skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Film: Sakuran
Release date: 12th January 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Mika Ninagawa
Starring: Anna Tsuchiya, Kippei Shiina, Yoshino Kimura, Hiroki Narimiya, Miho Kanno
Genre: Drama
Studio: ICA
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
First time director Mika Ninagawa captures a vibrant interpretation of a the manga series of the same name, and Japanese idol Anna Tsuchiya brings the main character to life as a bad girl rising her way up the ranks from servant girl to the highest courtesan, known as an oiran.
The pre-credits begin in a flurry of cherry blossom, appropriate as sakura translates to cherry blossom, and they feature throughout. We see the not quite linear narrative of Kiyoha, sold into the Yoshiwara pleasure district as a maid when she was young; she is rebellious and rude, even as a child. Her attempts at running away are always thwarted, and she is told that it doesn’t matter where you are in life, every place is the same.
Enveloped in this world of women, she is raised to be a courtesan and singled out early by the current oiran as not only having potential and the spirit needed to be successful, but also the tenacity to maintain her position.
Soon after her debut, Kiyoha is quickly established as one of the most popular girls in the district, despite her young age. She has learnt the tricks of the trade well, and men can’t get enough of her. Such success, however, inevitably invites jealousy from the other girls, and tensions bubble to boiling point. It’s not long before she attracts the attentions of a handsome client and they fall for each other, but she is soon to learn that age old lesson that the road of love for a courtesan is never easy or obstacle free...
Sakuran is shot in an extremely vibrant and lively environment, perfectly capturing the slightly more garish world of courtesans compared to geisha. In every scene, the surroundings and colours are constructed perfectly. There is a heavy emphasis on red in most shots, obviously bringing to our mind the passion which this film is focused around. Yet the occasional shot of nature is astonishingly beautiful, particularly the cherry blossom which surrounds the city. It is filmed in a playful way, much like the character of Kiyoha - a little bit rude and abrupt, yet dreamy. In a film about prostitutes, one might expect plenty of shots of seedy trysts, and whilst there are a few, there are also some surprisingly intimate and tasteful scenes as well.
Whilst the narrative might come across as a typical story of the ambitions of a young girl turning to a love story, it brings something more to the tale than that. It explores the occasionally toxic environment of the working girls, the jealousies that grow, and the deceit which is inherent in the position. It highlights the trials and tribulations facing these girls: the desire to escape, desire to love, and the reality that it is near impossible. The mood is one of a harsh reality that the girls can only attempt to make the best of, despite their disdain for the job and their hope to escape it.
Anna Tsuchiya plays the role of troublesome Kiyoha to perfection. Bursting onto the acting scene with her role as tough-girl yanki in Kamikaze Girls, in which, despite her constant head-butting and spitting, she brought a certain charm and tenderness to the role - exactly what she does here. Supported by the other strong performances, she plays Kiyoha as cheeky and likeable, insolent, but tender-hearted deep down, illustrated in some truly touching emotional scenes later on.
One of the more surprising aspects of the film is its innovative soundtrack. Throughout the film, it swaps between Japanese jazz, big band sound, soulful female singers, J-pop and even grunge. A veritable melting pot of modern music, and all utilised extremely effectively depending on the scene. Occasionally during montage sequences, the shots have been made to fit the music, making them punchy and effective. Although the music might appear heavy handed, it fits in with the playful style that the film has throughout.
Sakuran plays out like a high contrast Memoirs Of A Geisha, but with less restraint, more fun - and a lot more smut. A touching and modern take on the life of working girls in the Edo period. If nothing else you’ve read about the story and performances grab you, the film’s recommended for the stunning visuals alone.
Film: Rain Fall
Release date: 29th March 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Max Mannix
Starring: Gary Oldman, Kippei Shiina, Kyoko Hasegawa, Misa Shimizu
Genre: Thriller
Studio: Momentum
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Rain Fall is an adaptation of author Barry Eisler’s best-selling debut book of the same name, featuring central character John Rain. Barry went on to pen a further five titles with Rain - the thrillers topping polls and gaining award recognition - but has this production done enough to suggest the series will continue as successfully on the big screen?
John Rain is a deadly assassin who specialises in kills which look like natural causes or unfortunate accidents.
He is hired to take out a corrupt businessman and retrieve a memory stick with vital information. The plan goes ahead but the victim doesn’t have the stick with him. Rain soon realises that there are others after the stick also, and he may have been set up. His only chance is to recover the information and find out why it is so valuable, but to do so he must keep the victim’s daughter alive.
Unfortunately for Rain, a CIA task-force led by Walter Holtzer (Gary Oldman) is on his trail…
There are two major differences between the literary and screen versions of John Rain. Firstly, the novels are written partly in first person, so the reader spends a lot of the time inside John Rain’s head. The film can’t show that perspective without a whole load of voice-overs. The second difference is that the screen version features a very stripped-down character. The literary version of John Rain is an expert in Judo, loves jazz music and has an affinity to expensive single-malt whiskey. Not only are those details put aside, but John Rain himself almost becomes a side character in his own film.
The reason for this is that Gary Oldman’s Holtzer not only runs the CIA operation, acting as ringmaster to the spy circus around him, but he also owns the film. Rain Fall is heavily influenced by the Jason Bourne movies – especially the Bourne Supremacy’s Waterloo Station scenes, with Holtzer and his men watching a bank of TV monitors and positioning agents. Oldman’s intensity makes these scenes work - nobody can bark orders like he can!
Kippei Shiina (Shinobi: Heart Under Blade) isn’t bad as John Rain. As I said, a lot of his background and characteristics are left to the side, but he makes for a sympathetic killer, especially as he doesn’t like to see innocents killed for no reason. It’s a pity that the action scenes are choppy, overly edited affairs. It’s quite jarring because Rain Fall switches film styles during fight scenes.
There are certain “establishing” shots in films which act as a short-cut for audiences to relate to a location. A film set in New York, for example, would have a shot of the Statue of Liberty, or one set in London would have a red double-decker bus driving round Piccadilly Circus. In Tokyo, there is the multi-directional crossing which seems to be busy regardless of time of day. Whilst Rain Fall does fall into that cliché, it makes amends with some other stunning photography by John Wareham, such as a bird’s eye view of the city at night. There is also a scene on a rooftop with the protagonists almost in silhouette against a giant yellow neon sign, and a conversation between Holzter and his number two overlooking a lake – the tranquil surroundings at odds with the bitterness of the conversation.
Rain Fall is a slow-burning thriller that requires a lot of patience, especially at the start, where it’s a little difficult to get your bearings as to what is going on (you can thank Gary Oldman for making sure we do know). The plot is quite complex, and it takes two scenes of exposition to set everything out – Akira Emoto plays Detective Tatsu, who is investigating John Rain’s assassinations, each of whom were politicians in the pocket of a yakuza boss, whilst Dirk Hunter plays a British journalist who explains to Rain why the CIA is involved. Both of these scenes tie nicely with the ending.
Imagine a Bourne movie which was predominantly set in the CIA/FBI side of the fence and spent little time with Jason Bourne, and that’s kind of the set-up here. It’s a shame because the literary version of John Rain is a very interesting character, and I think Kippei Shiina could have pulled it off. However, the film still works, mainly because of the excellent performances from Shiina, Oldman and Emoto. If they develop any more of the Rain books, I hope they will allow John Rain more of the limelight. MOW
