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| Bullet Ballet Review By Yodasnoog |
| Bullet Ballet is a very strange film, which is kind of obvious given the fact that it’s directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, the man who gave us the classic cyber punk nightmare that is Tetsuo: The Iron Man. But for those of you who hated that movie (and let’s face it, theres a fair few of you out there) and decided then to wash your hands of Tsukamoto and the rest of his back catalogue, I think you should check out Bullet Ballet. Compared to Tetsuo, this has a much more cohesive plot for the most part (not many people even thought Tetsuo had a plot), it’s a lot more human and down to earth, but it is not without some of Shinya’s flair and editing touches which may cause nausia and headaches. Tsukamoto plays Goda, a man who seems happy, has a steady job with an advertising firm and a long term girlfriend. But one day he arrives home to find the police there, and his girldfriend dead after commiting suicide. Goda catches a glimpse of the gun she used to kill herself and for the first few acts becomes obbsessed with obtaining the exact same gun for himself. Along the way he angers a local gang, get’s a beating, and adds them to his shitlist. Chisato, the only female member of the gang and a bit loose in the sanity department, developes a strange relationship with Goda, often giving him clues to the gangs whereabouts etc. This is a very hard film to review as it is very hard to dechipher what it’s actually all about. On the surface it’s a rather simplistic story of revenge, grief and loss, but there seems to be a lot hiding underneath that we never really get a clear picture of. Like I said, it has a cohesive plot…for the most part. There seems to be influences from Scorcese’s Taxi Driver here, especially during the scenes where Goda is psyching himself up before heading to the gangs club. And also, a main member of the gang bares a striking similarity to Harvey Keitels pimp character; complete with long hair and white vest. Although to label it as some Japanese version of Taxi Driver would be unfair, as those minor similarities are the only thing the two films have in common. Atmosphere is a main factor in Bullet Ballet. The askew camera angles and boosted sound effects are truly, as you would expect, effective. Whenever a gun is loaded, the clunks of the guns inner workings seem to be turned up to 11, in a similar way to how John Woo uses sound, except Shinya’s style has a much more fetishist tone and not at all rooted in tough guy postering (not that tough guy postering a bad thing or anything). Tsukamoto’s trademark editing techniques are also used to full effect, but in a slightly less excessive way than his previous movies. A highlight is a mass montage of explosions and gun fire, edited to fit with the films pulsating score. Bullet Ballet is a tough movie, but certainly not without merit, infact I did enjoy it quite a bit even though it did leave me scratching my head in parts due to some rather abrupt changes to the story and characters motives. But, I can tell that this will be a film that I will apreciate more with further viewings. The mid section does tend to sag a little but once we get past that, the final act is certainly tense, brooding and violent. Not one for a Friday night in with the missus, but a must for fans of Tsukamoto or those who want a break from the norm. |
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