Hatsukoi

Leo is an up and coming boxer who is diagnosed with a fatal brain tumour after surprisingly losing a fight. Yuri is a young woman who has been forced into prostitution because her father is indebted to the Yakuza; she has become addicted to drugs and suffers from strange hallucinations of her father. One day she escapes and Leo steps in and knocks out the man chasing her... they are about to have one unforgettable night. A corrupt cop and a member of the Yakuza have hatched a plan to steal a large stash of drugs and pin the blame on Yuri. With the city on the brink of a gang war Leo and Yuri will need to be very lucky to survive the night.

If you are a fan of director Takashi Miike you should enjoy this; it might not be as crazed and disturbingly violent as 'Ichi the Killer' but it is still pretty violent. This violence is mixed in with some fairly incongruous humour. Most of the action takes place over the course of one night and the tension rarely lets up for long. The characters, even the obviously bad people, are fun to watch and often manage to be amusing even while committing acts of violence. The cast is impressive as they bring their over the top characters to life. Overall I really enjoyed this; definitely worth a watch if you are a fan of Miike's work or just enjoy Japanese gangster films.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.