GORE IN THE STORE
REVIEWS BY FANS FOR FANS
5 STAR FAB - 1 STAR RUBBISH

Pet Shop of Horrors
Zombie Town
Kaiji:
The Ultimate Gambler
Shelter
Fullmetal Alchemist:
Brotherhood Part 1
The Final
Bubba Ho Tep - Blu-Ray
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Vampire
The Dead
Resurrecting
The Street Walker
The Haunting Of
Molly Hartley
Soul Eater: Part One
Rozen Maiden:
Traumend Vol. One
Bikini Girls On Ice
Diary of a Bad Lad
Satan's Baby Doll
Feast 111
Phobia
A Lizzard in a Woman's Skin
Valhalla Rising
City of the Living Dead
Dorothy
Daybreakers
Daybreakers-Second opinion
Harpoon: The Reykjavik Whale
Watching Massacre
Harpoon:The Reykjavik Whale
Watching Massacre-Second opinion
Feast 3:The Happy Finnish
Raging Phoenix
His Name Was Jason
Left Bank
Ju-On: White Ghost/White Ghost
Spiral
Ghost Machine
Stag Night
Bitch Slap
The Descent 2
The Descent 2-Second opinion
Dance of The Dead
Henry Lee Lucas: Serial Killer
House Of The Devil
The Twilight Saga
New Moon
Salvage
Salvage-Second opinion
Dread
The Haunted World of
El Superbeasto
Saw VI
The Horseman
Triangle-Second opinion
Triangle
Cabin Fever 2-Third opinion
Cabin Fever 2-Second opinion
Cabin Fever 2
Stan Helsing
Pandorum
Pandorum-Second opinion
Open Graves
Paranormal Activity
Growth
Growth-Second opinion
Train
Antichrist
Wrong Turn 3
Coffin Rock
Orphan
Sorority Row
Drag Me to Hell
Staunton Hill
Summer Moon
Driftwood
Messengers 2

 

Director: Tôya Satô. Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yuriko Yoshitaka. 2009. Japan. (Japanese language with English subtitles) Drama. 130mins.

Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by 4Digital Media on 26 July 2010

After getting in trouble and a sizeable amount of debt, Kaiji Ito is faced with a choice. He can spend 10 years paying off his debt at an unaffordable amount every month, or take part in one night of gambling to win enough money to pay the full debt and have plenty left over. It’s an obvious choice and what follows is the adventure of Kaiji as he faces increasingly insurmountable odds to win back his freedom.

Kaiji’ completely surprised me. It was not the film I was expecting to see at all. After watching I was left with the burning question…”Did I like that, or not?” Well the answer I came up with was a very definite yes, but the film has some very serious flaws. There is a lot to enjoy here and for me that makes the film worthwhile.

The opening scene is interesting. It doesn’t really do anything to draw the viewer in but it looks pretty cool. Very dark and moody, with some awesome cinematography. Every shot has been carefully put together by people who know exactly what they want to see on the screen. This scene makes a bit more sense after the end of the film but for now it’s just there to lead you into the following events.

After a very cool (but far too short) title card we begin the film proper. One of the first things we notice is that visually the film is stunning. There’s lots of fluid camera work, slow and smooth tracking shots and sweet editing. It’s great to look at. These elements really help to draw the viewer into the narrative. There are some really cool CGI shots to enjoy and they actually add something dynamic to the film. There is an especially fun shot following a coin through a series of pipes.

The music used on the film is very interesting. Usually films have a score with a very distinct style, this film does not. It uses a wide variety of different styles, mainly to reflect different scenes and tones throughout the film. The music is sometimes comedic and sometimes dramatic, but really has the crazy Japanese sense. It works so well with the style of the film. There is a lot of music throughout which I personally like. I find it helps create a sense of emotion and draws me in.

Along with some of the music the film does have a very crazy sense of humour. There are times where the film just dives into an almost slapstick comedy. It’s pretty important to have these scenes; the film would suffer without them because it’s very long and also at times very serious and deep. The acting, although not very good, does hold up here simply because of the nature of the film. The story is full of over the top characters, both good and bad. I guess being taken from a Manga this is to be expected and a lot of overacting is actually more to the point of what’s going on. This probably helps you realise that at times this really isn’t to be taken too seriously.

The film fails with its length and its continuous use of over-explained flashback scenes. While these scenes are very well done, they are completely unnecessary, as the viewer will most likely have already figured out how they pulled off the gambling tricks. The scenes become really annoying and disruptive to the flow of the film. If about half an hour had been cut out of the film it would be completely different and probably more enjoyable. There is the longest scene ever of characters crossing a building (wont give too much away) but I really don’t think it would be physically possible to milk any more melodrama or characterisation out of the scene if they tried. It does drag on. However, it also succeeds in creating a genuine sense of drama and tension. I had this feeling while I was watching it, I couldn’t really place it but it was the same feeling I got when I first saw the original ‘Poseidon Adventure’. I was completely sucked in by the story and characters and really started to care about their plight. Some of the drama created was almost unbearably tense. Fantastic.

There are a lot of references in the film and throughout you almost recognise elements from ‘1984’ ‘Blade Runner’ ‘Metropolis’ and other such films. There is a very deep sense of dystopian society, which is often highlighted in the extreme situations that the characters are put in. At points you really feel disgust for the ‘bad’ guys, the main one becoming increasingly sadistic and twisted. There is a great comment on greed in society and the need for consumption. Elements like this really do help to give the film a human feel and give the viewer something that they can easily relate to.

If you can get past the length of some of the scenes, and indeed the film itself, then you will no doubt enjoy. There are some great scenes and the story is very compelling. Well worth watching if you are a fan of Japanese cinema and the recent live action Manga updates. The gambling narrative is a great idea and what has been created is an over the top but original and fun film. Lots of interesting plot turns and character dynamics keep the viewer interested, even through some of the slower scenes.

Listed DVD extras include the original Japanese trailer and a making of documentary, but were unavailable at the time of review. Shucks.

By Russell Gomm

 

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