olz_15

This is a fairly stock standard straight to video yakuza film. Although the actor playing Kiba is incredibly wooden, the rest of the cast make up for this. This is early Miike, so there's nothing terribly excessive yet, but it is competently told with some nice lighting, camera-work and stunt work. The Kiba sequels are pretty terrible though.

The pacing is really good in this one as well. I often find pacing an issue with Miike films, but the plot is quite tight, and the few unnecessary scene are short and often involve some entertaining stunts.

There is a really beautifully shot sex scene in this one as well, which is very surprising for a gritty v film

I'm not saying this film is a masterpiece....

There's a lot of other words that would aptly describe this cinematic piece.

I'll cut to the chase: Takashi Miike's cinematic works are often so hit and miss so when one decides to watch an hour long b-movie yakuza martial arts film, one does not expect a masterwork in craft and execution. Nonethless, Miike's strong point is that he is so inventive, and I am happy to say that even this early in his career he still makes really entertaining 'bad' films. The content is particularly bad in comparison to is later works (some of which are actually surprising competent, in fact, very occasionally brilliant). Here we are barely able to suspend any sort of disbelief. The plot is ridiculous, and the action choreography is literally hit and miss (I swear I saw people scream and fly backwards when the air nearby them has been punched).

My verdict is an ambivalent one. If you like inventive bad-but-not-boring b-movie karate-yakuza films, then this one comes recommended.