Kichiku dai enkai

Oh man, this one took me by surprise. I bought this movie because I heard it was one of the more graphic movies in the past 10 years. That kind of talk always peeks my interest since I love action and horror films. I was bored after watching the first hour or so of this movie. I was thinking about sending it back and demanding a refund (even though I knew that would never happen). I was told to be patient, most of the gore was at the end of the movie. Well, that was totally correct. What I didn't know was that the gore was so over the top. I have a very strong stomach, and this movie made me want to turn away. I don't like to write a movie comment with spoilers so I wont get into the different things you could see at the end of this movie. I will say after I saw this movie to completion, I felt like I needed a shower. This movie makes you feel dirty. I makes you feel nauseous. I really cant see myself watching this movie again, but I don't think I will sell it to anyone either. I think I will keep it and lend it out to friends. This way I can be the guy who has one of the most graphic and disgusting movies ever made. I want to see my friends faces when the return this movie to me. I'm sure I will get a phone call right after they watch it, with them telling me how nasty it is. Thats why I will keep it, because it is the nastiest, most vile movie I have seen in a long, long time.

Ever read a novel with missing pages? Perhaps a vague abstraction confused you... Whatever the circumstances, ambiguity resides in relation to this films details and lack thereof; so, if you find yourself asking a lot of questions--especially during the opening half--then don't be surprised. Whether it was deliberately done or not is another debate, but this is a "student film" apparently.

Let's hack into the meat of the celluloid now, shall we?!?

After losing their leader (Aizawa) to jail time, A group of leftist stalwarts (whose true cause we're never quite sure of, aside from the fact they're seemingly at odds with the prevailing authoritative paradigms, and who may be displeased with the Vietnam war, as one reviewer mentioned), set forth on what becomes a violent power struggle with catastrophic and sanguinary consequences. The aftermath of the aforementioned imprisonment results in an order from Aizawa that his girlfriend is to head the group until his release. A decision that's met with some resistance, but things really turn when the head of the snake is cut off, so to speak. Witness the descent spiral into the abyss of oblivion (barring, you have the patience.)

Character-wise, a somewhat diverse ensemble, the rebels are made up of. A nerdy fellow newcomer, A strong silent type with a sword, an annoying female lead with an unsightly countenance, one underling to the incarcerated who asserts his bravado, and a few tag-alongs.

*Urgent bulletin*: The first hour is S-L-O-W. *End bulletin*.

Well, with the introductory information out of the way, you're probably wondering about the political allegory, symbolism, and profuse gore Kichiku is noted for. Fret not, for there are some impressions--a few drenched in crimson--that this reviewer would like to notify the reader about.

-The last member to join the group before its complete and utter combustion seemed to represent traditional values, to an extent. The mute observer seemingly skirting the precipice. Somewhat like he belongs to a bygone samurai age (He wields a nice blade), while those around him represent a new-world pariah mindset. One of youth & contempt for control/authority. Perhaps a product of what they hate (the latter); thus, making them mere reactionaries unsure of what they really want. Are they confused? Eh, maybe.

-A Japanese flag with a bloodstain on it, subject to 'stabbings'. I don't think I need to explain that...

-Related: Anarchists? Anti-war demonstrators? Te**o*ists? You figure it out.

-You'll be forced to reconsider the context of rifles in relation to female genitalia. Heh.

-Related: A scene in the mountains, it reminds of Scanners. What a mess of that cranium! Bloody hell! Literally!

-Lastly, We see the self destruction of powermongering and the hysteria it brings. Regardless of status or political persuasion, the cycle always ends the same way. Leftist, Reactionary, Staunch Right-Winger, it's all the same when infighting & an inherent lack of discipline clash with egodrama over that elusive thing called control. The affiliations and labels of such cabals render themselves irrelevant in the face of human savagery and animalistic thrashings.

Anyways, Kumakiri made a decent flick with both shock appeal and political leanings. Give it a look you cast iron stomachs, you.

Those who check out director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's ambitious student film Banquet Of The Beasts (two years in the making) expecting a non-stop gore-fest might find themselves struggling to get to the good stuff, which only arrives after an hour of extremely tedious interaction between members of a radical political group, whose leader, Aizawa, is banged up in prison. Aizawa's mentally unstable girlfriend Masami takes control of the group, but her leadership is poor, resulting in tension that finally (finally) erupts into violence.

Make it past the first hour, and things do get better (and by 'better' I mean bloodier), as the action moves to a forest where Masami deals with trouble-makers in brutal fashion. It is while two men are getting a beating that the first (and best) gore effect happens: Masami shoots upstart Yasame in the head, leaving only the lower half of his face intact. As if obliterating his cranium isn't bad enough, she then fondles the brain matter oozing out of what's left of his skull. Juicy! The other guy doesn't get let off lightly either: he has his penis cut off, although this is far less graphic.

More gore comes when the group takes shelter in an abandoned building: Masami bites a man's junk off while giving him head, so he stabs her in the crotch, takes a gun, shoves it between her legs and pulls the trigger, causing her insides to explode. Then, while that guy is messing around with her entrails, another bloke enters the room and decapitates bloke #1 with a samurai sword. If this is the kind of stuff you're hungry for, then it should satisfy your cravings, but just be prepared for a long and arduous slog to get there.

3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.

this movie is as violent as it will get. if you really want to get rid of somebody, show it to them. except if they like watching people eating other people's brain out after having them tortured to death. but, IF you can stand it, its a great movie. it was first shown on a film festival with a good reputation, and like everybody walked out. afterwards, the director of the festival apologized in public and said that they had not seen the film before.

among other things, kichiku shows some aspects of japan that maybe you did not realize before.

i enjoyed this film. A lot of people give this movie a lot of flack due to the fact it can get kind of pretentious at moments and about the first 75% of the film moves VERY slowly. The end in my opinion was very gratifying, the gore was well done....the whole thing is shot well, yes it is quite hoke....but everyone downing this movie fails to realize that it's a STUDENT FILM made on absolutely no budget whatsoever. The term student film gets overused quite often, no, kumakiri made this film as his thesis in film school, he actually was in an extra year and a half trying to scrounge the money to finish. So, it's nothing earth shattering...but it is quite impressive considering the context, situation, and budget, and it is quite brutal in the end. If you are a fan of underground/indie cinema chances are you'll at the least enjoy this little nasty.