This movie is very uncomfortable. I think it is the most dirty movie in the filmography of Takeshi Kitano that I have seen. It’s fascinating to watch it after having seen his later works, and it’s certainly something unique.

The film is divided into two parts. In the first part, we get a glimpse into our protagonist’s life, a shiftless guy called Masaki. This first half is very light-hearted, leading up to the main conflict. In the second half, shit gets real. The main characters meet Uehara, played by Takeshi himself.

It is very characterised by a contrast between incredibly funny moments and the rest of the grim and insane narrative. Take the scene in the karaoke, for instance. I can’t stop giggling at it, especially given what happens next, when the yakuza, played by Takeshi, asks his aniki to have sex with his lover so that, under the pretext of an insult, he can chop off his finger for the clan that expelled him for his debts.

Uehara is a real asshole with no moral boundaries. The second half of the film is about how the poor lads who find themselves in his company have to put up with this psychopath. You, along with them, feel a sense of unease and fear at what might cross this man’s mind.

The film features many techniques that Takeshi went on to use in his later works. It’s full of still shots; some of the frames are really pretty. There’s also a moment when future events in the plot flash before the character’s eyes in the form of very jarringly cut frames.

The ending is open-ended, leaving you to wonder whether the whole film was just a figment of the imagination. I’m inclined to think so, especially as it spirals down into madness; but you can watch the film and make up your own mind!

Many people complain that it’s drawn out and dull, but I found it interesting to watch. It isn’t particularly deep, and towards the end I felt like it veers into childish hypotheticals, but I liked it more than I didn’t.