Shinjuku Triad Society on DVD (1995)

Nostromo from Reading , 05/06/2006

I haven't felt motivated to post a review on here for a while, but then it's not everyday I see a Takashi Miike film I find completely, unreservedly brilliant. In many respects this violent yarn about two brothers on opposites sides of the law, caught up in the mayhem caused by a gay, Taiwanese crime boss and his vicious teenage lover is standard fare for this sort of thing, but Miike's pure artistry raises his tawdry subject matter to a much higher level, easily inviting comparisons with such behemoths of the gangster movie genre as Scorsese and Godard. It's that good - and by golly, I live for films like this. The cinematography, lighting set ups and attention to colour are as good as anything I've ever seen, and far too much to take in on a single viewing. No shot, no camera movement, nothing goes to waste. Particularly impressive is the way they have captured the murky, night-time world of the Triad gangs, and the way that this mise-en-scene is used as visual metaphor for the state of being of his brutal and amoral characters, particularly in the case of the detective, who is all too chillingly complicit in the evil he is notionally meant to be fighting. Further meat is supplied by a subtext which deals with the weakening bonds of traditional family life in modern Japan and the tensions of Japanese-Chinese relations. I know that this all sounds par for the course, doesn't it? And that's true. Asian cinema has produced a thousand films just like this one, but I've seen very few that come remotely close to matching it, either for savagery, if that's what you want, or for intelligence, if you'd rather. A lost gem. Seek it out. For the record, I still haven't forgiven Miike for Happiness of the Katakuri's though. What a stinker that was.

  4 out of 5 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Glasgow, Scotland , 25/05/2005

I recently watched a Spanish language film without subtitles and though I don't know Spanish got more from the film than this one which left me totally lost. I didn't understand the story, got confused by who was Japanese or Chinese, and sickened by the stylised and gratuitous violence. I watch a lot of subtitled films and I like low budget movies because they're often superior to what Hollywood churns out. However I just didn't get this ganster film at all. Having said all that, I was impressed by the performance of the lead actor playing the policeman trying to set his wayward brother on the straight and narrow.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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Stephen Lindsay from Northern Ireland , 31/01/2005

This was recommended by a friend, having seen quite a few Takeshi films, I was surprised by its inventiveness, which at the beginning doesn't seem to have a lot going for it that hasn't already been done.

A real eye opener, literally for one character, as good as anything that came later for Takeshi Miike. I am now a complete fan, and am endeavouring to hunt down his other lesser known gems.

Warning : some of the subject matter is harrowing and may not be suitable for people with sensitive stomachs.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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Scott Clark from Edinburgh, Scotland , 14/04/2005

This doesnt follow the usual antics of a Takashi Miike pesentation such as the twisted psyche of Gozu or the downright sickness of Visitor Q. Its more of a detective trying to keep his brother out of harm's way. It is well acted and shot and it is basically a normal film, save for a couple of scenes. All in all it is good to have Miike direct some movies that dont leave a lot of viewers scratching their heads thinking 'What did I just watch?' A good solid movie I'd give it 4 stars.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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Stephen Lindsay from Northern Ireland , 31/01/2005

This was recommended by a friend, having seen quite a few Takeshi films, I was surprised by its inventiveness, which at the beginning doesn't seem to have a lot going for it that hasn't already been done.

A real eye opener, literally for one character, as good as anything that came later for Takeshi Miike. I am now a complete fan, and am endeavouring to hunt down his other lesser known gems.

Warning : some of the subject matter is harrowing and may not be suitable for people with sensitive stomachs.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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filmhound [Highly rated reviewer] , 28/10/2007

Miike back on track with this movie. A little main stream for him but it works thanks to a well portrayed main character. Like many of Miike's leads he is a very dead pan (rather than 'cool') and he takes rather more punishment than you might expect him to walk away from but very convincing, As usual the bad guys are ,for the most part, smooth and well cut rather than course brutes and ,ofcourse, this makes them more sinister. The female interest is ,as always, very attractive and with a sharper spark than some of those in other Miike movies. As usual the director varies the locations while still tieing them to the plot and this helps to keep the story fresh.I liked it, it wasn't startling but very watchable.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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