Gozu

From the twisted minds of Takashi Miike and Sakichi Sato comes this atmospheric and absurd crime comedy about a Yakuza underlings' quest to find his missing colleague. To discuss the plot any further would be an exercise in cruelty to uninitiated viewers, as to watch this film without knowing what'll happen next- or without knowing anything about it at all, for that matter- is an experience like no other. It's a terrifyingly hilarious tour through the subconscious to the darkest recesses of the mind, featuring the Lynchian-Cronenbergian mix of horror and comedy that is the hallmark of Takashi Miike's best work.

Hideki Sone- now known as Yuta Sone- plays the central character, Minami. A low-level Yakuza, Sone's Minami is a perfect conduit for the audience as the film burrows into the dark and strange. He is as disturbed by the spectacle of madness that confronts him as many viewers likely will be. At times the character bears a resemblance to Anthony Perkins' K in Orson Welles' version of 'The Trial', in that everyone around him doesn't appear at all disturbed by the confusing, bizarre scenes that are occurring. Minami is the only one perturbed by the happenings in 'Gozu', and Sone's naturalistic, bewildered performance is pitch perfect for the role.

Show Aikawa plays Minami's missing colleague Ozaki, and he is brilliantly unhinged. A frequent collaborator of Miike's, Aikawa is a very versatile actor with the admirable, enviable ability to give believable, grounded performances as outrageous characters (see him in Miike's 'Dead or Alive' series for proof of this notion). Few roles he's played have been as crazy as Ozaki though, a violent, paranoid Yakuza distrustful of dogs and humans alike. Though he has relatively little screen time, Aikawa leaves a lasting impression; and 'Gozu' may be one of the most memorable movies he's made with Miike.

The rest of the cast is made up of talented performers, with Renji Ishibashi- another frequent collaborator of Miike's- and Keiko Tomita standing out, playing two sick, strange characters. Miike usually gives Ishibashi roles as creepy, twisted people; and his character in 'Gozu'- a ladle-loving sadomasochist- may be the creepiest of the lot. Tomita plays an innkeeper Minami encounters along the way who has a very weird secret and she steals her scenes completely.

Kazunari Tanaka's cinematography is unobtrusively refined and he captures the outlandishly bizarre images in the film with real panache. Sakichi Sato and Miike worked together two years before on 'Ichi the Killer,' and his script for 'Gozu' is terrifically weird and wonderfully sinister- not to mention bizarrely funny. The film doesn't take itself too seriously- though its themes are dark and deep- and his strong screenplay reflects this. Many times, while wondering what the peculiar images signify and just what the hell is going on; most will also be laughing while watching 'Gozu.'

Yes, while most will find humour alongside the macabre in 'Gozu', it is almost a certainty that some will be nothing more or less than disgusted and discouraged at the spectacle of psychological, abstract horror in the film. If you are squeamish or easily perturbed, you should probably avoid it at all costs. If you appreciate the complex, the strange and the dark, however; then 'Gozu' is the film for you.

The synopsis on the DVD case compares it to something in the style of David Lynch. I would agree with that. It's definitely a surreal and strange movie. I would not rank it as high as Ichi the Killer or Audition , both of which I loved. This is Takishi Miike doing what he does best, trying to shock people but I think he's trying too hard with this movie at times to the point where it gets boring. The movie seems to loose itself in it's own strangeness at times but overall it's accomplishes what it's out to accomplish.

This movie is a nice piece of artistic filmaking and I must say that it actually made me much more uncomfortable then Ichi or Audition especially the last 30 mins or so.....watch it and you'll know what I mean.

Overall, if you are a Miike fan or a fan of David Lynch or that style of film-making then you'll appreciate this movie. If you have seen this and have not seen Ichi the Killer or Audition, do yourself a favor and go out and rent or buy those.

Takashi Miike is a very strange man - I think there's sufficient evidence of that fact that I need not justify it further. So if I tell you that GOZU is probably Miike's weirdest film to date, you will know that we are talking some world-class oddity. Billed as a "Yakuza Horror" film, which is a label that just about fits if you consider that Japanese horror films have always shown a very different sensibility than Hollywood films (Japanese horror is generally of a quite intangible nature, about the horror of the unknown and the incomprehensible - not so much about the big scary monsters). GOZU is interesting in that the "horror" of it comes almost entirely from the way it is filmed - the camera work, the editing and the sound effects all come together to create a sense of foreboding and fear that for the most part is not at all born out by the actual events in the film. Miike is probably making the point that most horror films are just exercises in film-making technique these days, rather than presenting truly frightening content. Or perhaps he just fancied a way to make his latest Yakuza film a little bit different :)

