Since 1991, when his first film, Lady Hunter: Prelude to Murder, was released, Takashi Miike has had a focus on violent and visceral creativity. The prolific Japanese filmmaker is best known for his bizarre, graphic, dark, and occasionally perverted films, going so far as to have barf bags be given out at the premiere of his highly controversial 2001 film Ichi the Killer as a publicity stunt. Still, despite his reputation for savagery, several films he’s made have actually attracted critical praise, with Rotten Tomatoes saying his filmography is “[full of] wildly entertaining [entries].”
We’ll be looking at some of those same entries today, but we’ll also be looking at some films that didn’t resonate with critics, especially those that are too full of violence to contain meaningful interactions or character development. Here are Takashi Miike’s 5 Best & 5 Worst Films, According to Rotten Tomatoes.
Worst: The City of Lost Souls (54%)
In the 2000 Miike film The City of Lost Souls, Japanese-Brazilian criminal Mario and his girlfriend Kei are entwined in a high-profile drug deal between two Mafia members while trying to leave the country - unfortunately, one of the mobsters has his eyes set on Kei and won’t let her go. Meanwhile, Mario must save a kidnapped orphan from the other mobster, whose overall personality borders on insanity. The film was heavily critiqued for its contrived plotline, perceived emptiness, and unrealistic characters; the little praise it received was given for the visuals, which critics said were “fun to look at” and on par with other Miike films.
Best: Three… Extremes (84%)
Three… Extremes is a 2004 horror film collaboration between three established East Asian directors (including Takashi Miike), each of which directed a particular segment. Miike directs the third segment, Box, about Kyoto, a novelist traumatized by a horrific incident from her childhood as a circus entertainer performing with her twin sister. Jealous of her sister’s performance, Kyoto locked her in a box, only to accidentally set the box aflame. Kyoto returns to her old circus to obtain a sense of closure, but she doesn’t exactly find what she’s looking for. Three… Extremes received critical acclaim, with Roger Ebert comparing the short subjects to the works of famous horror novelists such as H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King.
Worst: As the Gods Will (50%)
Based on the first arc of the eponymous shounen manga, Miike’s 2014 horror film As the Gods Will follows high school student Shun Takahata, a violent video game enthusiast, as he’s forced to compete for survival against his own classmates and friends by playing children’s games with deadly consequences for the losers.
The bloodbath-filled flick split critics, with negative reviews arguing that it was unnecessarily repulsive and there was nothing in it that made it distinctive from other Miike films, while positive reviews praised the film’s gory slapstick and visual effects.
Best: Blade of the Immortal (85%)
Another manga adaptation, 2017’s Blade of the Immortal details the adventures of Manji, a talented warrior left unaffected by wounds from bullets and swords after he was tricked into killing 100 innocent samurai, and a nun placed a curse on him that rendering nearly unkillable. He is distraught by his “eternal life”, but finds new purpose as a bodyguard for Rin Asano, a girl looking to take down the group of samurai assassins that killed her father. The film’s emotional depth, fleshed-out characters, and hyperviolent, expertly choreographed sword fights earned it a Rotten Tomatoes “fresh” rating, though some critics noted the film wasn’t nearly as memorable or original as other Miike films. The film did reinvigorate interest in the manga, however, paving the way for an 2019 anime adaptation.
Worst: Dead or Alive: Final (45%)
A loose sequel to his two previous Dead or Alive films, Miike’s 2002 cyberpunk film Dead or Alive: Final is a turn-around from his usual violent storytelling, settling for a more wacky, gimmicky tone than its predecessors. Taking place in the year 2346, the film features Woo, a cruel leader who attempts to prevent birth in his city-state by drugging his citizens with birth control pills and jailing pregnant women.
An encounter between Honda, his lead henchman, and Fon, the leader of a growing team of guerrillas, leads to an acid-trip final showdown of epic proportions. The film received mixed reviews, with many critics saying that the film feels lost without Miike’s signature offerings of dark humor and gore.
Best: 13 Assassins (95%)
For 2011’s 13 Assassins, Miike assembled an ensemble cast of top Japanese actors, both experienced and inexperienced in martial arts, to portray the titular assassins, who over the course of the plot convert a seemingly innocuous town into an intricate conglomeration of traps and hideouts in order to catch the sadistic and much-hated ruler Naritsugu. However, 200 of Naritsugu’s most skilled warriors are traveling with him, and the assassins must defeat them as well in the film’s 45-minute-long climactic battle. The film received worldwide acclaim for its stellar fight scenes, visuals, sound effects, drama, and characters.
Worst: One Missed Call (44%)
Miike’s 2003 horror flick One Missed Call is about Yumi, a university student whose friends start receiving mysterious, haunting calls from themselves, dated two days into the future. After the two days pass, each call recipient is gruesomely killed by a vengeful and merciless spirit, whom Yumi must now track down and destroy to save the lives of herself and others. The film received a mixed-to-negative reception, with many critics noting that it was overly predictable and condemning its overreliance on classic horror tropes. However, Miike’s direction did receive some praise, with critics recognizing and appreciating his distinct visual flair. The film later received a 2008 American remake, which received critical backlash and a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best: First Love (96%)
Miike’s 2019 film First Love follows Leo, a young boxer, and Monica, a call girl, as they accidentally get in the middle of a large drug-smuggling scheme and are hunted by a gaggle of would-be assassins - all while their burning hearts bring them closer together.
The romantic drama film received overwhelmingly favorable reviews from critics, with praise being offered for the story, humor, characters, and fight scenes. Critics also recognized that unlike several other Miike films, the film sympathizes with its two leads and portrays them as real human characters despite all the violence and bloodshed going on around them.
Worst: Shield of Straw (40%)
In the 2013 political spy thriller Shield of Straw, multi-billionaire Ninagawa is angered by the murder of his granddaughter. Seeking vengeance, he places an ad in several major newspapers, offering one billion yen to the assassin that executes the suspect, one Kunihide Kiyomaru. Scared to death, Kiyomaru flees to the local police station to beg for protection, and a group of cops is assigned to escort him nearly 750 miles, to Tokyo - encountering avaricious bounty hunters all the way. While a few critics commended the film as exciting and entertaining, the majority of reviews were negative, primarily focusing on the film’s generic, lackluster thrills and poorly paced suspense.
Best: Fudoh: The New Generation (100%)
With a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Miike’s 2000 film Fudoh: The New Generation gives us a glimpse into the life of Riki, a seemingly normal high school student who, in reality, is leading his ragtag group of teenaged assassins to destroy every other organized crime syndicate in the city. His ultimate goal is enacting vengeance upon his father, a high-ranking career criminal who killed Riki’s brother. The film received terrifically positive reviews from critics and is widely considered Miike’s finest effort as a director - using violence and gore as a medium to communicate the story instead of using it solely for shock value. It shows how films can be made in a variety of ways, and with a variety of techniques, but what matters, in the end, is that they tell a story.
