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(Men's) Takashi Miike film - notes on the margins of

The text below is a bold attempt at a comprehensive recognition of achievements Takashi Miike, and only a timid (and fragmented) attempt to draw attention to some of its aspect, one of the few / several characteristic motifs recurring in different, but the majority - a consistent, coherent work of the controversial Japanese director. Miike is now the author of about 80 films over the age of 20. The following titles are just recall a few of them, it seems to me important, but topic is by no means exhaustive.

Miike Writing about cinema quite often draws attention to the alleged misogyny characterized by having a large part of his films - "gangster" taking place in the brutal man's world, where a woman is reduced to the role of the additive, mostly sexual. Less commonly, it is noted that this is somewhat the opposite. Men Takashi Miike film is targeting men in the movie ... which is the expression of specific, exaggerated and zwulgaryzowanym, while critical and reflective. Japanese film director, on the one hand it puts great emphasis on the weaknesses, frustrations, complexes standing - usually unspoken grounds of gangster movie and the surrounding area, on the other - that goes beyond pure criticism and pastiche. It is also one of the few contemporary artists around-quality, which in their sensational plots devotes so much attention to niepowierzchownej associated with male gender, and sexuality.

Filming manga Hideo Yamamoto, "Ichi the Killer" (Koroshyia 1, 2001), one of the most famous images is a model example of a Miike film, in which the sensational story is brought to przerysowanego, grotesque extremes. The "classic" male duel it takes the form of masochistic game two monsters: masochisty Kakihairy and sadist - Ichiego, which is one of the most perversely-critical clean painted comic / superhero films in the history of the genre. Superheroes, and thus form, which at its roots are the ideal (reference) ziszczeniem men (boys) dreams of power and triumph. Injury, which normally lies at the base of this type of character there is nothing else but a very far-reaching psychological curvature. Ichi is not nothing attractive in itself, is a superhero-Measurbator, smelly walking sperm complex sexual frustration, susceptible to manipulation hurt and harm a psychopath.

decidedly less dangerous, because less sexually frustrated (but still), theirs is a twin of the campowego Kensuke "Full Metal Yakuza (Full Metal Gokudo, 1997). Subordinate member of the yakuza, who after several shooting is transformed into another film version of "Robocop" (without the Copa this time). However, unlike in Verhoeven's improved as a hero is made up of metal, as the body of another man, and the first thing on which to draw the attention of his transition will be larger penis, at which point of obsession (as the equivalent of masculinity) is indeed one of the characteristic across pastiszowych leitmotivów Miike oeuvre. What especially in "Full Metal Yakuza" is accented with a particular consequence. At the end of the film kills his wounded Kensuke main antagonist with phallic energy escapes from his crotch, and the whole ends grotesque scene in which his creator - proud of his work and getting ready the next - be stripped before the camera (and viewers) ekshibicjonistycznie presenting at the fullness of his manhood (power).

the great, surreal, and gendered "Gozu: gangster theater of terror" (Gokudo Kyofu Dai-Gekijo: Gozu, 2003) almost all the "weird" characters appear in only seemed a sensible little story are subordinate to the topic sexual ambiguity and indeterminacy of sex (leading bar transvestites, yakuza boss sexually stimulating to insert through the anus spoon ...). When one of the characters in the film admires Ozaki (literally) of his friend's penis Minami is a scene clearly reminiscent of the hidden homosexual fascination with combining a few characters, not without reason, but Miike goes in this film even further. Ozaki so much soaks into the male world of the yakuza, to which they belong, that leads him to madness. The loss of mental balance of sometimes takes him a total loss of balance (?) fleshly. After his body is crushed at scrap yard (as a result, it looks not like a delay, but - just - uniform) Ozaki transforms into a beautiful woman. And then, after a very gay scene heterosexual approximation of Minami reborn (literally) as a new man, that henceforth with Ozakim Minamim-woman and a nicely complementary, and true emotional triangle. Theater gangster thriller.

