FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Aleksandar Sarkic This is the first Miike movie i have watched, and for me this is really work of art. The movie is very slow paced and even meditative at the times,which i like it the most, story is not to complicated, but it has the heart and the soul. Acting in the movie is amazing, my favorite character in the movie is Ujiie (the yakuza) played by Renji Ishibashi, he was so fun to watch, also Mako and Masahiro Motoki are great in their roles. The Landscapes of Yunnan gives me chills, i was amazed by beautiful landscapes, worth watching only because of that.I recommend this movie to everyone who loves Japanese/Asian cinema, nature and locations out of modern world, you will enjoy for sure.I am looking forward to see more movies from mister Takashi Miike.My grade: 8/10.

Andrei Pavlov Not boring to me and not empty, but disappointing. Why?1) Flashing images of Yakuza "dream sequence" - it spoils the atmosphere and is simply tense and harmful for the eyes of the viewer. Come on, Miike, it's not "Koroshiya 1". 2) Violence that takes place from time to time - it's out of place. In "Rainy Dog" it's fine, but not here. 3) Unfunny funny stuff. A van falling apart is something too hackneyed (cf. Takeshi Kitano comedies, American cinema & cartoons) to be funny, while it's often mentioned as the "peak" of this comedy. 4) Too little of actual flying. If it's supposed that the kids can fly in that distant area, show some footage, at least from distance (if you have a very limited budget). Not just a few seconds of that before the final credits. 5) The connection with the real world (the poem-ballad taken from the history and the war plane that had crashed into the pond) is destroying the eerie feel of the production - would prefer the verse created specifically for this movie and the connection to the wild nature (why not actual birds?), not to the downed plane of the WWI or WWII times.It's got to be tweaked to become an excellent movie: more nature, less quirky violence, more funny and natural jokes, and more actual flying. To my view, Japanese "Dreams" & "Dolls" and Russian "Stalker" surpass this one in every aspect, while dealing with similar topics.A 5 out of 10 - a good but mediocre try. Thanks for attention.

Kyle Florence This film was a visual feast. I have not seen Miike's other films, although they are on my list of films to see, but I am well aware of his ultra-violent catalog and was pleased to see that was not at all the case with this film.The film moves along at a somber pace, unfolding just as it should through the absolutely beautiful landscapes of China. Along the way we are entertained by the company of two entirely different people: Mr. Wada (Motoki), a Japanese businessman, and Ujiie (Ishibashi), a Yakuza gang member. Both men were sent to a remote village in China to investigate the potential of acquiring jade from the village. Their reactions to the rough trip out to such a remote village are hysterical at times, and yet when they arrive they find themselves perplexed by what they ultimately discover.The film is really a reflection of the progression of mankind and just how much our perceptions of wealth and human value have changed over time. Confronted by such isolated beauty and tranquility, the men began to question their motives for arriving in the first place. It is clear that Ujiie truly understands what is at stake to be lost if they are to continue on with their business and it drives him to commit desperate acts in order to save what he sees as the impending loss of the villages cultural heritage and innocence.The paradox of the situation is brought to light by Mr. Wada, who understands how Ujiie feels, but points out that it is modernity that brought them to such a place to begin with. Really makes you think about the relationship between technological advances (which, in some cases, are what the villagers want) and the effect they will have on the way of life in these rural villages. Is modernity worth the loss of cultural heritage?

groucho_de_sade Takashi Miike is the living definition of the word "indefatigable". In a career that began in the early 1990s, he has directed a staggering number of films in a mind-boggling array of different genres, from horror to family films, even a musical (!); but Miike is probably best known for his Yakuza (Japanese gangster) films. The likes of FUDOH, ICHI, and DEAD OR ALIVE, with their over-the-top violence and surreal (often disgusting) setpieces, are Miike's chief claim to fame. In one respect that's a pity, because every once in a while, Miike will produce a wild card, and BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA is a film that fits into that latter category. The man character is a young Japanese executive named Mr. Wada (Masahiro Motoki), who is sent by his boss to a remote region in the wilds of China to survey a supposedly rich jade mine. He is joined on his trip by a Yakuza named Ujiie (Renji Ishibashi), who plans on taking the jade as payment for some outstanding debts on the part of Wada's boss. After they are taken as far as the train will go, Wada and Ujiie are met by their guide, the absent-minded Mr. Shen (scene-stealer Mako), who takes them through the rugged, unsettled terrain of rural China, first on foot, and then on a raft pulled by several huge sea turtles. When the three men finally reach their destination, a village left untouched by the ravages of industrialization, Wada and Ujiie have a few epiphanies that will prove to make leaving rather difficult. It sounds like a simple story, and it is, but there's something about this film that makes it great, but that I find hard to articulate. No doubt the startlingly beautiful cinematography by Hideo Yamamoto has a lot to do with the film's hypnotic quality. And then there's the genuinely touching story of two men who discover a whole other side to themselves that they were never previously aware existed. And finally, the film's deft blend of genres is seamless: it shifts gears from a screwball/buddy comedy to a jungle-bound adventure to an existential rumination on identity and civilization, finally ending on a dream-like note of perfect serenity. There is one scene of Yakuza violence that seems inserted to remind us that we're watching a Miike film, but it's fleeting and, compared to some of what can be found elsewhere in his films, it's utterly tame and inoffensive. There's also an ecological message packed into the mix. So, final verdict: for fans of Miike who wonder what else the man is capable of, I highly recommend BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA, surely the gentlest and most poignant of all the man's movies (at least that I've seen). For the truly open-minded aficionado, there is much to be enjoyed here.