Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Tetrady not as good as all the hype

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Neptune DNA Ever read a novel with missing pages? Perhaps a vague abstraction confused you... Whatever the circumstances, ambiguity resides in relation to this films details and lack thereof; so, if you find yourself asking a lot of questions--especially during the opening half--then don't be surprised. Whether it was deliberately done or not is another debate, but this is a "student film" apparently. Let's hack into the meat of the celluloid now, shall we?!?After losing their leader (Aizawa) to jail time, A group of leftist stalwarts (whose true cause we're never quite sure of, aside from the fact they're seemingly at odds with the prevailing authoritative paradigms, and who may be displeased with the Vietnam war, as one reviewer mentioned), set forth on what becomes a violent power struggle with catastrophic and sanguinary consequences. The aftermath of the aforementioned imprisonment results in an order from Aizawa that his girlfriend is to head the group until his release. A decision that's met with some resistance, but things really turn when the head of the snake is cut off, so to speak. Witness the descent spiral into the abyss of oblivion (barring, you have the patience.) Character-wise, a somewhat diverse ensemble, the rebels are made up of. A nerdy fellow newcomer, A strong silent type with a sword, an annoying female lead with an unsightly countenance, one underling to the incarcerated who asserts his bravado, and a few tag-alongs.*Urgent bulletin*: The first hour is S-L-O-W. *End bulletin*. Well, with the introductory information out of the way, you're probably wondering about the political allegory, symbolism, and profuse gore Kichiku is noted for. Fret not, for there are some impressions--a few drenched in crimson--that this reviewer would like to notify the reader about.-The last member to join the group before its complete and utter combustion seemed to represent traditional values, to an extent. The mute observer seemingly skirting the precipice. Somewhat like he belongs to a bygone samurai age (He wields a nice blade), while those around him represent a new-world pariah mindset. One of youth & contempt for control/authority. Perhaps a product of what they hate (the latter); thus, making them mere reactionaries unsure of what they really want. Are they confused? Eh, maybe.-A Japanese flag with a bloodstain on it, subject to 'stabbings'. I don't think I need to explain that... -Related: Anarchists? Anti-war demonstrators? Te**o*ists? You figure it out.-You'll be forced to reconsider the context of rifles in relation to female genitalia. Heh. -Related: A scene in the mountains, it reminds of Scanners. What a mess of that cranium! Bloody hell! Literally!-Lastly, We see the self destruction of powermongering and the hysteria it brings. Regardless of status or political persuasion, the cycle always ends the same way. Leftist, Reactionary, Staunch Right-Winger, it's all the same when infighting & an inherent lack of discipline clash with egodrama over that elusive thing called control. The affiliations and labels of such cabals render themselves irrelevant in the face of human savagery and animalistic thrashings. Anyways, Kumakiri made a decent flick with both shock appeal and political leanings. Give it a look you cast iron stomachs, you.

lhommeinsipide I have to admit, I didn't know a lot about this film except that those who had seen it cited it as the most disturbing film they'd seen. So when I found one solitary copy at my local Virgin Records, I snapped it up immediately. The first half of the film is relatively violence-free, with a very memorable sequence where Masami dances in a mask. Considering how low the budget is, the film is impressive. The acting may be flawed, but the visuals more than make up for it. There are a few scenes where you feel the crew went a bit overboard (shotgun rape, anyone?) but I genuinely enjoyed it and am proud to have it in my DVD collection.

mark_it_zero so, this film (like a few others) has been hailed as the most violent film of all time. sure, it's dark and disturbing, but that doesn't keep it from being utterly boring.the lead female's laugh is not evil, and it doesn't display her spiral into madness, it's just annoying.the gore (what little there is.) was impressive though, the shotgun blast to the head looked 98% real, and the shotgun blast to the vagina was damn nice.if i can find this for, like, $5 i'll get it. and if you have a free rental or something pick it up just for those 2 scenes, otherwise stay away.

Tracy Crockett Set in 1970s Japan, Aizawa, leader of a little wanna be Yakuza, political student group has been arrested. He being behind bars has put a toll on his health, and it's just a matter of time before he passes on. The group is taken over by Masami, Aizawas' girlfriend. , who fucks everyone she can to control her stronghold. But once the groups' glorious leader commits suicide, the chaos begins.As the group slowly starts to realize the disorganization they have created they start to turn on each other, causing mass paranoia. Masami, possibly from all the humping she's done throughout the film, begins to snap. This is when the bloodbath begins. Beginning to crumble from the countless hours of chaos, Masami starts to assassinate the group.As sad as it may seem this is where the real beauty of this film begins. Now don't get me wrong. This is an excellent film. Director, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri has an excellent eye for mother earth's creations, and disasters for that matter, and gives us a good solid story. From reading the title and checking out the box, I was really expecting more gore. The gore that was in it was supremely excellent and nasty as all hell. And the sex was good, not your typical sex, but the orgies they conducted, the shotgun masturbations. That kind of sex. There were some pretty wild things going on in this group. But I really believe the directors' exploitation of presumed actual events and every day pitfalls for the Asian culture hits hard and gets no more real than this. Sad as it is, chaos and suicide seem to be a real problem in teens of today over there, which Kumakiri shows us with his surrealistic vision..All in all Kichiku: Dai Enkai is a really good film. The only downfall I have with this film is the pace was pretty slow up until about mid-way point. If I were to tell you that this film was Kumakiris' art house flick, would you believe me? I wouldn't. This film is pure beauty.www.unspeakablemag.com