Reviews from Japan

Superlative - everyone should see this

Great, a must-see if you like the genre

Good, a decent example of the genre

Watchable, but only for serious genre fans

Unwatchable

Half stars could have gone either way depending on mood.

Movie Name / Release Year	Summary	Date	Reviewer
Okinawa Yakuza War (1976)	A strong but predictable Yakuza film	2024-04-21	Simon
Karate Killer (1973)	More stylish grime	2023-12-16	Simon
Black Rain (1989)	Not as traumatic as I'd been expecting	2023-09-29	Simon
Blessing Bell (2003)	Not my favourite Sabu film	2023-03-31	Simon
Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010)	Quite a change of style	2023-02-07	Simon
The Violence Action (2022)	You won't forget you've watched it	2022-12-12	Simon
Rise of the Machine Girls (2019)	A fun throwback to the Golden Age of Japanese Splatter	2022-05-21	Simon
Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2 (1972)	...read review...	2022-01-29	Simon
Pornostar (1998)	Quite a surreal but stylish debut	2021-11-12	Simon
Graveyard of Honour (Fukasaku) (1975)	A reminder that Yakuza are generally not nice people	2021-10-03	Simon
Bloody Chainsaw Girl (2016)	Another high school splatter comedy	2021-08-29	Simon
Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead (2012)	A better film than it probably needed to be	2021-08-28	Simon
Ley Lines (1999)	One of Miike's least plot-driven film	2021-08-12	Simon
Hydra (2019)	Very low budget but a great calling card for the crew	2021-07-24	Simon
Yakuza Apocalypse (2015)	Something of a return to form for Miike	2021-07-24	Simon
Yakuza Weapon (2011)	Some highlights and some lowlights	2021-07-24	Simon
Female Convict Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973)	Good rather than great	2021-06-29	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014)	Good if not quite great conclusion	2021-06-17	Simon
My Blood And Bones in a Flowing Galaxy (2021)	Sabu in dark mode	2021-06-04	Simon
Dai Kaiju Mono (2016)	Don't you want to be a big strong man?	2021-04-03	Simon
A Bride For Rip Van Winkle (2016)	Maybe marriage isn't for some people	2021-04-02	Simon
Unlucky Monkey (1998)	Crime and punishment	2021-03-15	Simon
Balloon Club, Afterwards (2006)	The limitless potential of youth	2021-02-08	Simon
A Scene At The Sea (1991)	A quieter, more contemplative Kitano film	2021-01-17	Simon
Samurai III: Duel At Ganryu Island (1956)	Solid conclusion to the trilogy	2020-09-20	Simon
Crab Goalkeeper (2006)	There must be something only a crab can do?	2020-08-22	Simon
Samurai II: Duel At Ichijoji Temple (1955)	The way of women is to love	2020-08-15	Simon
Hausu (1977)	Off the wall	2020-07-19	Simon
Girl's Blood (2014)	Largely inexplicable fusion of elements but somehow it works	2019-11-16	Simon
God's Puzzle (2008)	Miike takes on the universe	2015-01-25	Simon