First Love

Takashi Miike's filmography is one of the most impressive out there; he's directed over 100 films, with many of them being cult classics like 'Audition' and 'Ichi the Killer.' He's a filmmaker that's constantly pushing boundaries, exploring new horizons and delivering memorable spectacles that you want to see again and again.

So why does 'First Love,' a film about a boxer and a call girl in the crosshairs of a violent war between Yakuza members and various killers searching for a bag of drugs, feel so average?

Masa Nakamura, a previous Miike collaborator, wrote the admittedly very detailed screenplay for the film and manages to introduce multiple characters and subplots that believably converge into one climactic showdown, yet there are certain characters that are built up to be forces not to reckon with and end up not contributing much to the film, or living up to their "legend." The central relationship between the main characters, Leo and Monica (which turns out to be a moniker), feels underdeveloped and turns out to be not as important as one would expect. Even a reoccurring character she hallucinates from the film doesn't provide much development for her character and ends up being a red herring of sorts. I previously read rave reviews for the film and many critics called the film "hilarious," but there's really only one character who provides some chuckle-worthy lines; everything else feels serious and dark, especially the outlandish shootout in the climax, which could have gone absolutely balls-to-the-wall in its execution, but plays it rather safe.

Visually, the movie looks great. The actors all perform extremely well and I was definitely invested enough to wonder what would happen to each character as the film went along. It's not a bad movie by any means, but from a director who's made some insane movies, I had expected around the same level for this one. It is still worth a watch, but go in expecting "chilled out" Miike.

Good casting, great cinematography, fitting score and decent directing, but there were obvious plot and technical issues. The 108 run time felt much longer and some scenes were too long and/or unnecessary. The choreography and camera shots were terrible in the action scenes. A good film but could've easily been great.

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.

First Love goes back to Takashi Miike's brutal V-Cinema Yakuza movies between the mid-nineties and the early years of the new millennium. It tells the story of a lonesome boxer who has just learned that he has an incurable brain tumor who meets a drug-addicted prostitute who suffers from hallucinations of her violent father. Over the course of one single night, the two desperate youngsters get caught up in a violent conflict between Chinese and Japanese organized crime clans as well as local police force. The prostitute is suspected of having killed a gang member and stolen a handbag full of drugs. The boxer knocks out a crooked police officer who planned on framing her and is now on the run as well. The relationship between the prostitute and the boxer slowly intensifies but their biggest challenge remains to survive the eventful night.

This movie is a feast for Takashi Miike fans. The characters are diversified, eccentric and unique enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen. The flashy locations are gorgeous to watch. The action scenes are intense and especially the lengthy fight sequences in a warehouse mix gore elements with black slapstick humour in a typically Japanese way. The movie is also filled with tension and this thriller comes around with a few interesting twists and turns. The film also has some strong dramatic elements as it follows two lonesome outsiders who have suffered throughout their lives and are simply looking for peace of mind. The movie's pace is overall frantic and entertaining. The idea to let the film take place over the course of only a few days with the most important events unfolding in one single night, makes First Love a quite dynamic, focused and intense experience.

The film still has a few minor flaws however. The opening quarter is a little bit dragging and slightly overstays its welcome. The story is somewhat predictable if you're familiar with other Yakuza movies. The relationship between the two protagonists never really takes off as they don't have much chemistry. The title First Love is slightly misguiding in that regard and something like Crazy Night would have been more appropriate.

Still, First Love is an entertaining Yakuza movie that goes back to the genre's golden era in the mid-nineties. It features action, drama and thriller elements and is explicitly brutal, darkly humorous and gloomily nihilistic. Mainstream audiences might have trouble digesting this exciting potpourri but genre fans will get exactly what they like.

On the light side of Miike but still with plenty of what you expect from his palette. Camera work and cliches work perfect here supported by a great soundtrack. Kind of modern jazz frenzy beat. Also great to see Shota Sometani in a different roll.

Pretty good to have a taste of Miike.