It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

What can I say... Takashi Miike is one whose movies I enjoy more and more these days and The City Of Lost Souls isn't an exception. The piece itself is about a Brazilian protagonist and his girlfriend, trying their best to cross the border from Japan to Taiwan. They stumble upon trouble on the way, interfering with Yakuza's business and the outcome becomes a quite fast-paced roller-coaster action with violence, punchlines, and, I must add that there's also a great load of comedy here.Anyone expecting hardcore violence throughout the entire piece may get disappointed. If you got some distance though and are open for hybrid stuff then this piece won't disappoint you. It awesome and funny, with a great mixture between the raw and cold violent scenes and the funny, surprising scenes of comedy. The language mix between Brazilian Portugese, Mandarin and Japanese is just a great additional bonus.

Contrary to some of the other imdb users' comments, CITY OF LOST SOULS is one of Takashi Miike's most entertaining films. While not possessing quite the same intensity or shock value of other Miike masterpieces like DEAD OR ALIVE, CITY...nevertheless is fastmoving, balances comic book tall tale surrealism expertly with plenty of violence, sick humor as well as the doomed love story -- what more could you ask? It is NOT the run of the mill generic, mediocre, forgettable action film that most great action film directors are turning out these days. And it involves you with the characters (a multi-ethnic melting pot -- which, as astounding as it may seem to some incredulous viewers, is what major Japanese urban centers are like in this day and age -- by the way, Brazil, home country of lead halfbreed character,Mario, has one of the largest Japanese immigrant populations in the world). If you enjoy Miike, don't miss this. It's his most romantic film (!) without sacrificing any of the blood, the dark, dark humor or bizarre imagery we've come to expect from this unpredictable genius.

When I watch an Asian film, I am not interested in one where the hero is a non-Asian and at least fifty per cent of the cast is as well. Miike has a track record of pushing the envelope, and maybe that's what he was trying to do here, by breaking the taboo of a Western protagonist, who kills many Asians to boot.Most of the Asian characters are portrayed here as hissingly antagonist or just weak and victimized. Though I am a non-Asian myself, I was personally offended, and felt this was just a strident attempt at shock and irreverence.No where near as good as some of Miike's other films, such as "Odishon."

Well, I couldn't identify with the male protagonist. What's a Brazilian to do in a Japanese gangster movie, one may ask. That's his problem, to avoid deportation he is going on a long trip of bloodshed and revenge driven by sympathy for his girlfriend (a Chinese) and a mysterious small girl. The twists and turns in the story are as unconvincing as the end, at least there are some special characters as we expect them from Miike. Unlike AUDITION Miike seems to have been disinterested in the topic this time.