Such a frustrating disappointment

An Exercise In Nonsense

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Let me just say I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about, before I watched it. It was rather surprising to find out this was being an old fashioned, slower type of samurai movie, with homosexual themes weaved into it.You could say the movie is being a bit of a lackluster and also lacks an epic or spectacular type of vibe to it but then again, this totally wasn't the sort of approach that the movie was going for. Some people will appreciate this movie even all the more for that fact that is a slower type of movie, that focuses on its characters and their dynamics and its surprising themes.It was good to see a modern samurai movie, that wasn't taking a modern movie approach. You could even say that the movie takes a more sort of Akira Kurosawa approach to its storytelling and film-making. Still this would had been a better movie if it actually got made a couple of decades earlier. That way the movie would had made a far greater impact with its story and themes that are all in it.Now the movie just doesn't ever come across as anything provoking. It's still original but not really a movie that made a great impact on me, with any of themes and emotions. It's definitely a maintaining and special little movie but in my book really not a must-see. Perhaps it would had been if it had a more interesting main plot line in it. Instead now the movie is meandering on with its different character plot lines, instead of purely focusing on one story and one eventual goal, with all of it. It's not like the story is not focused but I would had simply preferred it if there was a more clear main plot line in it.Definitely a watchable and original genre movie, that is worth giving a go, despite of all my criticism.7/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

This film has some promise at the beginning but doesn't deliver on it.It starts with hints that the main character has hidden motivations and is playing a deeper game than we are being shown.Kano seems to be hiding the extent of his abilities and his motivation for joining the militia, and then it just stops, these themes aren't really advanced any further.The plot just peters out without resolving anything or going anywhere.It is well acted and extremely stylish and the ending is good in a way but it just seems like there should have been more too it, I just found it boring and pointless.

Oshima's last film to date is only the fourth of his that I've watched - following IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (1976), EMPIRE OF PASSION (1978) and, more recently while in Hollywood, DEATH BY HANGING (1968) - and it's arguably one of his strongest and most compelling efforts, proving that his considerable talent didn't dissipate with the passage of time.As is the director's fashion and, indeed, the title itself would suggest, the film treats the controversial issue of homosexuality in a school for samurai during the 1900s. Thankfully, though, there's no graphic display of sexuality here - as was the case with the pornographic REALM; what we do get, however, is an exquisitely photographed recreation of the period (utilizing red and blue filters for maximum effect), set to a simple but evocative score from Ryuichi Sakamoto.The cast is surprisingly headed by Takeshi Kitano under his acting nom-de-plume of "Beat" Takeshi and, as always, he delivers a quietly impressive performance; the fight scenes, while not particularly spectacular apart from a couple of bloody beheadings, create the required tension and certainly keep one watching. The latter stages of the film, which involves a hunt for the serial killer of homosexual samurai(!), provide a welcome touch of mystery and lead to an unexpected but wholly satisfying conclusion.

Ïn 1865, in Kyoto, in a period of fights among different clans, Sozaburo Kano (Ryuhei Matsuda) and Hyozo Tashiro (Tadanobu Asano) join a samurai legion to be trained as warriors. The beauty of the manipulative Kano sexually attracts the other men, including high ranking commanders, and he becomes lover of Tashiro."Gohatto" is a weird movie for westerns like me, who are not familiarized with Japanese culture. However, it is a beautiful movie, with a stunning music score and a wonderful photography. Although I have not completely understood the plot, specially the conclusion of the story, I found this movie very intriguing and I liked it. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Tabu" (Taboo")