A tear-stained, blood-splattered odyssey
An odd mix of hardcore visceral action and contemplative sentiment, Night in Paradise suffers from being an overly long plod in need of some major narrative tightening and its occasional blasts of directorial panache that are ultimately squashed by its uncompromising fatalism. Melding the gangland revenge thriller and the terminal illness romance, there's real inventiveness to the way director Park Hoon-Jung wrong-foots the viewer and handles the operatic displays of gunfire and death, unfortunately, the connective tissue that the film only pretends to be interested in and beyond basic action sequences renders it rather dull. The production values are the best things the film has going for it, the photography is frequently fantastic and the music does a decent job of matching the dark tone the film carries with some decent acting all around to boot. Unfortunately, there's a serious lack of personality permeating throughout Night in Paradise, one that sometimes plays like a road trip, sometimes like a romance and sometimes like the idle imaginings of a serial killer. A tear-stained, blood-splattered odyssey in whether revenge is warranted or even capable of bringing personal satisfaction that could have been so much better.Was this review helpful to you?
A film out of time
A film out of time, there's something rather tragic about Tetsuo: The Bullet Man, it's just so poorly misguided that it ends up feeling off in direct contrast to its predecessors. There's a good film in here somewhere but it feels like a film from a different era, one that for all Tsukamoto's intent does not work as intended. It's hard not to assume he knew what he was doing. When he made The Bullet Man's face first turn to iron, he must have known that face paint looks cheap. He must have known those hyper-awkward script deliveries from a cast and crew who don't share the same language as its American lead would come across as embarrassing. It certainly feels like Tsukamoto knew full well that certain elements would be off and just tried to run with it, the zaniness is here but it feels wrong. The digital look does not work for this film with the overly excessive shakey cam coming across as simply nauseating, there's rarely a moment it sits still. The film's obnoxious sound mix only alienates the audience further, with dialogue delivered in hushed whispers but seemingly everything else amped up to eleven, I found myself adjusting the volume way too often to even attempt to engage with the film. Ultimately, Tetsuo: The Bullet Man feels more like a poor man's American remake of the original duology, lacking the gonzo mystery and waking nightmare horror. Trent Reznor's theme song is a banger though.Was this review helpful to you?
Peak indie toku
A genuinely staggering piece of independent tokusatsu filmmaking, Ork is a truly touching look into loss and self-destruction combining the aesthetics of Kamen Rider and the stylings of Shinji Higuchi. If I hadn't known that this was shot entirely on an iPhone I would have genuinely mistaken it for something we often see produced by professionals. It's absolutely beautiful in its imagery, gorgeously crafted, deeply emotional, evocative stunningly choreographed and elaborately staged, not letting any of its limitations hold it back. Wonderfully acted and backed by an incredible score, Ork really has opened my eyes to the wider scope of indie tokusatsu filmmaking. I can see these guys going far, I hope they make another one.Was this review helpful to you?
Another banger of an adaptation
Going into Assignment Kowloon, I was half expecting to see a campy 70s chop-socky interpretation which capitalised more on the success and fame of Sonny Chiba to earn a quick buck. But as it turns out, this is not only a damn fine representation of its source material but a damn fine movie in its own right. Golgo 13 seemingly had two of the best pieces of castings regarding live-action because Sonny Chiba is as much a dead-ringer as Ken Takakura was just for different reasons. Chiba's Golgo is much less human than Takakura's with a stone-faced expression that never leaves his face but makes exceptional use of his skills as a martial artist and stunt performer in some very grounded fight sequences and impressively daring stunt work. Director Yukio Noda makes excellent use of the film's variety of locations, from Hong Kong to Miami back to Japan, and although the film does stutter at first (most notably with some poor editing) it quickly finds its feet and maintains a very stylish atmosphere that simply oozes coolness throughout.Was this review helpful to you?