Miike is definitely one of the most creative film-makers working in the world today - quite possibly *the* most, given his insanely prolific output and the fact that almost every film he makes manages to be unique and memorable. Doing that with one film a year would be an impressive feat, and Miike gives us at least 3-4 such films every year. GOZU shows him on fine creative form once more, turning a story that probably isn't all that interesting into a surreal, dreamlike experience. The plot itself is very minimal, and largely irrelevant for most of the 125 minute running time. Basically, a Yakuza is told to take his yakuza-brother (Sho Aikawa) to an out of the way part of Japan and get rid of him, as he been showing signs of going a bit loopy. However, before he can carry out his orders, Aikawa disappears - and most of the rest of the film is concerned with Minami's efforts to find him. But that description really sells short the content of the film, which is really about the strange characters he encounters and the even stranger experiences that he has.

Going into more detail about what happens wouldn't add a lot to this review, so I won't. Just be prepared to "go with the flow" and see what the film has to offer, rather than expecting anything specific from it. Don't expect a nice neat resolution at the end, either, 'cause you'll definitely be disappointed. Miike's films are often films that need to be seen in just the right mood to be enjoyed, and I'm glad I made the decision that my mood wasn't right when I started watching GOZU 6 months ago. The film sat there waiting for me until this weekend, when I figured the time was as good as it was going to get, and it paid off in spades :)

Miike's films often suffer on repeat viewings, and I am pretty sure this will be true of GOZU - at over 2 hours it is definitely too long, and there are sure to be scenes that are a bit of a chore to sit through when you know what's coming. I couldn't say which scenes they are from a first viewing though, so there's nothing that's truly redundant in there, and I hope that the US distributors that recently acquired the film will remember that their viewers would rather make the decision themselves about any scenes that weren't needed. i.e. uncut, please!

e seen more than half a dozen Miike flicks and GOZU is definitely he's most deviantly outrageous so far. What it all means is never clear. And yet that's exactly why the movie remains so strangely compelling. There are points where absolutely nothing makes sense and there are moments were everything magically clicks together, revealing a world of possibilities, a horrible, absurd, funny, nightmarish fabric that should be woven of crotchless panties, breastmilk and cow head masks.

GOZU's tagline should be "Beware all who enter". Even seasoned Miike fans might be put off. The first scene involving a mad yakuza beating six shades of sh#t out of a "yakuza-sniffing" dog only hints at what is to follow. Is it gonna be an outrageous crime flick in the mold of FUDOH and DOA or is there more to it? Basically the plot involves a yakuza underling driving the aforementioned mad brother in a remote town called Nagoya in order to "dispose" of him according to the boss's orders who fears his madness is getting out of hand. After doing so, he stops to grab a bite leaving the corpse in his convertible car which upon his return finds missing. The corpse, not the car.

From then on GOZU plunges headlong in a bewildering world populated by a motley crowd of the most insane characters where surrealism, mystery and dark comedy seamlessly intertwine. To what purpose? In a way, this is Miike's most Lynch-ian movie to date and not just because it's so perplexing; psychosexual abuse, perversion, identity are all key themes here. Is the main character fighting and coming to terms with his homosexuality? If ERASERHEAD is Lynch's feverish nightmare on parenthood, is GOZU its companion piece on motherhood? Right down to a finale that reminded me of Cronenberg's brand of 'body horror', GOZU is in turns exhilarating, hilarious, puzzling but above all a creative, original work. Which is more than can be said for directors with twice Miike's name and reputation.

i did not know anything about Miike when i saw Gozu. i read about Gozu in a magazine randomly and it sounded like something i had to see. then i waited a few weeks until it was in the theatres here. i told my fellow David Lynch fan officemate "hey, here is this movie which sounds cool, i think we both need to see this".

so we went. afterwards we left the theatre in a state of amazement. we had seen and enjoyed "weird" movies all our lives, Lynch, Cronenberg, whatever. we both enjoyed surrealism in general. even so, Gozu was really a peak experience.

but you can't just be weird for the sake of weird... is Gozu good? definitely. it is well-made, beautiful,... and it speaks to a deep visceral part at times. and then turn ridiculous and made you laugh... but even in the weirdest movies you have seen, there is probably more linearity and perhaps some symbolism you can conjure up. i think with Gozu, the way to see it is, just watch and let it take you. open your mind a little more than usual. otherwise i don't know what effect this movie can have on someone. for me, it was very significant. i immediately went and saw it again the next night (which was the last night it was playing) and my appreciation grew.

Miike is amazing. very talented director. good use of sound as well as the great visuals everyone talks about. i am looking forward to more of his work.