LastingAware The greatest movie ever!

Cortechba Overrated

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

effigiebronze This flick isn't awful, but it's not really great either. I'm unclear as to why exactly it was (re)made. It's too violent to be believable, there are too many guns, there are waaay too many deaths to be even close to making me suspend my disbelief, but the violence is handled so realistically as to not make much sense.If this movie went over the top into a demented fever dream, cool, but it doesn't. The presentation is so nuts and bolts and kitchen sink the constant ultra violence just doesn't seem at all plausible. It's one of those movies where you wonder where the police are, when a guy strung out on heroin shoots up his apartment in the middle of the day with at least eight handguns (in Japan!). Apparently nobody ever calls the (ever-present and ever-watching) police in Japan. It's just not believable. Sorry.The tiresome unpleasantness of the main character is also past belief. I suspect any effective crime organization would have taken him down or had him incarcerated at the first stray bullet. Dumb. I'm not saying crazy Yakuza thrillers aren't good, I'm saying this one isn't. Not worth it.

massaster760 At first glance, Graveyard of Honor might seem to be a somewhat typical Takashi Miike Gangster Flick, with the director's patented ultra-violence and Yakuza chaos. And on that level this film works... but peer beneath the surface and you'll find that Graveyard of Honor is actually a very intricate study of a man's unhealthy obsession with self-destruction.Rikuo Ishimatsu (Goro Kishitani) is a bartender, who while working one day inadvertently saves the life of Yakuza Boss Sawada. Out of appreciation for Rikuo's heroism, Boss Sawada inducts him into the gang and gives him "uncle" status. This leads to resentment for Rikuo among the other underlings in the gang. All is fine though, until one day when Boss Sawada decides to go to the dentist. Rikuo shows up looking for the Boss but is taunted by Yukawa, who refuses to tell him where the boss is. Angered, Rikuo nearly kills Yukawa with a harsh blow to the head. This and other events (I don't want to give too much away) lead to Rikuo's exile and eventually end up driving him into a cycle of self-destruction.Graveyard of Honor is a hard film to watch. There are no "good" guys in this film. There are no light-hearted scenes, heart warming moments, or any black humor to lighten up the film. Just a lot of mean people making bad choices and paying for their mistakes in horrible ways. For example Rikuo, the film's protagonist (antagonist??), rapes women, does heroin, and shoot's and stabs people... and this is not fun violence but disturbing, horrific, violence. Amazingly, Director Takashi Miike and actor Goro Kishitani somehow finds a way to make his character somewhat sympathetic.OK, let's cut to the chase. If your not put off by extremely bleak, unsettling, negative, and depressing films, than Graveyard of Honor should be in your DVD player... right now. Filmed stylishly, scored masterfully (the jazz score for this film is incredible), and featuring the brilliant and hypnotic performance of Goro Kishitani as the amoral Rikuo. This film is arguably Miike's greatest Masterpiece.Bottom Line-If you haven't seen this and aren't easily upset by graphic depictions of the ugly side of life, find this and watch it as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed.

kosmasp Or better Miike Style. Although this one is different from his other movies. Not in terms of violence (he likes his violence and blood, so be aware of that, no faint hearted should watch this), but more film-making wise! He changes Genres as he likes (from Horror to Action to Thriller), but his movies all feel kind of the same. Maybe this one is different, because it is a remake of another Japanese movie or maybe he went out and thought, let's try something different this time. Whatever the reasons, the result is indeed one of his better offerings (in my view) of all his output. This will not be the movie he will be remembered by, his cult status was achieved by movies like "Ichi The Killer", "Dead or Alive" series or "Audition", but it's one you should watch!

antiheroripper Most of Miike's yakuza movies include alot of humor and over the top gore, in which I love. I was sort of expecting that with this movie and had my hopes up high, but I was introduced to a new style of Yakuza movie.Ishimatsu is a dishwasher at a resturaunt who saves the life of a Yakuza boss when a assassin was ordered to kill him at Ishimatsu's resturaunt. Ishimatsu is let into the family at a high rank and but he isn't what was expected. He starts p***ing people off in the family by starting a little gang-war, and after theres a settlment between the two gangs, they are all trying to get rid of Ishimatsu. He also gets pretty wound up with heroin.Alot of character develoupment in this movie. The movie has a low tone but glossy color that sets and really good atmosphere with a slow jazz soundtrack.The blood in this movie isnt very abundent but the violence is strong a realistic. Not very many bloodsprays like in most of Miike's movies, but you dont really look for that because IMHO this movie is so stylish without the need of strong blood or gore.It doesnt seem like to many people like this movie but when I got done watching this movie I felt really good like I have never felt after a movie.