despite the repeated assassination attempts. This film by Takashi Miike is absorbing and pushes the protagonist's ideals to the limit, especially considering how the suspect is obviously a homicidal maniac whose protection endangers the lives of both police officers and citizens. As the bodycount of innocent deaths rise, it becomes more and more difficult to justify the suspects' protection. There are a few good action moments to enjoy, but the tension is expressed more so in the threat than the actual violence itself.

One thing I would like to point out is with regard to the performances by both lead actors, which are very strong. This is a bit surprising given their histories. I would not personally classify Tatsuya Fujiwara as a "great" actor, and he does not belong in the same ranks as other Japanese stars like Hiroshi Abe and Koji Yakusho. That said, he has definitely grown on me over the past few years with his performances in "Parade" (2009) and now this film. I see him building a respectable career into the future. Then there's Takao Osawa, a man who has had his fair share of cartoonish and/or stiff performances. But here he turns in the best performance of his career, and actually carries the film on his shoulders from start to finish. Ironically, I also recently saw him give a good performance in "Strawberry Night" (2012), so he is also growing on me.

Miike's direction is impressive as always. He represents a great example of a once cult director who has retained his filmmaking qualities despite turning to mainstream projects. In fact, I'd say that his "hit or miss" career has actually grown more consistent in recent years. Fans should see "Shield of Straw" as soon as possible.

P.S. - This film was apparently panned at the Cannes Film Festival, which is not much of a surprise since it's probably the most "commercial" film in competition.

Enjoyed it! Straight forward (for a Miike film). It would be a great double bill with Clint Eastwood's 1977 flick The Gauntlet. It is very close in plot and theme with The Gauntlet, which I've found to be an overlooked title that, although a then contemporary cop drama it could have been a spaghetti western (not surprising considering Eastwood's origins with the spaghetti and it's links to samurai films). Becomes much darker as it becomes more personal than political in comparison to The Gauntlet; however I think that paints an adequate picture of Shield Of Straw. Check it out!

I watched only a few of his other features including ICHI THE KILLER, and the least I can say is that it was quite different if you compare with this one. The others were rather weird, crazy, sometimes tongue in cheek, but very good in their ways. This one is far better for my own opinion and closer to a classical way of filming, although remaining very very dark and depressing. I say it's a masterpiece, close to what the Korean film industry may give us so often these last years. it's an action movie whilst being an emotion film. You have poignant, gripping sequences here, with a powerful acting too. And some scenes, in their way of filming, camera angles, reminded me some Jean-Pierre Melville's features. Miike Takashi has already said over and over that Melville was one of his master.

I guess that's his best piece of work up to now, if not the most representative from his whole filmography.

Don't miss it at any price.

I am sure the US movie industry in Hollywood will make a remake of this one. I am even surprised that the Americans have never made such a film with such a topic. But after all, maybe I am wrong.