Samehada otoko to momojiri onna

I'm no stranger to Katsuhito Ishii's work. I think we've all seen his The Taste of Tea, which I didn't like at all. It's been a long time since I saw it but I remember it feeling too long and slow and incoherent. Some of that is on this film as well but this film has a very likeable element that despite its quirks it feels more relatable and fun.

There's no denying that Katsuhito Ishii has a fantastic sense of style and aesthetics. His characters are brimming with colour and wonderful. This clashes with how he really does movies which is a very surreal and slow style and you can see that he's really aiming for a Tarantino-esque type of approach which serves the movie good!

As I said, the characters are the focal point of this. I just wish they had more to say and more to do on screen. There's a few moments of this film where you feel there's a momentum and it lacks that for a lot of the movie's runtime. Sure, things happen but it feels very slow. Tadanobu Asano and Sie Kohinata make an excellent lead couple, I honestly wish the movie was more about them.

This movie also has a very weird comical vibe throughout it as to puncture this whole bizarre situation. It mostly serves to give it a lighthearted feel, I wouldn't say I laughed a lot at this.

All in all I'd say this movie is a worthy watch because it has a lot of style and it's just pretty neat! But if you want a fast paced silly action film then you might have to check somewhere else cause this is not it.

I'm on a journey. Next stop: Asanoland.

Seriously. After undergoing an experience called Survival Style 5+, I decided to peruse Tadanobu-san's cinema library. Having seen Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl, I began to recall the story, but enjoyed the minute details, random Japanese cultural references, and a mix of really eccentric characters.

This ain't no gunfest. If you want bodies and shells hitting the floor, catch Hard Boiled. SSM+PHG shows you people in a moment in time what happens when they interact. Asano as Samehada oozes the 'segoy' yakuza with style to match! He rarely panics, acts quickly, and even has time to joke and laugh. Along with the reserved Toshiko, the story revolves mainly around this unlikely duo. You also have yakuza whose topics of interest include rare ad collecting, glue sniffing, and, of course.... finding Samehada.

This film's fun to watch. If you are going in expecting to see all out sawed off shotgun blasts, drive-bys, and opium plants exploding, it's not going to happen. This gangsta movie has a dark, comedic flavor which you may find yourself becoming fond of. Plus, it's a good starter to see the talented Tadanobu at work.

After reading the other comments, then actually seeing the film, it simply doesn't measure up.

The first 1/3 of the film is quite a blast, with nearly everything the reviews mention - fast editing and sassy dialogue, wacky characters and, for good measure, perhaps cinema history's shortest explicit sex scene (about four seconds).

But after this part, it loses most of its puff and all of its potential originality. A bit like getting on a rollercoaster, having a ripper ride, but the machine slowing to a crawl just before the first big dip, and crawling home slowly.

In conclusion, it does have good stuff, mostly at the beginning. Looks like it wanted to be a weird take on Pulp Fiction but got seriously lost.

Kimie Shingyouji is amazing as is Tadanobu Asano and Shie Kohinata. Brilliant film, great performances. A quirky classic and a precursor to films such as Kill Bill, though the film was surely inspired by Pulp Fiction first.

Sharkskin Man... makes me want to go back to the French New Wave again. It is cinematic ally liberating, fresh yet retro, new and exciting.

Seijun Suzuki is another filmmaker that has accomplished something similar I think, with Pistol Opera, the re-make of his own "Branded to Kill," made 35 years prior.

Kohinata's performance is nothing short of perfect. She is a true star and I love her work. This film should be mandatory viewing.

I give Sharkshin Man and Peachhip Girl the highest rating possible for originality and entertainment value as well as a great ensemble cast and innovative script.

Some great characters in this film enjoyed the costumes and comedic characters especially the big tough guy at the beginning and the scene where he's messing around in the Jeep that he found like a seven-year-old boy was hilarious,short but incredibly violent the shoot out scene in the bathroom window I like to lick my car frame of a country like oil painting when he moved out of the frame of the window. Plot was bit cliche, this film felt like a bit of a mish mash of Tarantino guy Ritchie and Japanese gangster films, weird Britpop rock soundtrack thing going on kind of enjoyed it for the 90s vibe but all in all felt like a original film with clear influences from many other directors.