Dead Or Alive: Final

I expected a third yakuza movie but Miike being Miike decided the third in his trilogy should be a dystopian future sci fi movie that he clearly doesn’t have the resources to create. Like he gives a shit though as he routinely goes about his business, filling the film with moments that make the jaw drop both for their brilliance and their insanity.

Dead Or Alive 2: Birds [Dead or Alive 2: Tôbôsha]

I remember this as being distinctly mid tier Miike, I was so fucking wrong.

The Happiness Of The Katakuris [Katakuri-ke no kôfuku]

Quite simply, there’s nothing like this movie. Even in Miike’s insane catalogue, there’s nothing like this movie. What a movie. 

Fudoh: The New Generation [Gokudô sengokushi: Fudô]

Why Miike is unparalleled as a director. This was made only 5 years into his directing career, it’s his 19th movie and it’s fucking superb.

Visitor Q [Bijitâ Q]

In which a litany of taboos are unflinchingly deployed in the service of heartwarming family bonding and the darkest of humours.

Zebraman 2: Attack On Zebra City [Zeburâman: Zebura Shiti no gyakushû]

An avalanche of utter madness all filmed in a style that suggests that at the time Miike was far more keen to make music videos than coherent movies. Also a surprise to find that The Purge is entirely a rip off of this.

Blade Of The Immortal [Mugen no jûnin]

Yet another Miike highlight, this time featuring non stop swathes of death and dismemberment as a master swordsman becomes immortal and forgets how to fight then stops being quite so immortal but becomes ace at fighting again.

Over Your Dead Body [Kuime]

(Frightfest Day 4)
Miike's Kwaidan, which explores the roots of Eastern horror's long haired girl obsession whilst showing how the morals of ancient literature still hold true in the modern day, all at the same time as being an almighty headfuck.
A master returns.

Lesson Of The Evil [Aku no kyôten]

 

Sets up a slow, subtle examination of a sociopath and then washes it away with an unsubtle tide of unstoppable, nihilist brutality.

 

For Love's Sake [Ai to makoto / The Legend Of Love & Sincerity]

 
Only Miike could get away with combining cheesy musical numbers with massive levels of street violence.
Yet get away with it he does.

13 Assassins [Jûsan-nin no shikaku]

A stately samurai piece lightly seasoned with Miike hallmarks that grows exponentially into an absolutely fucking epic end piece.
Miike's genius would appear to be effortless.

Dead Or Alive [Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha]

Thoroughly entertaining Triad vs Yakuza tale elevated to sublimity by a raft of deft miike flourishes such as a stammering gangster, somebody being drowned in their own shit and an ending that slams everything sideways with a giddy glee.

One Missed Call [Chakushin ari]

Miike reigns it in and heads down the middle of the road, demonstrating nothing more than that he can wank this kind of guff out in his sleep and it will still piss on a staggering majority of modern horror cinema.

Sukiyaki Western Django

You know you're watching a Miike film when you realise that after 40 minutes you haven't understood it in the slightest, and yet despite this, you are still unequivocably enjoying every moment. Even Fat Tarantino. Really !

Crows Zero [Kurôzu zero]

A film about rival gangs at a high school. This is a bit like watching that corridor fight from Oldboy for 2 hours, interspersed with random screwball comedy moments and a subplot about a brain aneurysm. It should be a little bit shit, but fortunately it was made by Takashi Miike and so it's fucking brilliant.