(2005/Japan)
Reviewed By-Paul Cooke
Director : Miike Takashi. Scripted : Ty Rickyu Starring : Akino Kitana , Suzo Hirono & Faykeet Presumo Source: Work Print/Wide Screen 1:85:1 format/Japanese / English Language Subtitles ‘‘The animals you employ to kill for you … they just became extinct !’’
Tear up the Yakuza text book , reinvent a horror theme , throw enough blood and entrails across the screen to make an abattoir seem like a restaurant in comparisson , then leave your audience shaken , stirred and open mouthed come closing credits. Japanese ‘V’ Cinema here goes beyond underground on an express train of terror , ridden by a vengeance seeking force of nature that even Hell itself cannot contain !.
Feared gang boss Kodama keeps order in the community by example , he has his Yakuza gang underlings maim or kill anyone who steps out of line. Every family head pays weekly dues to the kingpin Kodama and every family member is bound to this unconditional contract. His reputation for dispensing instant violent requital serves as notice to any who might think of crossing him. In whispered tones he and his followers are known as kabuki-mono , the crazy ones.
The Hayashi family are but one unit amongst the poor in Kodama’s iron ruled region , of humble status and meek means. They have a ten year old son who is virtually blind , yet an operation is possible to save his sight given a retinal transplant. The cost of such an undertaking is restrictive to the young boys parents , yet Mr. Hayashi hides away any spare money that he can. For the love of his son he risks all of their lives , daring to skim from his business profits , those that are due to be offered up to Kodama !. Hayashi’s actions do not go long unnoticed and boss Kodama sends his most vicious brute of a killer , named Kyoto , to deliver his message !. From here on in those of a nervous disposition should leave the living room light on and keep a sick bag handy , as it may not be too long before their last meal revisits them.
On a dark night with the full moon set in the evening sky the killer Kyoto slips into the Hayashi household , armed with his distinctive silver bladed sword he proceeds to slice and dissect mother and father with unerring precision . The razor sharp blade slices through the limbs of the two screaming adults , blood spurting from where bone and skin once was , gushing like an exploding geyser painting a crimson coat upon furniture and walls. All the while stood silently in the corner of the room is the son of the Hayashi’s , he shows no emotion but is ever so aware of what has taken place. Kyoto turns to the boy , raises up his sword as if to strike him down also but retracts his blade and lays it down beside the unflinching youth. Bizarrely Kyoto then proceeds to mop up the mixed blood of the boys parents and draws a pentagram around where the boy stands. Suddenly and unexpectedly a window smashes and next we see in slow motion Kyoto falling to the floor with blood spraying out of his head , a bullet shot to his temple killing him instantly !. What the heck !?.
As the full moon shines brightly , as pictured through the smashed apartment window , the young boy kneels down beside Kyoto’s body and he stares defiantly into the killers piercing green eyes. The boys hand reaches out toward the fallen killers sword and as he pulls it towards him a single tear falls from his eye !?.
In the cold light of the following morning the neighbours are outraged and suspect Kodama to be responsible but of course the pay rolled ‘bought’ police are helpless to prove anything against the Yakuza boss. In an act of guiltless peace keeping , and in order to quell the baying crowd , Kodama arranges for the retinas of Kyoto to be provided to a hospital surgeon , one who can carry out the operation required to give sight to the Hayashi boy. Normality returns to the community and Kodama reaffirms his unwavering lack of lenience to those that fail to deliver on time his imposed tax.
Ten years pass , Kodama’s empire continues to grow but so too has the boy Hayashi !. On a full moon night , ten years later almost to the day , the son of Mr. And Mrs. Hayashi is about to pay Kodama a visit !. Not only has little Hayashi grown to be a strong young man … he has changed !. The twenty year old man stands naked before a full length mirror , his physique is the result of a supremely honed physical fitness regime. In cool super hero like fashion Hayashi junior proceeds to dress himself in a tight black body suit , almost plastic like in texture , and adorns his face with a similar flexi skinned mask. His green eyes vividly stare out from where the ocular slits are situated , the eyes of ‘Occult Killer Kyoto’ !.
