Pleasant watch!!!

Overall a pleasant watch. But I feel like it would go under the radar if it didnt have Takashi Miike attached to it. Story is generic one - a boxer with no direction accidently crosses path a call girl, gets embroiled in a twisted ploy and lands in a crossfire between the new Triad and the ageing Yakuza.

The supporting characters were much more interesting than the leads, particularly Becky who plays a crazy girlfriend. Her character was the craziest and the scariest of them all. Reminds me of Harley Quinn.

I think romance wasn't the main angle for this movie, although there are many sweet moments between the leads which imply that they care about one another.

The movie is intended to be a comedy action thriller. And I must say few comedy scenes had be doubling over in laughter.

Blood and gore are appropriate, not too little and not too much.

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An entertaining watch

A well made movie!! I watched because it promised an Agatha Christie-esq thriller. Although the story wasn't on par, the acting kept me hooked, especially Masami Nagasawa. Her posture with elbows tucked to the side and hands clapsed on her belly seemed so natural. She totally embodied a hotel staff.

And I adored the set design. It had a subtle glamour to it. Wasn't tacky at all. It should get an award for set design for sure.

The movie could be shorter but then you wouldn't get the character interactions and developments that made it enjoyable...Brilliant!

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A refreshing, honest insight into Japan.

Being an outsider my view of Japan is always through the colourful fluffy lens of manga and anime. I always associate Japan with warm lights, wisteria, colourful food, cheerful people. I know, like every other country, Japan isn't perfect. The heirarchal structure of society is very much similar to the class division of Britain or the caste system of India.

I am not one to judge. I'm not from the country, neither do I have any lived experience there, so I just watch and learn everyday. I just finished watching the movie 10 minutes ago and I'm still shivering.

I'm immensely appreciative of the director, the screen writer and the author for giving me a glimpse of Japan that is so rarely seen. The actors were frighteningly brilliant, embodying the characters to the bone.

The story is good, much better than I expected if I'm being honest. Tragedy doesn't check your country of origin, family background or bank balance before striking. An immense sadness lingers, on the characters, on the streets, in the interior of every home. People are people after all, a product of both nature and nurture.

Who are we but the product of our familial and societal conditioning? Are we born a monster or made one? A sad, sad question.

If you're reading this review, feel free to DM me. I'd like to hear your thoughts on cultural differences. No judgement from my side. G'night!

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