Killing (2018) ***1/2
You know that when Shinya Tsukamoto makes a jidaigeki film (and more specifically a chanbara) that it's not going to be anything like one you've seen before. What's interesting about Tsukamoto's first foray into this genre is the restraint he shows. For those that are familiar with the director's more gonzo work, that restraint present in Killing (2018) might come as somewhat of a surprise, but his past few films (2011's Kotoko and 2014's Fires On The Plain (review)) have had an overall similar approach.
The influence of Kurosawa and films like The Sword Of Doom (1966) are easy to spot, and while there is formalism evident in a good deal of the film, Tsukamoto charges certain scenes with bits of S&M, dream logic and over the top violence à la Lone Wolf And Cub (1972-1974). Sosuke Ikematsu proves a strong lead, capable of sympathetically portraying his character's struggle with causing violence and repressing his sexual urges. Yu Aoi is equally good—she's given the most range to work with—both as a victim and as a rage-filled catalyst.
I'm not crazy about the shaky cam (I never am) utilized in the action scenes and the film as a whole is very dark—a choice that works for the subject matter but some scenes can be really noisy and hard to distinguish. I'm not sure if that's down to a limited budget (i.e. digital cameras that aren't top of the line) or just a poor transfer/disc authoring but it's an unfortunate distraction from an otherwise well-made film. Overall though, this is a very mature work from Tsukamoto and one that still contains his trademarks.
You can find my Shinya Tsukamoto Films Ranked list here.
The influence of Kurosawa and films like The Sword Of Doom (1966) are easy to spot, and while there is formalism evident in a good deal of the film, Tsukamoto charges certain scenes with bits of S&M, dream logic and over the top violence à la Lone Wolf And Cub (1972-1974). Sosuke Ikematsu proves a strong lead, capable of sympathetically portraying his character's struggle with causing violence and repressing his sexual urges. Yu Aoi is equally good—she's given the most range to work with—both as a victim and as a rage-filled catalyst.
I'm not crazy about the shaky cam (I never am) utilized in the action scenes and the film as a whole is very dark—a choice that works for the subject matter but some scenes can be really noisy and hard to distinguish. I'm not sure if that's down to a limited budget (i.e. digital cameras that aren't top of the line) or just a poor transfer/disc authoring but it's an unfortunate distraction from an otherwise well-made film. Overall though, this is a very mature work from Tsukamoto and one that still contains his trademarks.
You can find my Shinya Tsukamoto Films Ranked list here.
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