4 out of 5

Directed by: Takashi Miike

Miike has pretty repeatedly taken the piss out of the yakuza film genre, while simultaneously delivering some of its most entertaining and vicious entries – and yes, simultaneously meaning within the same film.  But as any been-around-the block Miike fan will yell ya, what’s set the director apart over the course of his career – besides his occasional outlandishness – is the amazing composition of his films, but from a shot perspective and thematically.  The concept of family that Takashi has claimed is wound into most of his flicks may mean the bonding of gangsters or the more traditional version, but almost universally, there is something deeper driving his works.  Later years, with the changing film market in Japan, have seen the director cross over into blockbusters, which don’t necessarily push the borders as he once did, but still display an ever-evolving master learning his craft, and finding new ways to express himself.

For me, Yakuza Apocalypse marks the first time Miike has just gone full-on bonkers.   There’s hardly a frame of this movie that isn’t in it for a laugh, and by golly, it turns out that a ridiculous movie from a really skilled director can be a good thing, especially given that the targets of Apocalypse seem to be any and everything – from Miike’s own oeuvre to movies in general.  It’s the same kind of super-real bonkers I think he was – to a certain extent – aiming for with Sukiyaki Western Django, but stripped of the dreadful need to prove himself to an American audience; Yakuza is just a good time, reasons for it to be the way it is not required.

The plot somewhat starts on the rails, with a respected yakuza boss turning out to be a vampire and passing on his legacy to Kageyama (Hayato Ichihara), who gets “the thirst,” only to realize that his bite… turns people into yakuza.  There’s no stopping the film from there on out.  All of the bitten adopt hilarious poses and attitudes in the form of traditional heavies; there’s a hurried explanation about the rules of drinking too much blood; a guy dressed in priestly robes and a demon in a frog mascot outfit show up; the world explodes.  There’s a tad bit of restraint to the fighting scenes – some of the blockbusterism maybe wearing off on Miike – and some of the randomness feels a bit exclusionary, like you’re not in on a cultural joke, but on the whole, YA is chock full of wonderful Miike shots and giggly weirdness, and god bless the final fight scene – pretty literally going blow for blow in a hilariously dumb showdown – and that the money shot hits the screen mere seconds before the credits.

And mixed into the whole thing, there’s a kiss that’s somehow more tender than any show of affection in any other Miike movie.  Don’t read too much into that, but it was just another enjoyable moment in a series enjoyable moments that are sprinkled into the flick – yes, mostly for randomness, but with enough variation to keep this a watchable – immensely watchable, actually! – couple of hours.