I'm a fan of Kitamura for his quirky style and his knowledge of low budget effects. This movie, however has lost that charm I found in his previous works "Heat After Dark," "Versus," and "Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes Real Time Demos." His directing style was more hinted at than really shown. I blame film beauracracy and its nature for this.
It is obvious that this movie had a relatively high budget and it shows, with the high quality 35mm prints and CG effects. I would like to commend the cinematography, I could really see Kitamura when it came to the camera. The barrel rig(camera rotating around characters in freespace vertically) is definitely something Kitamura would innovate(not sure if its been done before). It just goes to show what Kitamura can do with 35mm film and a good cinematographer. Acting was hammy for some of the characters, particularly Azumi, but it wasn't horrible enough to ruin the movie. Can't really comment on the story other than it was more cohesive than Versus, seeing that I saw the movie without subtitles(yes, I can say this because I could understand the general story without knowing what the hell they were saying most of the time).
What is missing from this piece is that it wasn't nearly as original or experimental as "Heat After Dark" or "Versus." To say this is Kitamura's best work, would be judging this movie solely on its polished look, rather than its substance and style. I'd have to say, of all the Kitamura works I've seen, "Heat After Dark" is the best. It was original, stylistic, and had really good character development. It just gets better every time I watch it.
On a final note, I'd have to say this movie makes a pretty cool action movie. Sure, you can see flaws in the cinematography and camera work in some of the battles and the CG might not really be on par with Hollywood(not saying much for a Japanese flick). However, it's a fun romp and a good waste of 2 hours. If you like movies like "Constantine" and the "Matrix," chances are you're going to like this movie(unless you really think there is any depth in the "Matrix," and if you do, I recommend some serious help), If you're more of a fan of "A Better Tomorrow I and II," "The Killer," and "Equilibrium," look else where. There are action movies out there with a lot more substance(albeit lower budget). This movie is not one where you will see the director given much freedom.
It is obvious that this movie had a relatively high budget and it shows, with the high quality 35mm prints and CG effects. I would like to commend the cinematography, I could really see Kitamura when it came to the camera. The barrel rig(camera rotating around characters in freespace vertically) is definitely something Kitamura would innovate(not sure if its been done before). It just goes to show what Kitamura can do with 35mm film and a good cinematographer. Acting was hammy for some of the characters, particularly Azumi, but it wasn't horrible enough to ruin the movie. Can't really comment on the story other than it was more cohesive than Versus, seeing that I saw the movie without subtitles(yes, I can say this because I could understand the general story without knowing what the hell they were saying most of the time).
What is missing from this piece is that it wasn't nearly as original or experimental as "Heat After Dark" or "Versus." To say this is Kitamura's best work, would be judging this movie solely on its polished look, rather than its substance and style. I'd have to say, of all the Kitamura works I've seen, "Heat After Dark" is the best. It was original, stylistic, and had really good character development. It just gets better every time I watch it.
On a final note, I'd have to say this movie makes a pretty cool action movie. Sure, you can see flaws in the cinematography and camera work in some of the battles and the CG might not really be on par with Hollywood(not saying much for a Japanese flick). However, it's a fun romp and a good waste of 2 hours. If you like movies like "Constantine" and the "Matrix," chances are you're going to like this movie(unless you really think there is any depth in the "Matrix," and if you do, I recommend some serious help), If you're more of a fan of "A Better Tomorrow I and II," "The Killer," and "Equilibrium," look else where. There are action movies out there with a lot more substance(albeit lower budget). This movie is not one where you will see the director given much freedom.