First Love

A chance encounter between a young boxer and a prostitute causes an all out gang war and they are both caught right in the middle of it. Takashi Miike anyone?

When one goes to see a Takashi Miike film one expects certain things. It has to be grotesquely violent, slightly tongue in the cheek and an over the top story that that would never work with anyone else at the helm. FIRST LOVE delivers everything and more. In fact it is a surprisingly coherent, thought through and even touching film that works on many levels. It is drama, it is a comedy, it's an action film and it's a thriller, where all elements are a perfect fit.

This is classic Miike with Japanese yakuza and Chinese triad going at each other over nothing. It may be a bizarre and violent affair, but the cut off limbs and heads seem a bit Monty Pythonish, which makes the gore slightly less disturbing.

There's a lot of fun to be had here, this is a sort of film Tarantino would like (he did praise Miike as one of his favourites) and this film is Miike at his best.

With its jazzy upbeat soundtrack and out there action, this is an energised piece of work that has to be seen to be believed.

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.

This is a crazy black comedy. Not seen a Miike movie before but will be on the lookout now! I can't wait for a crappy American remake to show just how good it was.

A fast, funny, zany escapade. Comic book fun. A delightful surprise.

Strongly recommend.

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.

First Love takes too long to actually get going but it's ultimately worth it once it does. A twisted tale of true romance with a colourful cast of characters and brutally cartoonish violence. This is a better Yakuza movie than Takashi Miike's actual Yakuza adaptation, especially when it comes to its tonal balance.

Masataka Kubota and Sakurako Konshi are great leads who are easy to root for however, in a film like this it's the characters who are truly deranged who make the biggest impression. Becky's vengeance obsessed Julie and Jun Murakami's coolest Yakuza ever are the most over the top characters and therefore run away with the whole film.

Director Takashi Miike excels at balancing wildly different tones here. Moving from creepy hallucinations to bloody sword fights and pretty moving emotional beats whilst still finding time for some comedy. His trademark love of shoddy CGI remains intact and he comes up with a very clever way to work around the lack of budget when it comes to a late stage car chase.