Tadashi Ishii's Gonin is a crime drama, thriller much in the same vain as Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Ringo Lam's City on Fire. As such it is very hard to watch. The world of Gonin is a dark, cruel and gloomy world inhabited by sadistic gangsters, cold blooded killers and suffering opportunists. Gonin is a very good looking film. Ishii's flair for style and action is clearly apparent and admired but the story is such a gloomy and sad affair that one cannot help but be turned off by all the tragedy and suffering his main characters go through. Takeshi Kitano (aka Beat Takeshi) plays a small part as one of the Yakuza assassins sent out to kill the Gonin after their heist. If you like the raw intensity of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, then Gonin may be your cup of tea.