Those who produce milk are stronger than those who drink it - one of the key sentences spoken in "Gozu" is reminiscent of "Visitor Q" (Q Bijita, 2001). Here too there is a very important symbolically postać old woman squeezing milk from their breasts and all related psychoanalityczne clues. As a consequence - also a grant of a woman (feminine), the dominant role leading to a positive resolution and happy ending in the final. This way of presenting women (as women-mothers), although important (and taking into account the overall significance of the two most important films may be) does not appear, however, Takashi Miike movies too often. Another, though also very common to present women as heroines as active as men (in "Fudoh: New Generation" in 1996, one of those 'as active' female heroines turns out to be a woman with a penis ....)

For this latter group should also include the outstanding Asami "foreplay" (Odishon, 1999), most feminist Takashi Miike film, which is not so much a story about a woman taking revenge on men for their grievances, what a story about fear man. This is his perspective is dominant here, a long time also the only one. Quite popular and in my opinion, erroneous interpretation of "pre-Games" tells treat all events in her place as a true (real), while these are only those outlined in the first part, starting from 63 minutes to wake up in the finals - the action "pre-Games "is nothing like the hero fears dreamed, as a consequence of all previous events (his wife's death, loneliness, love affair with his secretary, casting ...) and are growing so out of fear, and - perhaps above all - of remorse conscience dictated his parent (for male) position, the instrumental treatment of women (y), selfishness, lust and displaced ... Demonic Asami in the "Game of the initial" only a projection of images (poor) man, and on some other inter-film at - It is also revenge for all those tortured, humiliated, beaten, raped, murdered, at best, ignored the women who appear in most Miike.

what is now typical for many other contemporary - conscious its conventions and restrictions, tired - gangster films in cinema Takashi Miike objective demonstration of male power is often nothing more than just a demonstration of strength. And consequently, in the finale - an absurdity. In a sober (realistic) way it expresses them Rikuo Ishimatsu, unpleasant, and yet pitiable hero camusowy excellent gangster drama "The Graveyard of Honor (Shin jingi no hakaba, 2002). Rikuo a gangster without purpose, without meaning, apparently due to some stupid mistakes, in fact, since the beginning of his career pursuing a criminal to self-destruct. In a slightly different way the same (?) Underlined the absurdity is too complicated in the more Miike films: in a surprisingly bitter end, "theirs" in the famous final apocalyptic scene of the first "Living or dead" (Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha, 1999), and finally - for example, the ambitious title character, though failed experiment, "Izo" of 2004, the film which is extremely pessimistic and very brutal vision of reality, as a place of constant, constantly regenerating (meaningless) violence.

Against the background of the above firmly stands as the penultimate film Miike "13 Assassins" (Jusan-nin no Shikaku, 2010). Of course, absurd as the final men's game is not the only applicable rule in the cinema, but perhaps never before (probably does not know the whole works) heroes Miike is not distinguished themselves as far-reaching sense of purpose and meaning inherent in them (even self-destructive) action. Referring to the traditional jidai-geki "13 Assassins" can be regarded as a decisive retreat to the formula of cinema, whose films Miike had previously, in their majority, expression. The retreat of the more intrusive in this context that this is a film where the director resigns from burdening their - master from beginning to end - the male heroes of any complexes and frustrations (the exception is justified by the sadistic villain.)

What distinguishes "13 Assassins" from the classic jidai-geki is characterized by a very far-fetched plot of conventionality. This movie just as modern (postmodern), like most works of Miike, so that the postmodern finer than - let's say - a little too showy, "Sukiyaki Western Django" in 2007. The figure of the thirteenth killer, no-samurai, who initially appears to be only a fairly clear reference to the character played by Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai, "Akira Kurosawa, in the final" 13 Assassins "turns out to be a spirit (kami ) comes not from a historical and, on the mythical order, in which - the same - are included other heroes. Tadeusz Sobolewski, writing about "13 killers" very aptly stresses present in the movie quotes. Charismatic almost directly to the viewer Miike samurai are exalted as heroes to present fully aware that they are the heroes of the sublime performances. There are pełnokrwistymi characters, but only a beautiful new ("restored") point of reference, a myth.