Friday, July 19, 2013

Gozu (2003)

Director: Takashi Miike
Writer:    Sakichi Sato
Cast:      Yuta Sone, Sho Akiwa, Kimika Yoshino
Language: Japanese

A Yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.


Channeling the spirits of David Lynch's surrealism and David Cronenberg's body horror, this is another mindfuck from the Japanese film machine that is Takashi Miike. The film starts off nicely enough in a genre conforming way unlike Miike's films but soon enough descends into the realm of horror surrealism. As is usually the case with Takashi Miike's films, it ends up as a farcical comedy with a literal 'Anti-Climax'. Film ends with the image of three main characters living happily in an implied menage a trois arrangement. Miike operates in our Freudian sub-conscious territory.

The film was meant for a straight to DVD release but it was well received at Cannes and it led to a theatrical release. A must watch for people who are familiar with Miike's work and for others, they might be better to start off with his other works like Odishon or Black Traid Trilogy.

Rating: 3.5/5

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