Samehada otoko to momojiri onna

Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl was one of the best Japanese films that I have seen in a while. The fast pace, quick cuts, and awesome soundtrack made for a great movie. Not to mention the cool characters and decent plot. Tadanobu Asano wasn't as cool in this movie as he was in Ichi the Killer, but then again who could top anything from that movie. At first I didn't know if I would like the movie, being a fan of older samurai films and not much for no-plot action movies, but I'll have to hand it to this film, because even though the plot was a little main stream (man steals Yakuza money and then the gangsters go after him) the cinematography and the fact that the story wasn't really told in chronological order really made this movie stand out from the stereotypical action movie. The way the director would occasionally slow down or speed up the film, or intentionally put in serious jump-cuts, really added to the feel of the movie. I thought that it was a great movie and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Japanese cinema.

Shark Skin man and Peach Hip girl is a quirky little film based on a short manga series. The premise is that shark skin man is on the run from a gang he was a part of after running off with a load of money. On his path he meets peach hip girl who has run away from the hotel owned by her awkward pervy uncle and they decide to run away together. The film its self is a mixture of dark Miike humour with many offbeat moments of awkward silences. The henchmen are very slapstick and cartoonish like in many manga adaptations. Unfortunately, it suffers from having so many characters as they appear quite 2-dimensional besides the two protagonists. I also found some of the scenes were poorly lit which was quite annoying and there wasn't much in the way of shootouts besides maybe two. What it fails in plot it makes up in humour not everyone will take to it but i found it quite fun to watch and it paces itself extremely well so avoids getting dull. so overall id say give it a watch at least once it's worth your time but its not as amazing as the hype says would benefit from a few sequels maybe. Violence 3/5 Plot 2/5 Humour 4/5 Acting 4/5 Music 3/5

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.

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.