Yakuza Apocalypse at The Midnight Madness
September 18, 2015. TIFF2015. Midnight Madness. Ryerson Theater.
The orange TIFF balloon has just been punched onto the second floor of the Ryerson Theatre, it floats above the audience, and as each person hits it to keep it afloat, there is elated cheering. It’s ten past midnight, the atmosphere in the theatre more resembles a rock concert than a film screening. This is TIFF’s Midnight Madness, the antithesis to the festival’s daytime glitz and glamour. Where talking during the movie is not only allowed, it’s encouraged. Films shown in this category are often B-Movies, genre films, basically films that will never win the prestigious awards, but often go on to become cult classics, beloved for their quirks.
On screen this morning is Yakuza Apocalypse, the newest film by the Japanese reigning king of shock cinema Takashi Miike — although that’s selling him short. The film is about a robin hood like yakuza boss that gets murdered, and his loyal henchman’s quest to avenge him. Miike inserts his brand of weirdness at every turn, a goth pilgrim with an electric gun, and a knitting-circle blood bank is just the start of the weirdness, it escalates from there. There is a vampire-like infection that turns people into the yakuza, a greenhouse producing happy human baby flowers, and a final antagonist too good to spoil here. During the interview after the film, Miike stated that he was given full control over of the film, and it shows. It seems like he’s willfully trying to surprise you, for no reason other than his own enjoyment.
The question then posed is whether all these crazy ideas add up to a coherent film. The answer is an unfortunate no. The film spends most of its time introducing new ways to surprise you, then weaving back and forth between the bunch, in a sketch show like rhythm, then it just ends. There isn’t a satisfying conclusion, or really even a conclusion at all. This film has all the stylistic hallmarks of a vintage Miike film, it’s bloody and silly, but it’s also a case of style over substance. If you are addicted to weird films resembling bad drug trips, Yakuza Apocalypse will satiate all those desires. As a starting point to Miike’s ouevre, this is perhaps too strong of a dosage.
First time going to a midnight screening. Saw Takashi Miike! - That’s right, I’m a fucking schoolgirl fanboy. He was a lot more soft spoken than I thought he would be, the movie was crazy. He seems to take a common story arc and try to add as much of his brand of weirdness as he can. The budget being his only limiting factor. That must be why he’s so prolific, he’s seemingly able to do anything, and when he’s allowed to unleash, shit gets intense.
There’s a lot of subverting expectations in this film, almost as if he’s trying to specifically to surprise his audience. That might be what separates him from the more conventional auteurs. He enjoys his films. But it might also be what limits him as an artist. He outwardly, and consciously cares about how people views his film. Of course this is a lot to suppose from a very limited viewing of his oeuvre. Happiness of the Katakuris is still my favourite of his, I think he made that film just for himself.