"If you don't like slow-burn yakuza movies with occasional outburst of violence - like Agitator, Onibi or Kitano's gangster films - then you probably want to stay away." - Slaxor
Another Lonely Hitman (1995) Director: Rokuro Mochizuki Producer: Yoshinori Chiba, Toshiki Kimura, Tetsuya Yuuki Cast: Ryo Ishibashi, Asami Sawaki, Tatsuo Yamada, Kazuhiko Kanayama Running Time: 106 min. Plot: After serving ten years in prison for a coke-fuelled assassination of a rival gang's boss, yakuza hitman Tachibana finds the world has inevitably changed; and his once-respected gang has become a shadow of its former self. Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com Reviews SLAXOR'S REVIEW: "Hey kid, I hit a homerun!" -- Definitely the most memorable line in the film, and one that is spoken at the endİof one of the more intense openings to a film that I've seen in some time. Granted, it involves an explicit scene of someone shooting up of heroin, which always makes me a bit on edge, despite never having any dealings with that sort of thing. Sadly, the rest of the movie doesn't live up to this opening, but it's still good nevertheless. The movie itself follows a hitman who is the pretty much the mold for the hitman in these types of movies. 1) Strong silent
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You should be able to map out where this movie will be headed within the first 10 minutes, but it is Mochizuki's excellent direction and star Ryo Ishibasha's excellent acting that should keep you there until the full 90 minutes are up. I had previously seen Ryo Ishibasha's work as a caring father in Audition and also Suicide Circle, but had little exposure outside of those two films so I was hesitant to think he could pull off this kind of role, but to my suprise and delight, he was perfect in the film. Other then one super cheese element (heroin laced cigarettes), I found the movie to be an enjoyable experience as a whole. If you don't like slow-burn yakuza movies with occasional outburst of violence - like Agitator, Onibi or Kitano's gangster films - then you probably want to stay away. Otherwise, this is worth a watch. SLAXOR'S RATING: 6.5/10 |