Samehada otoko to Peach Hip (momjiri) onna

I first saw this wonderful movie, 'sharksin man peach hip girl' at 3AM after completing final exams. I was wasting away and a friend (super sleuth dvd expert) had lent it to me in bootleg VCD format. The movie originally debuted in 1998 - wow that's a long time ago - and we just watched it again in 2005. If you like Snatch/Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Guy Ritchie) you'll love this movie. It also has Tarantino connections, stylistically (dono which way the influence goes) and the director is guest credited on Kill Bill (Vol. 1 or 2, I don't know).

Choppy throughout, unrelentingly humorous and satirical - yet there are some very down to earth scenes - this movie catalogues the escape of a rogue Yakuza member (Kuroo Samehada) and his encounter with a repressed/dejected/abused hotel clerk (Peach Hip Girl). His Yakuza rank and file pursuers are a motley crew of expert knife thrower down to epileptic bat wielder. The dialogue/translation is accessible and the overarching themes of rebirth/liberation, anti-establishment, and odd erotisism (think of Yamada-kun when you read this), make a great east-west fusion.

Final Tap: Snobs out there may think I've given this movie a over-generous commentary, but believe me it's definitely a fun view and a great cannonball-pool-dive introduction into trendy Japanese culture. - CHARON