I've been watching Asian crime films for quite a while now, and this is hands down the most bizarre I've seen to date. Fans of this movie will claim I don't fully understand the "dynamic of the characters", but frankly this failed robbery/vengeance story has been done before, and in much more comprehensive structure. The only original element is the homosexuality subplot thrown into the mix, but it's not engaging enough to capture your interest in the midst of the crime. Takeshi Kitano doesn't get much screen time or acting range as you'd hope, despite being advertised on the cover, mainly he's just a cardboard supporting character. The real story revolves around a group of five robbers, who's interactions with each other can only be described as baffling. The main protagonists are well aware of Yakuza consequences yet they make mistake after mistake inexplicably. They don't work well to prevent such consequences either, so the climax and conclusion both become predictable. The gratuitous violence was expected, but feels hollow without reason in most places with the exception of the finale. Granted this is a Japanese film and I'm viewing the movie from a Western perspective, however the characters are overall disjointed thus you don't develop a connection with any of the bunch. You don't care if anyone lives or dies so the tension dissolves. I'm a fan of this genre and if your looking for a film in a similar vein, personally I would avoid this one. The movie opens up many doors but leaves them open, thus the viewer receives little payoff. -3/10

Handsome Mr. Bandai, disco owner deep in debt to the mob, conceives a bold plan to rip off the very people to whom he owes money. Can he really think they'll not notice when he attempts to pay them off with their own jack, especially as he's present, unmasked, at the ripoff?His boyfriend, Mitsuya, goes from trying to kill him to taking a shower for him with no stop inbetween.Two more of his confederates are so obviously unstable it's a miracle anyone would trust them with an errand to buy a quart of milk let alone with a 100 million yen heist at the risk of everyone's lives.The only one with any sense in the whole undertaking is the ex-cop, Hizu, unless you count having a thing to do with any of the rest of them as indicating an obvious lack of sanity.You know up front they're all going to get blown away in the end. When finally it happens the only thing you wonder is why it took so long.

It's been a year since I rented this film. I still get nightmares. There is one scene in particular (and I think we all know which scene I'm talking about) Which I've been revisiting over and over again in my most horrible dreams. This film has disturbed me in a way that no film ever has. It's a testament to how dark a feature film can be if the filmmakers choose to go there.Personally, I know that I will never be the same.

An extremely fast paced gangster film with a couple of great elements that rescue it from being ordinary. Takashi Ishii's wonderful neon/fluorescent aesthetic runs throughout the film. Everything is either some kind of oddly-colored light source, an actor, or pitch black. The music is moody and the violence is just erratic and savage enough to be fairly unpredictable. Of course, nobody conveys violence quite like Takeshi Kitano who shows up for the last half of the movie as a hitman creepy enough make Christopher Walken uneasy. The homoerotic tension between the heroes is surprisingly touching by the end and there is one psychotic salaryman that makes an awfully big impression, which I won't risk giving away.