The violence is relentless. The editing is fast and furious. The lengths men go over one women. The love story connection. Delusion. Desillusion. Extreme sporting prowess and a level of violence which is dark; brutal and almost comedic.
The acting is fabulous. Shin'ya Tsukamoto not only directs but plays a leading role right opposite his brother; Kôji Tsukamoto, thus leaving the main protagonist of the story as a female who is sparred over.
Staggering acting from Kaori Fujii. The two male leading protagonists; played by brothers are in love with her and the humiliation is breathtaking and her lack of responsibility for her husband is astounding.
This sets the tone of an underbelly of sheer knock 'em dead violence. It's brutal. It's gory. It's the showdown in the ring. The fact that the Director is himself so vested to the cause that he spends considerable time researching in boxing gyms shows how authentic this movie is.
It's not Hollywood's stylised scripts. It's the real deal. Real because the director's brother is a real life ex-boxer and trains boxers in gym.
The camera work is stunning. Lots of shaky-cam and super zoom-ups. Fukasaku and Kurosawa techniques used. The storytelling of the classic male degenerate is perfect.
It's a holy trinity of fire and the characters all come out badly because of their extreme personalities and flawed visions. It's an incredible movie and it should be required viewing on top movie lists but somehow isn't.
Thanks to Third Windows FIlms for licensing my blu-ray copy. A real treat. 9/10.
The acting is fabulous. Shin'ya Tsukamoto not only directs but plays a leading role right opposite his brother; Kôji Tsukamoto, thus leaving the main protagonist of the story as a female who is sparred over.
Staggering acting from Kaori Fujii. The two male leading protagonists; played by brothers are in love with her and the humiliation is breathtaking and her lack of responsibility for her husband is astounding.
This sets the tone of an underbelly of sheer knock 'em dead violence. It's brutal. It's gory. It's the showdown in the ring. The fact that the Director is himself so vested to the cause that he spends considerable time researching in boxing gyms shows how authentic this movie is.
It's not Hollywood's stylised scripts. It's the real deal. Real because the director's brother is a real life ex-boxer and trains boxers in gym.
The camera work is stunning. Lots of shaky-cam and super zoom-ups. Fukasaku and Kurosawa techniques used. The storytelling of the classic male degenerate is perfect.
It's a holy trinity of fire and the characters all come out badly because of their extreme personalities and flawed visions. It's an incredible movie and it should be required viewing on top movie lists but somehow isn't.
Thanks to Third Windows FIlms for licensing my blu-ray copy. A real treat. 9/10.