Kyoki no sakura

this movie is fantastic. the version that i have seen doesn't have subtitles so as far as i can tell it is about a nationalist gang in japan. they dislike the american influences in modern japan and also try to bring down drug dealers. somehow they get mixed up in some sort of yakuza conspiracy and become too far over their heads (i think that yamaguchi's grandfather is a yakuza member). the acting is pretty good and most of the cinematography is great... there are a few scenes where the cuts are a little too cheesy but for the most part the movie is very well done and quite intense.

My girlfriend and I just finished watching Kyoki no sakura, and we were both blown away by this film. Although our copy had severely inaccurate subtitles (I bought the Int'l Film Limited edition), it didn't take away from the film. This film initially caught our attention because of it's cast. Genki Sudo, a well- known K-1 kickboxer, stars as one of 3 youths in a socio-political-driven street gang. Another big name star of this film is Yosuke Eguchi, the co-star of the popular japanese medical drama, The Great White Tower. Kyouki no sakura is an amazing ride from start to finish. Visually, the director draws straight from the Stanley Kubrick school of visuals, going as far to pay direct tribute to Kubrick in one scene (look for HAL 2000). The acting is top- notch, with a convincing and chilling turn by Eguchi. The action is over-the-top, and the politically-fueled messages of the various "right side" groups are eye- opening. At times, the love interest in the film seems a bit tedious. I have never read the book that this film was based on, so I don't know if this character was thrown in for the film or not. In spite of this weakness, Kyouki no sakura does not suffer in the least. For lovers of Fight Club, Clockwork Orange and Kill Bill, Kyouki no sakura is a welcome addition to your dvd library.

Clockwork Orange meets American History X meets a manga comic book in a Takashi-Miike-a-like movie.

This film's a lot of fun - the obvious enthusiasm of the director is highly contagious. There are sequences of jump cuts that look like a music video, wipes in all directions, arty shots mixed with footage that looks like it was shot on a camera only a step or two up from Super 8.

I'm not entirely sure that the story makes too much sense because I was watching a DVD from Hong Kong with subtitles apparently provided by the same people that write the English translations of the instruction manuals you get with cheap electronic products.

But, hey, if you like Asian films in general, you'll love this one.