Gonin
Matt Cooper Films

Gonin (1995) by Takashi Ishii

Five men attempt to escape the brutal vengeance of the Yakuza after stealing 100 million yen from them. Club owner Bandai (Koichi Sato) is in debt to the Yakuza who come to his club to harrass him. He recruits knife-weidling fraudster Mitsuya (Masahiro Motoki), ex-detective Hizu (Jinpachi Nezu), violent tearaway Jimmy (Kippei Shiina), and an unemployed salaryman (Naoto Takenaka), all of whom either have monetary worries or a vendetta against the Yakuza, in a daring raid on the offices of the group. Following their heist, the Yakuza hire two hitmen, played by Takeshi Kitano and Kazuya Kimura, to find the men responsible.

Written and directed by Takashi Ishii, “Gonin” is a stylish crime thriller with a great cast of central characters. The slight backstories give us enough to sympathise with them, through their planned robbery and the merciless hunting of them that follows. This group of anti-heroes all have their own peculiarities and the film lets us see the psychological turmoil they are going through. The early part of the film takes its time to establish their circumstances, which makes the final third even more thrilling as we watch their attempts to escape the hitmen that have been assigned to kill them. The film’s oppressive noir atmosphere is perfectly encapsulated in the various night-scenes and shootouts in the pouring rain. This is a world that is awash with violence, drugs, avaricious mobsters, and brutal repercussions and the superb score by Goro Yasukawa underlines the tensions and tragedy of those involved.

“Gonin” presents the image of a deeply depressing world, where no deed goes unpunished. The senseless violence drives home the point that any involvement with the criminal underworld is likely to end poorly, whatever your intentions. Violence begets violence and the cycle continues. The film also forefronts homosexuality, with both the protagonists and antagonists, which nods to the idea that heroes and villains are distinguished only by their actions. The final shot of the film also highlights this duality in man and we are left to wonder what will become of a world in which violence is permitted to flourish.

Bodyguardkiba
Matt Cooper Films

Bodyguard Kiba (1993) by Takashi Miike

After ripping off his fellow gang members, an ex-boxer hires a top bodyguard to help fend off his vengeful former associates. Junpei (Daisuke Nagekura) is driving the Soryu Family members, led by Yasunaga, to a meeting with a Chinese gangster. While stuck in traffic, the gangsters get out and walk leaving Junpei the opportunity to flee with 500 million yen. When he is later confronted, he stabs Yasunaga, leading to a five-year term in a North Kanto jail for attempted murder. On his release he hires the legendary bodyguard Naoto Kiba (Takeshi Yamato) to escort him back to Okinawa, where he intends to reunite with his girlfriend Yoko (Shinobu Tanaka) and avoid a confrontation with the members of the Soryu gang he betrayed.

Based on the comic by Ikki Kajiwara and Ken Nakagusuku, with a screenplay by Hisao Maki and Tetsuya Sasaki, and directed by Takashi Miike, “Bodyguard Kiba” is a fun action film with a straightforward plot, featuring karate, sex, double-crosses, and gang violence. The simplicity of the story means that it doesn’t get in the way of the action. Junpei is an entertaining protagonist and sympathetic in contrast to the aggressive mobster Yasunaga. Kiba is established as an almost unstoppable force, capable of taking out a room full of villains in well-choreographed fight sequences that retain a sense of impact. The film features an unecessary but entertaining scene at the end when Kiba takes on a police officer who also happens to be a karate enthusiast.

Despite being, for the most part, rather silly knockabout fun, the film manages to create tension and delivers an emotional punch in the central relationship between Junpei and Yoko. Centering themes of trust, loyalty, and betrayal, the script builds to a thrilling showdown in which their relationship is tested to the limit. For fans of fast-paced crime thrilers, “Bodyguard Kiba” certainly delivers.

Family
Matt Cooper Films

Family 1&2 (2001) by Takashi Miike

After a traumatic childhood, the three Miwa brothers, Hideshi (Koichi Iwaki), Takashi (Kazuya Kimura), and the youngest Takeshi (Taishu Kase), become involved in a life of crime, the elder siblings working as underbosses for a major crime family, while Takeshi becomes a professional assassin. When Takeshi kills the leader of a rival gang it sparks a conflict that threatens to spiral into an all-out war.

“Family 1&2” features many of the usual tropes of Yakuza drama, but with very little impact. The film begins with a rape scene in which Haruko Miwa, the mother of the three protagonists, is assaulted after her husband is unable to pay his debts. As shocking as this scene and others like it are, they function as plot mechanics rather than having any real impact on the characters, and by extension the audience. The film continually swerves any moments of real drama, such as Hideshi’s wife confronting him about the danger they are in, or the brothers’ relationship with their mother; instead layering scenes that fail to develop the characters, but serve to showcase stereotypical gang violence. It feels like a series of subplots jumbled together without any central story or message. Usually, a Yakuza gang war would be the backdrop to a human drama, while here it is the whole point. There is a tonal inconsistency that makes it hard to take anything seriously and undermines what should be devastating moments. The sequence in which Takashi’s wife is being raped, while Takashi and his brother arrive in a tank to take on the gang is one example of this mismatch in tones, trivialising a horrifying experience. The film is based on a manga by Hisao Maki, which may account for some of the more bizarre elements and outrageous characterisation (Takeshi is a preternaturally gifted gunman), but it is a poor excuse for the lacklustre storytelling. Part daytime television drama, part hardcore Yakuza film. Miike’s direction shows signs of his usual creativity, until the strain of attempting to elevate the material becomes too much. Sadly, the film’s flashes of brilliance are outweighed by its meandering, emotionally-detached plot, and low-budget elements.

