This is How Movies Should Be Made

Overrated

One of the best films i have seen

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

"Gozu" is directed by Takashi Miike, and is about a cowardly yakuza hit-man driver named Minami who's tasked with secretly executing his "Brother" Ozaki, who has recently been losing his mind and poses a threat towards the yakuza squad. Things start to take a weird and surreal turn as Ozaki goes missing and Minami must find him while stuck in this town where there's cow-headed minotaurs, dead people, and an eerie pair of siblings who run a hotel inn."Gozu" is probably one of the most if not the most f***ed up movie I've ever seen. The scenes and imagery being displayed is so vulgar and graphic that it was very uncomfortable and eerie to watch. If only David Lynch was Japanese I'd think he would've directed this film. "Gozu" is very much like a David Lynch film in that we don't know what's real or not, the surreal imagery, and the weird characters they both have.The acting is very well by the entire cast and the direction is just out there. I will admit that the first twenty minutes were pretty unclear as we weren't introduced to the true tone of the movie. Also the actors sometimes over act and sound kind of forced and cheesy. Overall "Gozu" is not for everyone since this is one of the more weirder films I've seen and I know people don't really favor weird. Miike gives excellent direction in this film and doesn't let the story fall through the cracks. If you like David Lynch's work or even Takashi Miike's I think you'll like this film very much if you haven't seen it.

To say this film is bizarre is to put it extremely mildly; in places, it's down-right bonkers! However, I did find it strangely compelling, if a little difficult to follow here and there. I'm usually pretty good at following foreign language films; even those with subtitles, but this one just lost me a couple of times. At times it was very violent and it could be also very comic; touching drama and even horrific; it seems to touch many genres. There were some excellent special effects; all practical effects as far as I could see; and some of these were truly stunning (particularly one near the end). Over all though, I did find it a tad over long and a little frustrating to follow (too many metaphors, maybe?). Even so, I will deem it 'recommended' for its' innovative effects and some compelling (if confusing) story telling.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 5.8/10.You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Gozu is a lot of things. It's a mock-Greek epic, a yakuza yarn gone wrong, a black comedy, a horror movie, and a twisted, Freudian love story. And at the same time, it's really none of the above. As much as it crosses the line, it's much more subtle and deadpan than it sounds, and it refuses to fit into any marketable niche. Gozu is the most accurately I've seen a movie emulate the logic of a bad dream. The Lynch comparisons this movie gets are lazy at best; Lynch likes to let the audience put the pieces together into something that may or may not resemble what was originally intended. With Gozu, your subconscious can't miss what it's about: the guilt of betraying a friend, a sense of unworthiness, repression, isolation, etc.Above all deeper analysis, Gozu is a lot like being lost in a town where things just feel "wrong". Minor characters speak in meaningless inanities: "I said it was hot the other day, and he said nah! But it was hot the other day, ask anyone!" One character repeats this mundane, banal mantra until it becomes eerily unfamiliar, then hilarious, then all too familiar. The third wall is broken to pieces and gender roles are tossed out the window. As surreal as it gets, though, the humanity of the characters keeps us grounded and caring about what happens. At its kindest moments Gozu evokes a sense of childhood adventure, and when a movie taps into such a vulnerable part of who you are, that's when it can truly get scary. Up there with The Seventh Seal and Stalker as one of the most perfect movies I've ever seen.

I don't mean in a conventional way...not at all...this is Miike folks and nothing is ever as it seems. You will never think of Milk, Cows or birth again in the same way ever.The first 20 minutes or so are extremely funny...I mean the guy is obviously insane...thinking such a little dog belongs to the Yakuza. After he gets separated from his brother...this is where things go so far into the weird scale that Im still digesting (OK not the best choice of words...perhaps processing...OK forget it...digesting it is) exactly what I watched and it's been 2 days since some of the scenes of this film have been seared into my brain.If you can handle perverse things and have seen other Miike films...watch this...its funny, sick, shocking all at the same time.I find it strange that the very last image of the film was the one thing that disturbed me the most...I mean it's not even sick...it's an everyday thing people do the world over...but in the context of this film it takes on a darker meaning.