VILLAIN tells a twisted tale of love and murder, with the anti-hero Yuichi being both, Jekyll & Hyde, the killer and the lover, who tries to escape from it all with his new date Mitsuyo. But with the police on his tail and no future in sight everything gears towards an unhappy ending.
The unusual story may very well be another man-on-the-run sleeper-hit from Japan – directed and co-written by Sang Il Lee, and starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, Eri Fukatsu, Masaki Okada, Hikari Mitsushima, Sansei Shiomi, Mansaku Ikeuchi, Ken Mitsuishi, Kimiko Yo, Hisashi Igawa, Suzuki Matsuo, Kinuo Yamada and Akira Emoto.
After the death of their mother one of two sisters disappears. The older one sets out to find her younger sister and arrives at a rest stop in Namkang where she meets various people who all seem to be searching something they have lost…
The mysterious drama is written and directed by Kim Jeong, the cast includes yang Eun-Yong, Kong Ye-Ji, Lee Ho-Young, Choi Hee-Jin, Kim tae-Hun and Mun Ha-In. Premiere was at the Pusan International Festival 2009, theatrical release is expected for early May.
JAPAN 2009 Directed by: Yoshihiro Nishimura, Naoyuki Tomomatsu Produced by: Masatsugu Asahi, Jun Nakajima Manga: Shungiku Uchida Written by: Naoyuki Tomomatsu Cinematography by: Shu G. Momose Music: Kou Nakagawa Cast: Yukie Kawamura, Takumi Saito, Eri Otoguro, Eihi Shiina, Kanji Tsuda, Jiji Bu, Erina, Sayo, Aya Nishisaki, Sayaka Kametani, Takashi Shimizu
Well well, here’s another masterpiece of the pizza-and-beer genre. I generally think that we should look at movies for what they are. At least for starters. So let’s do that.
VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL is highly entertaining and satisfying given that you also like TOKYO GORE POLICE, MACHINE GIRL and the likes. The movie makes up for its cheap production values and erratic script with a lot of creativity, pace, punch and gore. Mostly gore though.
However, once you forget traditional criteria VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL rocks the dorm. The movie, as so often with movies that primarily showcase stunts or set pieces, does a fine scene-by-scene job. Don’t expect dramaturgy or reason. Expect moments of mass destruction. Sarcasm. Slapstick.
I absolutely liked the wrist-cutting contest. That had class. The special effects are over-the-top as usual, but have little impact. Without proper direction, cinematography or timing the effects are just there. They never get to us. As always it’s more interesting to see the creative approach how to cut limbs and crush heads this time around. We’ve seen it all a thousand times, now it has to be done differently to entertain the fans.
Being a variation of the same VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL – based on a manga by Shungiku Uchida – is slam-bang B-splatter that does what it does pretty well, sometimes even with style. A couple of tricks are new indeed, and the vampire / Frankenstein subject helps to get creative. What else do you need for a movie night with the guys? Beer. Pizza. And if possible at least one decent movie in addition to VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL. But that’s not really the point here.
Who cares about the pursuit of perfection? Let’s not spoil the fun. This time, we turn a blind eye, or two.
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