Why Don't You Play In Hell? (2013)

Japanese auteur, Sion Sono's style has always been compared with Quentin Tarantino. I can't agree or disagree (because I haven't watch much of their films) but after seeing Why Don't You Play in Hell, I can at least understand the comparisons. Tarantino's only film that I've watched is Kill Bill and this is my only second Sono film (after the heavy drama, Himizu). I totally see the resemblance of style with these two films but that's not to say that Sono doesn't add his own allure for this movie.

If you're looking for entertainment at face value then Why Don't You Play in Hell is for you, compared with Sono's other psychological films like Himizu or epic, Love Exposure. WDPH is full of pleasure. It's an action-comedy guerrilla style, sometimes a teenage love story, sometimes a violent off-with-the-head shot or sometimes just...whatever. And that's totally okay. If it doesn't make sense, if it can't be explained, that's okay. WDPH is just that. It's a mish-mash of things that's suppose to be entertaining for everyone. Action, comedy, love story, friendship..yada, yada.

I especially love how all the sub-plots and story line just come in together and blend in towards the later part of the film. First, a yazuka story. Then, a rebellious young adult who meets a man that has loved her...for 10 year after seeing her in a commercial. Then an amateur-yet-passionate film crew that just wants to make the movie of the century. And all these story lines come in because of one thing: film. And here you are, watching a film too. Film-ception?

Everyone here is great. Angry, sad, crazy, all these emotions portrayed by the actors were great. Some of them I'm seeing the first time on screen. Everyone has such good chemistry, you can't really hate anyone...even with all the killing and blood. It's just so hilarious how Sono combines all the blood with comedy, all the killing and still make it feel so...light and heavy at the same time. The thing is, as you watch, you're always in for a surprise. You'll never know what to expect because of this mish-mash and unorthodox style. That's what's going to keep you hanging.

A slight comment on Fumi Nikaido. This is the third film that I've seen her in and yet again, she proves how much of a versatile actress (who got nominated for her performance here in the Asian Film Awards) she is. Heavy drama in Himizu, forbidden love in My Man and now a rebellious fighter. But she still keeps her signature acting that I totally love: that secrecy in her eyes that actually makes her scary (and very fun to watch).

Cinematography, sound and mere 35mm comparisons to digital is tackled and very much in sync with the overall film. If I can describe WDYPH, it's creatively entertaining. This is probably Sono's ode to Asian cinema and proves just how much amazing it can be.

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The highly explosive and bloody Why Don’t You Play In Hell (Jigoku de Naze Warui), the supercharged tale of a former child-star mob daughter named Michiko caught between two rival mob families and a troop of amateur filmmakers, all of whom have one thing uniting them: to make the cinematic masterpiece that will stand the test of time! The movie starts out quirky and eccentric,(think Miki Satoshi) but slowly but surely as the film moves along, the movie gets weirder and weirder, til it cumulates in the most absolutely over-the-top looney tunes shoot out for the ages! A truly WTF movie if there ever was one!

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