MR at FNC: Yakuza Apocalypse
Yakuza Apocalypse
Controversial and notorious Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, is known for his disturbing, gory, and eccentric films; Audition, Ichi the Killer, and Dead or Alive are some fan favourites. In Yakuza Apocalypse, Miike creates a new breed of character, a yakuza vampire. So what exactly is this character? It’s a yakuza (Japanese gangster) who sucks the blood of civilians only. Why? because the blood of another yakuza tastes bad.
The story is about Boss Kamiura (Lily Franky), a feared and invincible yakuza who is as you guessed, a yakuza vampire. Everything is well in his small peaceful town. When a Django character shows up in town dressed in 17th century Spanish garment, hell breaks loose.
Kamiura is murdered but before dying, he bites his faithful protégé, Kageyama (Hayato Ichihara). Kageyama doesn’t understand the changes he’s going through but he suddenly feels stronger and burning hot. His body is so hot that he’s able to cook an egg in his hand. He doesn’t realize that biting a civilian will turn the person into a yakuza vampire. But if everyone is becoming a yakuza, what can the original yakuza do? And who is this mysterious character, Kaeru-kun, known as the world’s toughest terrorist?
Yakuza Apocalypse
The absurdities in this two-hour film are of another level, and one can only laugh at the different characters and jokes, especially when you see the world’s toughest terrorist. There is absolutely no logic in this film and the subtle love story is only in the background.
Yakuza Apocalypse screened as part of the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal.
