Review by: Andrew Chan FCCA AACTA FIPRESCI
Review Date: 6th May 2014

Director: Sion Sono
Writer: Sion Sono
Producer: Takuyuki Matsuno, Atsushi Moriyama, Tsuyoshi Suzuki
Starring: Jun Kunimura, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Fumi Nikaido

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Director Sion Sion’s latest film is just like his previous ones, full of Japanese gangsters, blood, violence, filmmaking (literally) and love. “Why Don’t You Play in Hell” is exactly the kind of film that Sion Sion’s fans expects and he once again truly delivers. The fact that he enjoys using the film within a film technique blurs the boundaries of reality and fiction. The violence on screen is always graphic and that’s not necessary a bad thing. Blood pour out continuously, just as John Woo’s guns having unlimited bullets. Few directors can put on screen a sheer scale of blood and violence without being corny and Sion Sion pulls it off like art.

The story is an interesting one as it follows the classic revenge story with the little girl growing up to become a true assassin, except that her parents didn’t die, only that her mum went to jail. In the midst of things, they managed to add in elements of passion in making a film, in fact everyone wants to make a film, even the gangsters. That’s the beauty of it all.

Fumi Nikaido has been catching my eye since her debut performance a few years ago and her strong resemblance to a younger Aoi Miyazaki only adds to that fascination. Nikaido carries the film well and as a heroin of sorts, she is both charming and lethal. Her unlikely chemistry with nerdy pretend boyfriend played by singer Gen Hoshino provides the film with a beloved love story as well as some dramatic moments away from the ultra-violence. Jun Kunimura plays the gangster boss and Nikaido’s father is always entertaining, while rival boss Shinichi Tsutsumi simply chew the scenery.

All in all, “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” is one of those guilty pleasure films that go beyond the need of a structured storyline or even the point of making sense. Not unlike Tarantino’s “Kill Bill”, Sion Sion adds live and his own unique style to the aged old revenge story. The result is a prolonged ending where the bloodbath is enough to fill more than a dozen bath tub. I wouldn’t say that this is Sion Sion’s best work, as it really isn’t, but when a film never ceases to entertain, there is always a market for that. (Neo 2014)

I rated it 8/10

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