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.
