Crows Zero (Japan, 2008)

TRAILER HERE

Takashi Miike is one of the most prolific and successful film directors that ever lived. And while while a craptacular filmakers like Jess Franco (Filmography) churned them out like they had no soul, the final films usually sucked harder than a demon possessed shop-vac. Miike on the other hand continually delivers entertaining AND original films with every sneeze. His horror film AUDITION was even included in AFI 100 horror films of all time! He’s done zombie-musical-family comedies, gay abstract art films, and hyper-violent dark comedies. And while his work has slowly took on a polished sheen, he’s never lost the little touches that make his work FEEL like a Takshii Miike film (The odd side characters, slightly saggy middles, crazy opening montages)

In the case of Crow Zero, it’s an extension of his dramatic work that he touched upon in the “Osaka” series of teenage gang films, except this time it has 10 times the budget and is filled with a plethora of Japanese pops stars.

“Based on a long running and incredibly popular manga, the story begins with Shun Oguri is Genji, a student freshly transferred to Suzuran high, a school legendary for the out of control violence that dominates social life there. The students are banded into factions, rival gangs openly battling for control in the halls, teachers or any other form of authority absolutely impotent. It’s the sort of school nobody in their right mind would willingly choose to attend but Genji has done just that, transferring to the school with the goal of doing what nobody has ever done in the entire history of the place: battle his way to the top of the heap, unite the factions and be recognized as the undisputed king of Suzuran, a feat his yakuza boss father tried and failed to accomplish himself as a student of Suzuran decades before.”

When talking about the oeuvre of Takashi Miike, it’s too easy to concentrate on just the weirdness. The man does have a habit of going off-the wall, but he also understands the key building blocks of storytelling. He may throw in a completely cartoony giant hammer fight in the middle of a story about two old friends (Dead or Alive 2) but it’ usually done in a tone that fits with the rest of the story. Many may find it odd that “Crows Zero” succeeds not because of its action or odd directorial flourishes, but because of its endearing cast of characters. Not to say that there isn’t any action, because there is, tons of it really. The realistic (but still heavily stylized) fist fights on display are all lengthy, creative and perfectly shot. But we actually care about the characters by the time the final fights roll in and while the subject matter isn’t very dramatic (Two boys fight for dominance of a school) it’s done in a sly mix of heavy handed drama and light heartedness (The final fight is inter-cut with another character’s pop song!) that it’s watchable without being cloying. There’s no real reason to really hate the main foil of our hero but we’re still cheering every bone crunching hit. It’s a perfect example of creating light pop entertainment. Without a doubt the most accessible film of the director’s career. The only thing that may turn you off is the TWO HOUR AND NINE MINUTE RUNNING TIME but that’s to be expected from Miike.

NOTE: AGITATOR by Tom Mes is a very in depth (If academically dry) book that analyzes all the director's work from his first feature onward. You can pick it up HERE

DVD: Guaranteed to be released on DVD in North America sometime in the near future. The film is currently only available in super expensive (But English subtitled form) from Japan. You can pick up copy at YesAsia HERE