GOZU UNLEASHED IN LONDON
Miike’s GOZU was unleashed at London’s FrightFest over the weekend and Harry over at at Aint It Cool News got this report from scooper Gazbag…
‘Saw a few movies at the London Fright Fest this weekend – I thought you’d be interested to hear about the latest from Takashi Miike – Gokuddai-gekijozu, which I havent seen featured on your site yet.
I’ve seen most of Miike’s films and Im a fan. What I love about him is you never know what to expect – the quality and budgets vary wildly as he churns them out at a rate of several a year – but there is something unique about his vision, and he sure has one fucked-up sense of humour.
Unlike Dead or Alive or Ichi the Killer, Gozu – although ostensibly another Yakuza movie – is a step away from the non-stop insane Manga violence that made those films such blistering experiences – much of the movie has a far slower and more contemplative vibe – similar to Audition in its structure. And like that film, just when you think you have a handle on it – the last few scenes will leave you retching, scratching your head and laughing at the same time.
Gozu is like ‘Yakuza in Wonderland’. The movie starts off with a paranoid Yakuza boss and his brother setting of on a car journey. The surrealism starts off pretty early on when the boss becomes convinced that a tiny dog peering at him is actually a ‘highly trained Yakuza-attack Chihuahua’ and proceeds to snatch it off its owner and smash its head-in against a shop window!
Without giving too much of the plot away, the Yakuza boss dissapears as they make their journey, and the majority of the film follows the younger brother as he looks for him. And boy, does he encounter some wierd shit on the way. The film’s atmosphere really reminded me of David Lynch – the subtly creepy uncertainty about what we are seeing and where the film is going builds very nicely as the Yakuza encounters hyper-lactating landladies and even a minotaur on his journey. I was beginning to think his miso-soup had been dosed.
When and how he eventually catches up with his boss, well let me just say that now no-one in the cinema saw it coming and the screams, howls and laughs were the loudest I have heard in a cinema EVER. Some seriously f#cked up Freaudian shit going on here. One scene with the Yakuza boss who can only get it up when he has an extremely large spoon stuck up his arse will live with me for a very long time.
This is one of Miike’s best movies – its another totally unique experience from one of the most exciting directors working anywhere in the world – period. I’m not sure when its coming out anywhere else – according to the IMDB its only just been completed – but, whatever, we just had it screened here in London – and everyone as they left the cinema just looked at each other and said ‘WOW’.’
Courtesy of Aint It Cool News
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