Midsummersequation
Matt Cooper Films

Midsummer’s Equation (2013) by Hiroshi Nishitani

While on a business trip, physics professor Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) finds himself caught up in the investigation of a mysterious death at a seaside inn. After arriving in town as part of a team of scientists attempting to show the value of a controversial sea-drilling operation, Yukawa checks-in to an inn run by Setuko (Jun Fubuki) and Shigeru (Gin Maeda) who live with their daughter Narumi (Anne Watanabe). The couple’s nephew Kyohei (Hikaru Yamazaki) has also arrived in town and is looking forward to the summer break; but things take a dark turn when another guest, ex-police detective Tsukahara (Sansei Shiomi) is found dead on the beach. It appears that Tsukahara was part of an investigation into a murder in Tokyo fifteen years prior, following which Narumi and her parents moved from the capital. Officer Kishitani (Yuriko Yoshitaka) asks Yukawa for his assistance, but the professor soon discovers that the family has more than one secret.

Following on from 2008’s “Suspect X“, director Hiroshi Nishitani tackles another Higashino Keigo adaptation in “Midsummer’s Equation”, an enjoyable who-dunnit set in a picturesque seaside town. This juxtaposition between the dark subject matter of Tsukahara’s murder, and the stabbing that starts the film, alongside the brightly coloured locale works well, offering a clear-eyed look at the case as Yukawa himself views it without prejudice. The incredible underwater sequences and stunning backdrop make for a highly enjoyable watch and you are in little doubt that the genius Yukawa will eventually wrap up the entire case. The ensemble cast do a great job, particularly Anne Watanabe’s Narumi, a conscientious young woman who harbours a dark secret; and the young Hikaru Yamazaki as Kyohei, whose innocence provides the perfect foil for Yukawa’s deliberations.

“Midsummer’s Equation” examines the lengths people will go to to protect those closest to them. Morality is far from black-and-white with people caught between loyalty and self-preservation. The subplot of the sea-drilling opereations that threaten the natural order are a perfect encapsulation of the film’s philosophy, one in which the right action may not always be the just one. There are questions over the extent to which personal responsibility factors into the guilt of a suspect. Crime takes many forms, often committed in the heat of the moment, or unwittingly, as in the film, or coldly pre-meditated. The film attempts to distinguish between the levels of guilt attributable to these varying acts, despite the results being the same. An interesting detective tale that utilises a great cast of characters to explore the nuances of criminality.

Demolitiongirl
Matt Cooper Films

Demolition Girl (2019) by Genta Matsugami

High-schooler Cocoa (Aya Kitai) attempts to scrape together enough money to attend college by acting in videos crushing objects with her feet. With her unemployed father (Yota Kawase) spending his days gambling away his benefit money, and her brother lounging at home, Cocoa must work to support her own dreams of attending college. A former friend of her brother, Naoki, films her stomping on trash, cans, balloons, and other things while dressed in her uniform, which he then sells on as fetish tapes to a low-level gangster to distribute. While Cocoa continually strives, using whatever means she can, to support herself; the world seems constantly turned against her, with her father’s recklessness; the school authorities lack of compassion; and the gangster’s selfishness, confounding her hopes at every turn.

“Demolition Girl”, directed by Genta Matsugami from a screenplay by Matsugami and Yoshitaka Kasui, is an interesting take on the coming-of-age drama, with a great central performance from Aya Kitai as Cocoa. Her challenging circumstances, living with her lazy, feckless, father and older brother, create immediate sympathy, along with her determined attitude to overcome them. She has good chemistry with her two schoolfriends, who both come from more comfortable family circumstances, in sharp conrast to her own struggles. The fetish videos are bizarre but get across the point the film is attempting to make about the constant exploitation of the poor by society and how the pursuit of money leads people into degrading states of being. Matsugami’s direction features some fun moments such as the standoff between Cocoa and the gang leader near the end of the film in one long, tense, take.

“Demolition Girl” has several familiar themes which it handles expertly, without being too heavy-handed in its messaging. Cocoa’s ability to pick herself up after every setback is commendable, and sets her apart from the grasping, self-centered immorality of the gangsters and her own family. We see society as deeply flawed, failing to protect the most vulnerable and well-meaning individuals, while illegality goes unpunished. In the end, Cocoa realises that the only way to truly thrive is to stick to your own values, rather than being pressured into forsaking your sense of self-worth or striving to fit societal expecations. Money and power often force people into unnatural self-abasement and the film’s conclusion applauds those who are able to step away from our warped value system towards self-belief and eschewing the twisted morality of modern capitalism.