Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

CountZero313 Salaryman Takagi wakes up fully clothed in an anonymous business hotel and attempts to recall how he got there. A series of flashbacks reveal how the events that led him to this place escalated out of control. As the audience is drip-fed information on Takagi's weekend from hell, a series of hilarious set pieces ensues, along with a stinging social commentary of Japan's repressed, alcohol-dependent work-obsessed culture.Tsutsumi is masterful as the mouse that roars, ranging from cowardly in a bar scene where he opts to drink down a fag dowt, to darkly heroic in his execution of an out-of-control chinpira and his moll. The supporting cast give strong performances, especially Yasuko Matsuyuki as a femme fatal, seducing Takagi like a siren call to hell. Interestingly, Matsuyuki does not have one line in the film, but is a clearly defined character. Character actors such as the ubiquitous Naomi Nishida shine in their epigrammatic appearances.The film will have you smiling in memory of many scenes long after viewing. Takagi writing his will, prolonging the moment, was dryly amusing. Tsutumi's dance in the yakuza bar is simply hilarious. The final third, unfortunately, drags on far too long, as Sabu's sensibilities and timing seem to fail him. The moment is somewhat redeemed by the 'reveal' that is has all been a daydream, but that final stand-off flags and ultimately spoils what was shaping up to be a perfect film.Not perfect then, but better than most. The first ten minutes, especially, are a masterclass in the set-up area of screen writing. Numerous questions are posed in the sequence, with the pay-offs arriving as the film progresses. For anyone interested in contemporary Japanese fimmaking, this is simply unmissable.

lost-in-limbo Well, I was getting myself ready to watch Brian De Palma's "Body Double" and when I pressed the play button to my surprise I wasn't watching "Body Double". I had I got the blank tapes mixed up (because they were unlabeled) and on screen was "Monday". To lazy to get up and change, I thought I might as well stick with it since I've been meaning to get around to it anyway.A young salary man wakes up rather confusedly on a Monday morning in a hotel room. He slowly begins to remember what had happened over the weekend - where he attended a funeral, had some drinks with some mafia figures, danced around with one of their girls and finally in a drunken state of mind he murders some petty crooks. This last act has caused a real stir amongst the media with it being discussed on TV and the police have surrounded the building ready to take him into custody."Monday" is my second viewing of a Sabu (Japanese director / writer Hiroyuki Tanaka) film and it was another pleasant surprise, just like "Drive" (2002) was. Three things I have come to notice about his work is that his pieces are highly original, the odd sense of humour is darkly downbeat and there's an expressive message on life. This black comedy / thriller just feeds off it's cynical statement on the influence of guns in society and the power it asserts on people. It questions the morality about justice - even if you're are on the laws side and shoot someone that doesn't mean you're not a murderer. Really, are you any better because you have a badge? Even alcoholism gets a spray at. The violence is raw, but from glorified. The tense moment involving a swat team toys around this question. We even get a quick taste of the media's involvement too that really portrays the differing perception on both sides of the coin. But these serious thoughts play out more in a dreamy vibe because of all the kooky situations that occurred, strange folk he encounters and the quirky dialogue we hear. It's a more a spur-of-the-moment build up with the infectious story unfolding in non-linear narrative. That's because half the film is spent with the protagonist putting the blurry pieces together of what had happened over the weekend. Just like the main character you would like to see how this clouded chain of events eventuated and we feel every minute of his misfortunes. Shin'ichi Tsutsumi as Koichi Takagi, the salary man who gets drunk, while carrying around shotgun is superb in demonstrating flexibility in his emotions and it's hard not to feel for the guy. Director Sabu leisurely paces the film with many comic ideas, dim humour, icy scenes mixed with suspense, provocative camera shots and a spanking rock / dance soundtrack. In the end I guess you could say that was one rough weekend just waiting for the consequences (Monday) to come along.A very glum and low-key black comedy that boldly throws up some thought-provoking scenarios in a satisfying manner.

rogierr Although it has some dumb humour, it is an appealing thriller about a man who is confused about what's going on and gets even more confused (Kafka?). Another director would have been nice for this movie, because Tanaka probably doesn't really know how to get the actors to perform authentic in this apparently not so cheap film that needs good acting to get the black humour across. Unfortunately the acting turns out to be horrible (except Shinichi Tsutsumi), but the cinematography (Kazuhiko Sato) and the structure of the story are entertaining enough to keep you interested. Monday felt like Desperado (Rodriguez, 1995) for a while and then the mystery took over with some off-beat cinematic experiments that I appreciated very much. It ultimately didn't satisfy completely though, because of the forced finale of the story and nothing really stands out. I'm not going to spoil anything further, because somehow this curio is well worth watching.

marchrijo "Falling down" in Japanese: a young salaryman, utterly drunk, had murdered four people - gangsters all of them, but that's no excuse. Days later, as he wakes up in a hotel room, he has no remembrance of what happened. With his brain restarting, he begins to call up the pictures of the dreadful night. This ist the strongest part of the film, almost two third of it. The scenes in the night club, the dance with the beautiful white Yazuka bride, and his first steps becoming a mass murder, are full of magnificent ideas and pictures. The action and the atmosphere comes from Tarantino school while the minimalistic silver-blue photography resembles Kitano a lot. The problem of the film is, that he doesn't know, how to bring the story to a neat end. Shall we believe, that this harmless man kills some guys of the special police forces, which advance to his hotel room? Can we understand his behaviour after he took the chief inspector as hostage? Are these phantasies of almightiness not too much of Tarantino? Some scenes seem as if the director wants to gain minutes in order to fill the hundred minutes. The film should had come to an end, when the "tragic analysis" finished, that is when the hero noticed that the police had surrounded the building. Because of this incoherence it is not even a good movie, despite of the strengths especially in the scenery and the photography.