This night of the full moon is one that Kodama is visited with all the ferocious might of a lifetime of violent acts against others , brought home by one surviving son in representation of all those that have suffered because of Kodama’s wishes. Hayashi slips out of his window into the night air , prowling towards Kodama and his followers. What follows is an unrelenting tirade of barbaric brutality as Hayashi first goes through Kodama’s three main elite killers with a precision that is startlingly repellent !. The most shocking revenge kill comes with Hayashi’s visit to the penthouse apartment of Kodama’s very own femme fatale , the alluringly lethal Lady Szuki. Hayashi slips into her affluently furnished sanctum to catch her in the act of self pleasuring bestiality !. He stands with sword at side witnessing Szuki in the act of sodomy with her Alsatian dog !. She is immediately both excited and startled by Hayashi’s appearance , yet professionally calm at the same time. Her dog withdraws his bone of contention to take it up with the intruding Hayashi , charging at him with savage fangs displayed and savage intent within its eyes. Hayashi right at the last moment , just as the dog leaps at him , lithely moves his body to deftly manoeuvre himself to enable a sweeping slice of his sword. Shown again in detailed slow motion the sword sweeps directly down through the airborne dog , cutting him directly in half through nose to tail in a motion of amazing dexterity. Szuki lets out a sharp scream , and in a cinematic moment of mind boggling proportions proceeds to fire darts at Hayashi , shot with great accuracy from her vagina !. He deflects the juiced up love box blades with his raised blade whilst running towards her. Before Szuki can get to her feet Hayashi strikes his blade into several pressure points along her naked body , paralysing rather than killing her. As if what has unravelled is not jaw dropping and eye popping enough Hayashi then proceeds to gut the two halves of her once virulent Alsatian love puppy , with blood soaked entrails pathological precision. In flash frame broken moments we get to see Hayashi then sew the still conscious Szuki into the two parts of her dog in what is clearly the ultimate bond between pet and owner !. Hayashi jumps down into the alley outside with Szuki and the now body bonded dog , dismissively throwing her melded body into the trash. As he turns and walks away he can hear the scamper of wild dogs clambering their way towards his victim , soon followed by the agonising shriek of Szuki as she is impaled and clawed at by each and every dog in season attracted to her animal scent !.
Hayashi’s night to dismember continues at a vengeance appeasing pace bringing him to a final stand off with the most important visit of all on this night of the full moon. Staring out behind his black textured skin mask , with green eyes flaring in the brightly lit room , Hayashi is face to face with Kodama and Kodama is alone !. Just when it might be acceptable to think that after what has gone before this showdown is about to be a swift conclusion to proceedings , guess what !? , there’s more surprises and revelations than the holy bible !.
The end sequence is an overture for a frenzied crowd , much of whom will be still drawing breath from what has gone before , and a bone crunching battle royal behemoth is to be had. It becomes clear as to who actually killed the killer Kyoto , what connection he had to the full moon cycle and why boss Kodama even when faced with his ultimate nemesis still remains fearless !.
Kodama transforms into something quite terrifyingly ferocious to square off against Hayashi , who in order to stand a chance of surviving the night must call upon the inherent occult powers bestowed upon Kyoto. The moon is indeed full and Kodama’s transformation is not to be the only one this blood ridden night !.
Mop your sweat beaded brow and expunge any preconceived ideals about trashy reruns of tired old Yakuza Horror flicks , ‘Occult Killer Kyoto’ is such a startlingly awesome and viscerally violent viewing experience , you may just jump at your own shadow for a number of days to follow after watching.
For Our Japanese Readership: The work print / script for ‘Occult Killer Kyoto’ is unclear as to its actual Director. Could it be that this conception is actually a possible Takashi Miike production !?. Please , anyone with contact information for Mr. Takashi Miike do contact Cinema Nocturna or inform Mr. Miike of our interested inquiry and ask him to please contact us himself. With a movie like this on offer there is a massive audience out there waiting to discover it just like us. Thank you.
For David Zuzelo
Film: 4.5 BITCH SLAPS Picture: 4.0 BITCH SLAPS Sound: 4.5 BITCH SLAPS Overall: 4.5 BITCH SLAPS
