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Customer Reviews of Fudoh: The New Generation

Yakuza revenge story that falls slightly short of genius
Takashi Miike's brand of "extreme cinema" is now getting art-house accolades thanks to his "Visitor Q" and "The Happiness of the Katakuris" (a remake of the Korean movie "The Quiet Family"). Before going for Village St. Cinema wildness, though, he was a prolific director of yakuza/gangster actioners for Japanese TV. "Fudoh," based on a popular manga of the same name, is one of his first theatrical productions, and while it's full of wild, lurid imagery, it also suffers from a lack of scope that is probably more due to the production constraints imposed upon Miike than any real flaws in the movie itself.

The story isn't complicated: the young scion to a yakuza family takes revenge against a rival family by employing his schoolchums, all of whom have murderous specialities. Miike makes this more than just a gore-and-geek-fest, though; he actually takes the time to make each character stand out and be unique. One of the best is a hermaphrodite (!) who performs in a nightclub by shooting darts at balloons in a way that cannot be described in a family publication. She's seen as a fully rounded character, not just a piece of set dressing. But the movie ends so abruptly and so obviously in search of a sequel (which was made, avoid it at all costs) that it short-circuits all of the power it was building up. Worth seeing if you're a fan of oddball Asian cinema; worth a look if you're curious about Miike's origins as a filmmaker.

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A Sado-Sexual Fairy Tale for the Younger Generation
Japanese director Takashi Miike is not yet too well-known in the United States--even in Japan he's a little obscure--but if the general success of his cautionary romance "Audition" is any indicator, he may become as recognized as Beat Takeshi. The comparison may be pretty apt, as both directors often hit on themes of violence and crime as corrosive agents in the lives of their characters. But if Kitano's films punctuate achingly poetic melodrama with bursts of violence, Miike throws the audience into the fray with shocking imagery from the start.
The plot to Fudoh concerns the generations of a Kyushu island-based yakuza family. Fudoh senior, forced to kill one of his sons as a peace offering to another family, unwittingly sowed the seeds of his own downfall. Riki, the 8-year-old younger brother, saw the execution and swore revenge. By 18, he has formed his own shadow gang, composed of children and aiming at eliminating all the senior gang members and seizing control of Kyushu, Japan, and theoretically the world.
While many have commented on some of the surprising scenes the movie throws out, they still retain a great deal of visceral punch and, along with a techno-metal electronic score, create a sense of rage--albeit inventive rage--that is reflected by the brooding eyes of Riki (Shosuke Tanihara) as he eavesdrops on his dad's conversations from class or extorts his teachers. Along with elementary school gunmen, a stripper-assassin who uses a vaginal dart gun, and a gigantic but amiably thug (Kenji Takano--fantastic), Fudoh dispatches the old guard of the family while protesting that such violence is merely the growing pains of a society which has become stifled by its old confines. Indeed, if not directly inspiring youth to take down their local gangs, the film does give the younger generation a fantasy where the heroes are under 20 and no one out of school can be trusted. At the same time, a theme of family torn apart by crime and revenge comes through nicely, especially as father and son sit quietly at dinner while secretly plotting each other's demise. The arrival of a half-Korean assassin, Riki's half-brother, compounds this by hinting at the oft-occuring (at least in the films of modern Japanese directors) theme of international Asian tensions, in particular the role of Koreans within Japan. Not that it will necessarily break any barriers in existence, but the scene where he beats a posh restaraunt's cooking staff for making Japanese-style kimchee has a certain bitter humor to it.
This being said, it's unfortunate that Tokyo Shock released the film on such a bare bones disc. Not even a menu is present, the movie simply keys up three trailers (which can be skipped) and then proceeds directly into the movie. While it's in Japanese with English subtitles, this also cannot be changed. However, once the film starts your irritation with the technical side of the disc is bound to fade, and by the time the children start wiping out councilmen with bloody abandon, it's doubtful you'll even remember anything else.

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A Revenge Film with Distrubing Moments in Miike Style...
Takeshi Miike is a cinematic visionary who has directed over 50 films and among these most memorable are Audition (2000) and Ichi the Killer (2001). Miike's films often bring the audience into a dark and disturbing world of crime and psychologically distressing themes. In Audition Miike depicts a love story that turns into a carnival of mutilation and degradation in which the audience still can connect with the mutilator. In Ichi the Killer the audience can be forced into a shockingly violent world of crime, but there is a deep sense for the understanding of the characters despite the violence. Miike's absurd fondness for the disturbed and dark shines through in his films, yet each film he directs has a unique touch and offers a new experience. In short, Miike who seems to do nothing but work as he releases film after film, reinvents himself in each film with his own characteristic touch, and each accomplishment leaves a new mark of Miike.

Fudoh: The Next Generation is no exception to Miike's style as it takes on a yakuza revenge story where the young Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is severely traumatized by witnessing the murder of his brother as his father decapitates him in order to please the bosses of the other yakuza families. Riki promises himself to seek revenge on those who ordered the killing of his brother. Ten years later when Riki is in high school he has organized himself with well-trained six-year-old assassins with guns and stun-guns, two lethal high school girls, and a gigantic high school boy that can crush anything with his hands. Riki begins to take on the yakuza killing them off one by one in Miike style, which means that each killing offers a new disturbing experience. The question is can Riki make it, or will he also be a victim for the violence that he breeds around himself. Fudoh: The Next Generation offers an interesting cinematic experience as it offers notions in regards to social learning and violence.