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Mike lent me a copy of this movie Sunday and I watched it last night. In case you don't know this was the episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror that was banned from airing because it was too disturbing. I wanted to see it for that reason alone if for nothing else. I watched it through last night and am right now rather conflicted about it. I really want to like this movie, and for the most part I did, there was just one little thing that keeps getting in the way.
Well, two things probably. First being that Billy Drago is the lead male. Billy fucking Drago, are you kidding me? What, was Dolph Lundgren too busy? He's not too, too bad when given a sentence or two to mumble under his breath, this he can handle; however give him an emotional scene (and, unfortunately, he does have one here) and its kind of painful to watch. This man is a Z list celebrity for a very good reason.
My real problem lies with the big plot twist at the end. Not that the plot twist itself was a bad one, it wasn't not at all; however the visual representation of that plot twist was... how to put this? One of the most goddamn fucking ridiculously stupid things I have ever seen. It literally had me yelling at the screen, "Oh my god! What the fuck is THAT?!!" I was laughing hysterically for several minutes and I shouldn't have been. It took me right out of the movie, try as I might I just could not take that image seriously, I just couldn't. Those of you who have seen it know exactly what I'm talking about, those of you who haven't... this is one of those things you'll just have to see for yourself. Just be forewarned, seeing it might cause portions of your brain to short circuit.
I'm going to watch it again anyway, because I really liked it up until that scene, and I really do want to like it. I want to see if I can somehow get past that silliness. Really, there had to have been some way they could've depicted this a little better than they did.
I do see why this was banned, not that I watch a whole lot of Showtime (I wish) but I do know what whimps Americans generally are. There is a graphic torture scene that goes on for about five minutes (reminded me of Audition, except no one lost a limb) and that one of the characters performs abortions (one of which you kind of get to see) and her daughter's job is to throw all the fetusus into the river (and that you do get to see very clearly), and that is a subject Americans have always been way too touchy about (if you thought this was bad, don't see Three Extremes, they do abortion a bit worse in that one). On the one hand I have to wonder how Takashi Miike thought he would get away with this, on the other hand its Takashi Miike and how can you reasonably be surprised? Obviously whoever asked him to do this has never watched or read anything about his movies.
Well, two things probably. First being that Billy Drago is the lead male. Billy fucking Drago, are you kidding me? What, was Dolph Lundgren too busy? He's not too, too bad when given a sentence or two to mumble under his breath, this he can handle; however give him an emotional scene (and, unfortunately, he does have one here) and its kind of painful to watch. This man is a Z list celebrity for a very good reason.
My real problem lies with the big plot twist at the end. Not that the plot twist itself was a bad one, it wasn't not at all; however the visual representation of that plot twist was... how to put this? One of the most goddamn fucking ridiculously stupid things I have ever seen. It literally had me yelling at the screen, "Oh my god! What the fuck is THAT?!!" I was laughing hysterically for several minutes and I shouldn't have been. It took me right out of the movie, try as I might I just could not take that image seriously, I just couldn't. Those of you who have seen it know exactly what I'm talking about, those of you who haven't... this is one of those things you'll just have to see for yourself. Just be forewarned, seeing it might cause portions of your brain to short circuit.
I'm going to watch it again anyway, because I really liked it up until that scene, and I really do want to like it. I want to see if I can somehow get past that silliness. Really, there had to have been some way they could've depicted this a little better than they did.
I do see why this was banned, not that I watch a whole lot of Showtime (I wish) but I do know what whimps Americans generally are. There is a graphic torture scene that goes on for about five minutes (reminded me of Audition, except no one lost a limb) and that one of the characters performs abortions (one of which you kind of get to see) and her daughter's job is to throw all the fetusus into the river (and that you do get to see very clearly), and that is a subject Americans have always been way too touchy about (if you thought this was bad, don't see Three Extremes, they do abortion a bit worse in that one). On the one hand I have to wonder how Takashi Miike thought he would get away with this, on the other hand its Takashi Miike and how can you reasonably be surprised? Obviously whoever asked him to do this has never watched or read anything about his movies.