Directed by:
Shion SonoScreenplay:
Shion SonoCinematography:
山本英夫Cast:
長谷川博己, Fumi Nikaidou, Gen Hoshino, 堤真一, Jun Kunimura, Tak Sakaguchi, Akihiro Kitamura, Tarō Suwa, Denden, ミッキー・カーチス, Tetsu Watanabe, Chiba Kazuma, Kenji Kawahara (more)VOD (2)
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Master filmmaker Sion Sono (Love Exposure; Cold Fish) describes his frenzied, gleeful new masterpiece as "an action film about the love of 35mm." Based on a screenplay he wrote nearly fifteen years ago, Why Don't You Play In Hell? is among Sono's very best work, as his trademark excess and outrageousness is infused with an affection for the previous century of Japanese cinema. This is Sion Sono with his talent and unique vision completely unleashed. There's a war going on, but that won't stop the inexperienced but eager wannabe film crew The Fuck Bombers from following their dreams of making the ultimate action epic. Ten years ago, yakuza mid-boss Ikegami led an assault against rival don Muto. Now, on the eve of his revenge, all Muto wants to do is complete his masterpiece, a feature film with his daughter in the starring role, before his wife is released from prison. And The Fuck Bombers are standing by with the chance of a lifetime: to film a real, live yakuza battle to the death...on 35mm! (Drafthouse Films)
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I’m not a Sionist :), I’ve watched a couple of his films and never gave them more than three stars; and I almost didn’t survive Guilty of Romance, but this one was good. It’s an incredibly fun meta joke that at times will make any film enthusiast smile like an idiot. Needless to say, it’s really insane, but this time also somewhat accessible for western audiences. 9/10
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Whereas other Japanese directors whose names became fixed in the consciousness of western film enthusiasts at the turn of the millennium have since transitioned into the mainstream or have stagnated or even gone quiet in their work, Shion Sono still has the mark of a non-conformist filmmaker and, furthermore, he has not let up in the pace at which he releases new films. Though it cannot be said that every one of his new films is a masterpiece, and he is also apparently swayed by demand on occasion (Guilty of Romance), he still regularly makes films that captivate with their distinctiveness. Even in the context described above, Why Don't You Play in Hell? is surprising as a work characterised by extraordinary broad-mindedness. It takes the same approach as its subject, a group of enthusiastic amateur filmmakers who simply want to shoot a movie and not bother with any norms or rules. Here we have a refreshingly unpredictable eruption of ideas, though it remains a work exhibiting professional craftsmanship and a reflection on popular genres polished over the course of years – the result is a perfect hybrid of techniques that one would associate with the otherwise contradictory worlds of enthusiastic novices and seasoned veterans. In terms of genre, Sono conceived the film as a muti-layered reflection on yakuza movies. He pits one gang, seemingly cut out of 1960s ninkyo yakuza flicks (virtuous heroes, poetic ideals, a historical setting, sword fights), against the other, looking like something out of video productions of the 1980s and ‘90s (loutish goons, bosses as businessmen, wild shootouts). The narrative then culminates in a classic nagurikomi climax (a raid on the enemy gang’s headquarters) and everything is recorded in the de facto journalistic style of the revisionist jitsuroku yakuza movies of the 1970s. Instead of Tarantino-esque eclecticism, however, Sono doesn’t combine old elements into the ultimate yakuza film, but instead creates a farce in which he places inappropriate characters in classic situations. At the same time, however, Why Don't You Play in Hell? is a melancholic ode to a classic film subject and a celebration of film as a medium for making dreams come true. Sono’s distinctiveness is apparent also at this level, as he shows the power of film at the level of enthusiasm and idealism that unites revolutionary masters and new talents, as well as dabblers and amateur fans – as David “The Rock” Nelson said: “If you got a video camera, stick a blank tape in that machine, and film the dang thing!”
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Whoooa! This multi-genre manic movie was conjured up by a dog and a cat. The film has a great start and does not stop at all in the first half hour. Blood, humor, meta jokes, winking at movie fans, playing with genres, self-parody, action scenes... It ends with a more than twenty-minute-long sequence in which two mafia clans are fighting each together - limbs fly through the air, blood sprays in all directions, cocaine lies on the ground… All of this is filmed by stirred-up filmmakers on roller skates, laughing devilishly at it. The frantic pace is greatly hindered by the occasional attempts at serious passages which, due to their seriousness, do not fit with the crazy remainder of the film and feel rather awkward. Otherwise, thumbs up! Especially when you know what you're getting into, and if you're comfortable with brutally excessive Japanese-style madness.
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Shion Sono made a Tarantino-style Japanese blockbuster, but this was a bit too much for me. Classically excessive running time wrapped up in a fairly interesting and original story, the last half hour of which culminates in an absolute splatter massacre that unfortunately comes across as funny rather than gritty. The visual effects, perhaps created in After Effects, and the overall execution of the gore is, for me, well below average, which is a huge bummer for the gore-loving horror fan. On the other hand, at least I liked the protagonist, Mitsuko, an uncompromising and sexy bitch that you will want to fuck to madness while watching the film!!! While watching it I said to myself several times WTF, REALLY? The Japanese are crazy and their form doesn't really work for me. If the Koreans had taken this in a gritty, dirty, visually breathtaking way, my feelings would be much more positive. I'm not overly enthusiastic, but the film definitely has a certain quality and I don't regret watching it. 6/10
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