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City of Lost Souls

(Hyoryu Gai)


City of Lost Souls
©Tokuma International
photo courtesy International Film Festival Rotterdam

Attractive Chinese hairdresser Kei (Michele Reis) goes underground in Tokyo after being rescued, with the assistance of a helicopter, from deportation by her lover, the handsome, hotheaded Mario (Teah). These two young runners intend to get married as soon as they can find a second to slow down and escape the clutches of warring rival gangs. Desperately searching for money in order to obtain new passports and arrange their stowaway, Mario steals a stash of cocaine during a drug deal between the Chinese Mafia and Japanese Yakuza. Unfortunately, Kei has been captured by the Yakuza during the deal. This adaptation of a novel by Hase Seishu is one several films that director Miike Takashi (maker of "The Audition") has made during the past year. This film is a fascinating mixture of gangster romance and parody. The tempo is paced well and keeps the viewer moving along with the development of the situations. What it misses in plot, it makes up for in speed (snort). Not the best, but not the worst of Miike (and so much in such a short time), who stays busy with the new generation. Drugs and romance in an underworld filled with nihilism.
City of Lost Souls
©Tokuma International
photo courtesy International Film Festival Rotterdam

Have a look at the other IFFR reviews
Amores Perros (Love's a Bitch)
Images of a Moving City
Die Bad
Something Happened
Verboden te Zuchten
Rusty Water (Nok Mool)
Otesánek
Powers
City of Lost Souls
Letter from New York City
Me You Them (Eu Tu eLes)
The Circle (Dayareh)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

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