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Fudoh: The New Generation aka Gokudô sengokushi: Fudô
R1 - America - Media Blasters Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (26th August 2006). |
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The Film
 Takashi Miike is a good director. He's done movies in many, many genres, and he's done all of them well. Whatever the budget, Mr. Miike can work well and can do something impressive. He's even made it to Hollywood, having a cameo in 'Hostel' and directing a never-aired episode of 'Masters of Horror'. Before all this stateside fame, Mr. Miike directed 'Fudoh: The New Generation'. The movie is essentially a revenge tale, where everybody goes ballistic on everybody. Basically, a Yakuza member's son wants revenge on the people that killed his brother. He bides his time and waits for the right moment to strike. When he strikes, an eclectic group helps him out. All of these people center around his classroom, although they're not like any friends you've ever seen in school. This is like someone's fantasy. Teenage, lesbian high school girls, English teachers with tight leather mini-skirts, decapitations, bullets in the head - they're all in here. Throw in a giant 20-year-old (although I doubt very much the guy really is 20 years old) and a Korean half-brother and you have a nice mix for revenge. The tale is twisted, perverse and only those familiar with Mr. Miike's work will know what to expect. There's really nothing in here that's taboo. Everything you see is unexpected and the movie moves along and a nice pace, not stopping to care what you think about it. It's not as wild and off-the-wall as, say 'Ichi the Killer', but if you've seen 'Full Metal Yakuza', it's a good indication. The movie is a bit more grounded in reality, although after you see the scene in the strip club, you might not have the same opinion. One thing is for sure and that is: this is a Takashi Miike movie. It also has other Mr. Miike stylistic elements. There's some really dark comedy running throughout the movie, and it made me laugh a few times. It's not obvious or particularly light, but it's undeniably there. Mr. Miike has a really weird sense of humour and it shows in here. There's the requisite action, as well, but it's nothing exceptional. It's good and well, done, but Mr. Miike's talents lie elsewhere. The gun fights are well planned and shot and the scenes with the swords are okay as well. The action sequences keep the movie going and add the inevitable blood and gore found in most of the director's works. They also add a bit more to the guy-ness of the movie, what with all the lesbians and mini-skirts already introduced. If you want a make a movie for guys, make a movie for guys, right? I recommend this if you want something different. It's a good movie, but not a great movie, and not Mr. Miike's best (the acting is a bit shoddy, the characters, though eclectic, are not the most engaging). It's fun and twisted and sick, which is to be expected. If you don't know Takashi Miike's works, watch something a little more innocuous first, like 'Happiness of the Katakuris'. After that, go this movie for something else. It's better that way. You won't be alienated right from the start, which, I suppose, is what Takashi Miike did with his 'Masters of Horror' episode, given it never played on US television.
Video
1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The print isn't so good, to say the truth. It is, however, I've read, an improvement over the older Media Blasters release, and probably better than other releases out there. The problem comes with the age of the film and its budget. The print is very blurry, definitely missing definition and detail. Lines are ill-defined and detail is not strong. The colours, though, are very good, as is the compression. There are no artifacts like pixelation, and scratches and specs are almost non-existent. There's also a little bit of edge enhancement, but it's not a big problem. The print is okay, except for the lack of detail.
Audio
There are 4 audio tracks: two Dolby 5.1 tracks and two Dolby 2.0 surround tracks (one in English and one in Japanese, each). I listened to the Japanese Dolby 5.1 track. It's okay, but there was a definite lack of surround use. You still get some bullet hits and other minor sounds but for the most part, the back is forgotten. A few times the positions could have been a lot more accurate. The score also comes out front the front only. On the plus side, the sounds you do hear, are pretty clear and they sound is well mixed.
Extras
Media Blasters were nice enough to add some nice bonus features to add to the re-done picture and sound. First is a Commentary by director Takashi Miike and actor Shosuke Tanihara. I believe this is exclusive to the Media Blasters release, as the Japanese release doesn't seem to have it. In any case, this isn't the best commentary track. There are a lot of dead spots, the two seem a bit unenthusiastic and many times when they talk, they don't really talk about what's on screen. You do get to hear about places and kimchi and other stuff that happened at the places, but they don't spend much time talking specifically about the actions on screen. They do mention things about the tattoos and which place still exist and some of the craziness going on, but it's not too often. There is one really funny joke, though, but you have to be patient, though. They talk about the other actors and various details in certain scenes, as well. Overall, though, the interviews are probably more informative, and certainly more interesting to listen to. There are also 2 interviews. The first is an Interview with director Takashi Miike (40:30), which is very, very good. Mr. Miike talks about pretty much everything. He goes on about the scenes and the actors and the action. The person playing Riki, for example, always plays the same character and that character is himself. Mr. Miike was also surprised he was able to shoot a fight scene at a temple. I really enjoyed this interview and fans of Mr. Miike will eat this up. The next is an Interview with actor Shosuke Tanihara (15:27), which is also good, but a bit less interesting. Mr. Tanihara talks a lot about this being his first movie. He also talks about working with Mr. Miike. He mentions embodying Fudoh and how he handled the character in the two sequels, as well as working with other directors. He also talks about his fellow castmates. It's a very interesting and very informative interview. These two interviews, by the way, are taken from the Japanese release. The last thing you'll find on this release are a bunch of Bonus Trailers. 'Sky High' (1:42), 'One Missed Call' (1:14), 'Ichi the Killer' (1:42) and 'Alive' (1:31) have trailers. They're good trailers and they sell the movies quite well.
Overall
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