Film Review - Friday 20th May 2005

Cast: Vinnie Jones, Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Sonny Chiba, Kyoko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe - Screenwriter: Taku Tada - Director: Sekiguchi Gen - Producer(s): Ryoichi Fukuyama, Hiroyuki Taniguchi - DOP: Makoto Shiguma - Editor(s): Sekiguchi Gen , Taku Tada

Writer Taku Tada, whose imaginative ideas have won virtually every advertising award available and Japanese commercials director Sekiguchi Gen has also received numerous awards, including a Silver Lion at the 2000 Cannes Lions - the International Advertising Festival. They are the dynamic duo responsible for this colorful and visually exciting Survive Style 5+. The cast features Japanese heart-throb Tadanobu Asano (pictured below right) who plays a husband who tries to dispose of his wife and our very own Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) who plays his usual role of a British hitman. This dark and farcical comedy is told within five different stories, and has an enthralling change than most films and also has the ability to keep you mesmerized, as to how all the somewhat bizarre characters link up. It's the type of film that you can watch several times as it doesn't follow the normal storytelling structure. Although Survive Style 5+ seems a little long, first-time feature film director Sekiguchi Gen uses stylish camera work and a great array of colours and locations, with brilliant twists. He does a great job keeping the audience on a rollercoaster ride and the trip is as riotously funny as it is unpredictable. This stunning visual film topped up with upbeat music is a surreal treat, particularly if you're a big fan of contemporary Japanese pop culture . Film Academy rating: 8/10 - An original new Japanese film. Not to be missed! As part of the onedotzero Festival, the UK Premiere of Survive Style 5+ will be at The ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH map on Friday 3rd June 2005 at 9pm. The director Sekiguchi Gen will be present at this screening. Other dates at The ICA are Saturday 28th May 2005 at 9pm and Tuesday 31st May 2005 at 9pm.
For more details on the festival and booking tickets visit www.onedotzero.com and www.ica.org.uk
Our film critics will be out again this Thursday evening to see a special press screening of the new documentary "Overnight", about the rise and stumble of Troy Duffy, the bartender-cum-filmmaker who was swept up by Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to turn his script for "The Boondock Saints" into a feature film. Check back this Friday for the full review.