Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

christopher-underwood So very black and so very white, so Japanese and so very cool, this is a most impressive film. More new wave than neo-noir, this looks fantastic throughout and if the story is not much and the telling not very fast, it is always arresting. The sparse dialogue is so of the period with talk of boredom, adrenaline rushes and death and if the gambling game itself appears a little basic, the sinister chanting and chip clicking help make for most hypnotic sequences. never mind that the men seem to have to remove their jackets and trousers and shield their chip behind their jacket. The music, at times ambient and at others more jazzy always seems to be spot on, whether we are wandering the back streets of Tokyo and Yokohama or racing in cars along the highway. All performances convince and there are such characters, some only hinted at here, that it seems perfectly possible half a dozen films could have been made.

Mopkin TheHopkin "Pale Flower" is directed by Masahiro Shinoda, and stars Ryo Ikebe as a slick yakuza recently released from a prison stint for murder. He meets Saeko (Mariko Kaga), a young women who seeks thrill and excitement. The two fall for each other, and navigate the dark nights of Tokyo looking for big gambling and excitement.This was a very stylish yakuza film-noir. It has colour and flare in droves, and is well shot and directed. The film oozes charm, as the two brave gambling dens, yakuza fronts and race along Tokyo highways at 2am. It is a story about two individuals who share the same disassociation with society, and feel nothing about life. They struggle to find meaning and enjoyment during the day, but fill their nights with sex, gambling, crime and drugs in order to make it. I really loved this movie. It kept me gripped for most of the film, even though little in the way of action occurs. This film instead keeps you focused on Muraki and Saeko as they struggle through the underworld together.I loved this film and highly recommend it. 9/10

birthdaynoodle Muraki is a middle aged yakuza fresh out of jail for murder. Played to perfection by Ryô Ikebe, he's quiet, disciplined, smokes his cigarettes with style, sports a smart suit and a Johnny Bravo haircut. When a woman from a past affair (Chisako Hara) desperately pleads for his love, he shows no interest in yielding. If anything, he seems almost embarrassed by her need of affection. His mind is only preoccupied by a sense of duty toward his gang and some casual betting. Enter Saeko (Mariko Kaga), a beautiful, young girl with the face of a doll and big, daring eyes. She has the look of someone who has nothing to lose. A wealthy, spoiled brat, a nihilist bored with life, she kills time by gambling away her money. Muraki is immediately drawn to her. At first, he's flattered by her attention, but he soon discovers he's too decent and safe for her, not quite extreme or dangerous enough. His pride is wounded, yet he becomes addicted to her youthful foolishness and decadence. Doom is around the corner.Everything about this film is superbly elegant: the acting, the art direction and black-and-white photography, the avant-garde music composed by Toru Takemitsu, the man responsible for the soundtrack of any number of Japanese classics, including Teshigahara's 'Woman in the Dunes', Kurosawa's 'Ran' and Imamura's 'Black Rain'. Directed by Masahiro Shinoda, 'Pale Flower' belongs in the pantheon of great films noirs alongside the likes of 'The Big Sleep' and 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'.***** Spoilers ***** Part of what's most interesting about the relationship between Muraki and Saeko is that it is so Platonic. There's no sign of sexual contact between them. Muraki wants her physically, yet fails to have her. It's a kind of impotence that he experiences. In turn, he becomes more of a protective father figure. After all, Muraki's probably over twice her age. (When they made the film, the actor was 47 and the actress 21.) So there's a sexual tension, an Electra complex (like the Oedipus complex, with the male and female roles reversed). But she saves herself for Yoh, a younger, wilder, more exotic yakuza and this drives Muraki crazy. (This reminds me of Nabokov's 'Lolita', published only a few years earlier.) By the end, a despondent Muraki volunteers to take down the boss of a rival gang, knowing well that this will put him back in prison. But he accepts to do it because he hopes it will excite and impress Saeko. He is sacrificing himself for her pleasure. When he thrusts his knife into the body of his victim at the restaurant, he's projecting onto the act of murder the violence of his frustrated desire for her. Fascinated, she watches from a distance. However, we later learn that Yoh has killed her in an act of passion. So it is Yoh who actually penetrates her with a knife (obviously, a phallic symbol). Muraki has been one-upped again. He has come up with a concept that Yoh ultimately takes to the next level. Saeko's relationship with Muraki remains ideal, while with Yoh it is carnal.Similarly, Muraki is tormented by the prospect of Saeko doing drugs with Yoh, partly because he wants to protect her as a father figure, but also because that could involve Yoh penetrating her with a needle (another phallic symbol).

nicholas Chin Most of the Asian gangster movies I have seen, promote the brotherhood and the comradery between members, like Young and Dangerous, or have denounced gangster activity, showing if as degrading and evil. This movie does neither. It instead shows how gangster life has both good and bad; however in the end proves to be a pointless cause. The main character, is just released from jail, and immediately reunites with his own yakuza. His life is changed when he meets Saeko, a young woman who is addicted to high stakes life of the yakuza. Together they journey through a city and time, where everything is changing constantly; yet in the end, it becomes apparent that none of these things really matter. This movie is really good. I recommend it.