When I first watched
Ichi the Killer, I thought, How can something this disturbing be
so watchable? Even after seeing
Imprint, the answer still eludes me, trapped in the mind of Takashi
Miike. Some call him a genius, some, a mad man. I'm not sure what I
would call him, but whatever it is, it would be a deserving title.
As part
of a 13-episode anthology, Imprint starts off following Christopher
(Billy Drago), as he travels to 19th
Century Japan to find the prostiture that he fell in love with. With
no boats leaving until morning, he accepts shelter in a whore house,
where he is told of his love's passing by a disfigured prostitute and
inquires into her life. Her dark past is revealed along with the
story of Komomo, the woman he was looking for.
Immediately after
the opening scene begins, I was reminded of 'In the house, In a
Heartbeat' by John Murphy (a piece made famous by 28 days later), an
eerie instrumental that compemented the film to a great degree. As I
continued to watch, I was amazed at how clean the visuals were for a
film set over two centuries ago. I expected it to have a more gritty
setting, or at least ambiance, but the crisp visuals allowed me to
submerse myself in the story with great ease, as if I was looking
through a glass window, only a few feet from the characters. As the
story moved on, Miike's directional skills started to show. Torture
scenes, abortions and unborn babies coursing downstream are all
present, showing why this was the only film of the season to be
banned in the US TV release. When we eventually discover the real
reason and story (the prostitute had given different accounts up
until now) it started turning into a bad 80's horror flick. What I am
assuming is an anamatronic hand becomes the focus and ruins the
authentic feel, leaving me a little disapointed. Aside from that, the
only fault I really found off-putting was the casting of Drago. He
didn't have the emotional range to pull off the role he was given,
staying too wooden for what was needed. If it were not for him, I
would rate this movie higher for sure.
I applaud Miike in
his ability to create such a terrifyingly beatutiful piece. One for
Miike fans and horror/thriller aficionados alike. - 3.5 jade rings
out of 5
