Young Thugs

Innocent Blood

Review by Matthew Anderson

Japanese Live Action Movie

Company: Artsmagic DVD

Running Time: 103 minutes

Region: 1

Rated: R (Violence, language and adult situations)

EXTERNAL EXAM

Ryo, Riichi, and Yuji have graduated high school. For most, this would mean that they are on their way to become responsible members of society. For these three friends, there isn't much chance of that. Considered delinquents by their peers and teachers, they find that the only place they have to go is a world of Yakuza enforcement and low paying jobs. For them, life may be tough, but thanks to their strong friendship, it certainly is fun.

Then one day, Riichi meets the sexy Nahomi, and he decides that he needs a change. Shacking up with her, he ignores his friends and the responsibilities of his "job". At the same time, his friends are all starting to develop their own paths, their own lives. Soon, Riichi finds himself with no friends left to turn too.

Will Riichi discover who he really is, and find his own road to adulthood? Can he find the happiness he so desperately wants, or is he nothing more than a "Young Thug"?

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: A great looking transfer. The colors are perfect, there are no pixels, no wrinkles, and no edge enhancement.

AUDIO: I was quite surprised at how good the Japanese 2.0 track sounded. The audio was crisp and clean, with no mono hiss. There was even some decent directionality during the relatively brief action segments.

The 5.1 Japanese audio track has a full bodied sound, with great directionality. It's not that they really need it with all the dialogue, but it's nice to have.

EDITS: Nothing has been touched. It's 100% unedited.

EXTRAS: Not as many as on other Artsmagic DVD titles. There is the standard Bio/Filmographies of the cast, an interview with director Miike, the original Japanese trailer, pictures of the original sleeve art, and a visual history on the Osaka region.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Written by Toshikazu Kanaba, this isn't your typical tale of losers on the street. This is a true coming of age tale, focusing in on a group of friends who learn that there is more to life than fun and games. At times funny, always touching, "Young Thugs" is a departure from the typical stories that Miike directs.

ACTING: Considering that this is a low budget film, it's very well acted. The entire cast does a great job at playing the tortured and lost souls trying to find some sort of meaning in their lives.

Koji Chihara really under plays the character of Riichi. Instead of some over amped egomaniac like most "gangsters" are portrayed, Chihara plays him as a regular guy, trying to be tougher than he really is.

Sarina Suzuki is absolutely stunning as Ryo. Her ability to transform from playful and uncaring "bad girl" to a sad and lonely woman in such a short time is astounding. This is very different from her bad ass chick in "Five".

FAN SERVICE: No nudity to be found here. Get your mind out of the gutter.

FINAL EXAM

Once again, Takashi Miike has surprised me.

Having viewed Visitor Q and Full Metal Yakuza, I was expecting "Young Thugs" to be another over the top, visceral assault on my senses. Instead, I discovered a very dramatic and well acted film about love and loss in Osaka, Japan.

Young Thugs: Innocent Blood is not a gangster flick like the title suggests. At it's core, it is a "coming of age" story, tackling that rough time between graduation and adulthood.

When the movie starts, Ryo, Riichi, and Yuji have just graduated high school. In a montage of their early post-grad days, we see that our main characters spend their time picking fights, causing general mayhem, and in Ryo's case, work low paying jobs. It's obvious that none of them have any hope for the future, as they tear up their graduation certificates, get arrested, and take on dangerous assignments, all the while partying, having sex, and gambling.

When an old friend returns from prison, life for all of them takes a major U-Turn. Tetsuo, once the wildest one in the group, is now looking for a legit job. When Riichi sets him up with a job at a bar, he meets sexy call girl Nahomi. As it turns out, Nahomi has had a major crush on Riichi since junior high, and comes calling on him. As the two start dating, Riichi begins to cut himself off from his friends. He even looses his bad boy edge, as Nahomi wants him to stop fighting and getting in trouble. Trouble seems to find him, naturally, making his conflicted life even worse.

At the same time, all his friends are starting to realize that they just can't go on acting like punks. The time has come for all of them to grow up, but Riichi is too wrapped up in his own sense of self importance follow their lead.

This isn't like any Miike film that has come before it. The story isn't some off the wall tale of dysfunctional people going to extremes to solve their problems. The characters are regular kids, all trying to figure out their place in the big, bad world. Sure, it has some visceral thrills, but nothing like those seen in "Full Metal Yakuza". There are also no scenes of rape, and the sex scenes are very tame in comparison to most films, let alone "Visitor Q".

With this film, Miike shows that he can do more than just shock the audience. He can present for you a story with realistic characters, in a straight forward, yet beautiful way. While his movies all have a certain level of symbolism, "Innocent Blood" is a little more obvious about it. Even the acting is very different, with only a couple over the top performances. I am curious to see how different his next film is going to be like.

"Young Thugs: Innocent Blood" is an excellent film about growing up. With a great cast, intelligent story, and the Miike touch, this would make a wonderful addition to your Japanese Cinema library.

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