Fantastic!

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

A gangster (Ryo Ikebe) gets released from prison and has to cope with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman (Mariko Kaga), who got in bad company while gambling.Director Shinoda was influenced by Charles Baudelaire's poetry collection "Les Fleurs du mal" while making the film, an unusual source of input for a film. Shinoda chose the subject of yakuza as he felt the yakuza world is the only place where a Japanese ceremonial structure is sustained.Recently (the first half of 2016) I have seen several Japanese gangster films thanks to Arrow Video and their release of "Gangster VIP" and various other Nikkatsu treasures. This film, from Criterion, is different. A bit darker, perhaps. But most interestingly, it has a very active role for a young woman, being not just a love interest but actually driving the plot. That strikes me as being uncommon, maybe even rare.

So very black and so very white, so Japanese and so very cool, this is a most impressive film. More new wave than neo-noir, this looks fantastic throughout and if the story is not much and the telling not very fast, it is always arresting. The sparse dialogue is so of the period with talk of boredom, adrenaline rushes and death and if the gambling game itself appears a little basic, the sinister chanting and chip clicking help make for most hypnotic sequences. never mind that the men seem to have to remove their jackets and trousers and shield their chip behind their jacket. The music, at times ambient and at others more jazzy always seems to be spot on, whether we are wandering the back streets of Tokyo and Yokohama or racing in cars along the highway. All performances convince and there are such characters, some only hinted at here, that it seems perfectly possible half a dozen films could have been made.

'Pale Flower' is a film that once again adds to the already rich archive of Japanese cinema. Shinoda (writer/director) put together a very impressive film, so smart and tightly constructed. His use of the camera and lighting to create the dark street world he was portraying was beautiful. Although limited by technology of that time, Shinoda was able to use what he had very well. When we think of film noir or gangster style films, a lot of cliché's come to mind, murder, loyalty, power, drugs, sex, etc. Shinoda takes all of these and wraps it into a detailed story that becomes representative of Japan and the political backdrop of the Cold War. Of course, the film was banned by the censor board. Filmmakers like Shinoda were a part of the 'New Wave' in Japan and 'Pale Flower' remains, like so many great films, timeless. Anyone who appreciates Japanese cinema must see this film!

Most of the Asian gangster movies I have seen, promote the brotherhood and the comradery between members, like Young and Dangerous, or have denounced gangster activity, showing if as degrading and evil. This movie does neither. It instead shows how gangster life has both good and bad; however in the end proves to be a pointless cause. The main character, is just released from jail, and immediately reunites with his own yakuza. His life is changed when he meets Saeko, a young woman who is addicted to high stakes life of the yakuza. Together they journey through a city and time, where everything is changing constantly; yet in the end, it becomes apparent that none of these things really matter. This movie is really good. I recommend it.