Full Metal Yakuza

Year: 1997

Grade: C

Country: Japan

Director: Miike

Review

a cross between frankenstein and a gangster version of robocop. some of it is exciting, some of it is funny (intentionally?), some of it is bad and some of it is sadistic. overall it’s not nearly the film that “audition” (also by miike) is. imdb.com has it listed as a tv movie which is surprising given how graphic it is, but it would also explain the decision to “fog” (digitally censor) some of frontal nudity scenes. the history of fogging in japanese cinema is an interesting one. for a long time displaying pubic hair and genitalia in art was forbidden in japan. over the last couple decades things gradually loosened to the point where now (starting with a landmark decision in 1993) their equivalent of the MPAA looks at each film on an individual basis to determine whether fogging should be applied or not, rather than there being a hard and fast rule for all films. sometimes the fogging is a white fog over the area, sometimes it’s a black box and sometimes (as in this film) it’s a digital blurring of the area. at any rate, the film was only so-so.