Wara no tate

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.

Comparing this film to some of Miike's other films (such as Ichi The Killer or Fudoh), you can tell he's going for a more mainstream style here. The film revolves around a team of police officers (or Security Police as they're referenced as) who are tasked with the job of protecting a murder with a one billion Yen bounty on his head. I loved this concept (which is reminiscent of S.W.A.T's storyline) and it got me invested in the story. The idea of all of Japan having their eyes on one man was extremely interesting and gave major tension to the film. You never knew who was going to try to claim that bounty and at what time. I did have some gripes with the film, such as Nanako Matsushima's character constantly threatening Kiyomaru and then suddenly saying she was testing them, but overall I had a fun time with this. Don't go into the film expecting Miikes' usual bloody and twisted style, but instead a more mainstream and entertaining film with a little bit of thought to it.

Very nice and very action movie that tells a story that is not very original but still very nice and treated very well, a story that highlights the difficult life of those who are constantly torn between doing their duty and the futility of risking their life his own life and that of his colleagues to protect a sick criminal that everyone would like to kill. The film then projects the viewer into this absurd scenario where a man puts a very heavy price on the head of a criminal inviting citizens to kill him to collect the reward and it will then be up to the police to escort this repulsive criminal to give him a fair trial. In conclusion, the film is adrenaline and very beautiful and manages to keep you glued to the screen for its entire duration.

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.

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!