Japanese exploitation director supreme Takashi
Miike struck genre gold again in 1997 with his off-the-wall hyper
violent film, FULL METAL YAKUZA (1997). For this Sci-Fi actioner, Miike
recruited his stock cast of Japanese performers including Takeshi Caesar
(FUDOH: NEW GENERATION), Yuichi Minato (ANGEL GUTS: RED PORNO), Shoko
Nakahara (VISITOR Q), Ren Osugi (AUDITION), Tomorowo Taguchi (TETSUO 2),
and Koji Tsukamoto (GEMINI). Takashi Miike included all his favorite
subjects into FULL METAL YAKUZA including violent death, bloody gore,
explicit sex, necrophilia, homoeroticism, S&M, and all those other
things that death metal bands sing about. Because the director’s films
are shot exclusively for Japanese home video, he can get away with
anything—no topic is taboo on the Japanese DTV scene. UK based DVD
production company Artsmagic has created quite a name for themselves in
the Region 2 market releasing over 50 Japanese cult films and samurai
films (on their Warrior sub-label). Now, Artsmagic is poised to make an
impact in the Region 1 market, starting with their initial release of
FULL METAL YAKUZA, loaded with plenty of goodies for Miike fans,
including an interview with the director himself.
Hagane (Tsuyoshi Ujiki) is an ambitious member of
the Mutsumi Clan Yakuza gang, who worships his tattoo covered boss, Tosa.
Hagane dreams of hitting it big in the underworld and tattooing his
entire body like a true Yakuza. His big problem, though is that he is a
coward, and cannot carry-out any of the acts of violence assigned to him
by his superiors. One night while escorting Tosa through the streets of
Tokyo, the duo is ambushed by a rival gang (the Nakame Clan) and shot to
bits. Hagane wakes up to find himself mysteriously whole again. However,
his senses and bodyparts are operating with the preciseness of a
machine. That’s when Hagane decides to take revenge on some young
street punks who were hassling him earlier. Hagane dispatches the young
punks and realizes that he is more than human. An eccentric mad
scientist confronts Hagane and explains that his comrade Tosa is dead.
The effeminate scientist and takes responsibility for his Hagane’s
robotic condition. The scientist has not only brought Hagane back to
life, but has performed an entire Frankenstein operation on him as well—Hagane
is now the owner of Tosa’s tattooed physique and what’s left of his
penis (no joke). The scientist wants the super-powered Hagane to use his
powers as a hero, but the Yakuza cyborg has other things on his mind. He
wants revenge against the vicious Nakame Clan, and sets out on a bloody
path of destruction until his goals are fulfilled.
The best thing about FULL METAL YAKUZA is the
over-the-top action and violence that are sure to please fans of EVIL
DEAD, REANIMATOR, and DEAD ALIVE. However, unlike those other horror
pictures, FULL METAL YAKUZA has no comedy. It is a brutal and bleak film
that combined with the strong sexual overtones, may offend or turn off
many. I enjoyed much what the film offered, such as a decent script with
dialog delivered by some fine Japanese actors. The plot borrows from
both FRANKENSTEIN and ROBOCOP, though Miike does manage to serve it up
in a way you don’t expect. However, the actual execution of the film
leaves something to be desired, thanks mainly to the ultra-low budget.
This really becomes a problem in the area of special effects. The cyborg
suit is poorly designed and executed, and while I wasn’t expecting
something of Stan Winston quality, the robotic costume looks like a
POWER RANGERS reject. Miike went all out with the gore effects though;
these were effective. The climax, with Hakane hacking and slashing his
rivals to pieces with a samurai sword brings to mind a modern, twisted
version of Lone Wolf. Like many of Miike’s films, FULL METAL YAKUZA
stands out in its frenetic energy and surreal moments. For example, the
mad scientist dresses like an effeminate super hero and he addresses
everyone by delivering his lines straight into the camera.
Like a great many Japanese low-budget B-movies of
the 1990s, Takashi Miike filmed FULL METAL YAKUZA on cost-effective
digital video. Artsmagic presents the film in the original aspect ratio
of 1.78.1, including 16x9 enhancement. Considering the low budget nature
of the production, FULL METAL YAKUZA actually looks pretty good. The
16x9 enhanced resolution renders the brutality with extreme precision.
The drab color schemes add to the despressive aura. The night time
scenes are easily visible and the brightly-lit exteriors (like the beach
scenes) feature the only beautiful cinematography in the movie (not
withstanding the young Japanese starlets). The audio is presented in
Dolby Digital 2.0, and while it is not the most powerful mix we’ve
ever heard, it boast crystal clear precision, tight bass effects, and
crisp Japanese vocals. Extras points go to Koji Endo’s
horror-influenced score which magnifies the ‘bizarre’ factor. The
score blends well with the other sound elements to provide an overall
effective presentation. However; Artmagic should have produced a Dolby
Digital 5.1 sound field for this fairly recent feature.
Artsmagic recruited Tom Mes to provide audio
commentary for this release. Mes is an expert on the director, having
written an entire book on Miike’s career, Agitator: the Cinema of
Takashi Miike. Artsmagic also includes three detailed interviews for
Miike’ fans including the controversial director himself. The second
one is with film editor Yasuaki Shimamura who provides all the technical
details you want to know about FULL METAL YAKUZA. Lastly is an interview
with the star Tsuyoshi Ujiki, who reminisces about the production. Added
materials on the disc include text based biographies and filmographies
of the talent involved in the production. There are also two trailers
for upcoming Artmagic releases, MALICE@DOLL, and A.LI.CE.
Takashi Miike is a prolific Japanese exploitation
filmmaker for the new millenium. FULL METAL YAKUZA is not his best work
(check out ICHI THE KILLER or AUDITION), but this early direct-to-video
effort is worth a look by fans of eclectic and outrageous cinema. There’s
a lot of mature subject matter in this film, so those who are easily
offended should avoid this one. If you are smart, you won’t watch this
any women. This is the perfect release for Artsmagic to test the waters
of the Region 1 market. They’ve done a terrific job with the transfer,
authoring, and extras that will satiate the rabid appetite of Miike’s
fans. Since the director churns out about 3o r 4 films a year, I have a
hunch we’ll see more of his work on Artsmagic’s Takashi Miike
collection.
FULL
METAL YAKUZA is available directly from the ArtsMagic Website
