The City of Lost Souls

Audience Reviews

View All (75) audience reviews

Liam D Takashi Miike (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter 1, Zebraman) goes back into his wheelhouse and delivers another insanely Fun Yakuza thriller with a more dramatic side Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/16/22 Full Review Audience Member In a recent spate of viewing I've been trying to revisit a few things that I loved at the start of my journey through more modern Japanese cinema, which happened around the early 2000s and this was due for another look. I would have to say that this dropped *slightly* in my estimation, if only because the kinetic energy of Miike's films was so new and startling at the time, but now I have settled into a solid middle-ground rating for this one. The film follows a pair of lovers on the run from fellow crooks and lowlifes, looking to find a big enough score that will let them leave the country together and disappear, and there's even a bizarre (and now obviously very dated) Matrix tribute during a Claymation(!) cockfight scene. Worth a look, give it a rental. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Stylish and bizarre it may be, but it isn't one of Miike Takashi's best, though it still remains very watchable indeed. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Even by Miike's standards this is a psycho gonzo mishmash, though not as successful as his other work. The bravura stylistic madness is fun to watch, but it does drag in sections, and the plot is pretty dumb. Worth watching though. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member An ok film but from Takashi a bit disappointing. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member It's not uncommon for films by Takashi Miike to make little to no sense and 'The City Of Lost Souls' is no exception. Plot wise the film is an average yakuza/action story, and is eerily reminiscent (yet not nearly as good as) 'True Romance' as it sees two lovers end up with a briefcase full of cocaine and on the run from those who want it back. Although the story itself if fairly simple it is distorted my the film's omniscient nature and becomes hard to follow easily. Despite an unoriginal plot and convoluted narrative TCOLS manages to distinguish itself in a variety of ways, allowing it to become an original experience in its own right. Take, for example, the manic way in which the film is edited,with jump cuts incorporated in a seemingly random manner every couple of seconds and counterpoised against long, somewhat beautiful, shots of the harsh environment and the characters inhabiting it. Miike's direction is apparent in the small flourishes that frequent (in a similar fashion to 'DEAD OR ALIVE: HANZAISHA' and other early works) throughout the film: a dwarf brushes his teeth with cocaine, CGI rendered cock fights see chickens performing matrix style slow motion kicks, a man has sex with a pig, and, my personal favourite, death by Ping Pong. Although not uncommon by this point these moments are always welcome and help establish the films wacky personality while somewhat distracting you from its other problems. Although there are obvious issues throughout the film (I'm yet to mention the bad acting and large amount of two dimensional characters) it seldom reaches moments of deranged brilliance; the scene that sees our protagonist, Mario, eliminate a whole office full of yakuza with a shotgun is undeniably exciting and the final two scenes add a whole different element to the film that beckons for a re-watching. Overall, although not a bad movie, TCOLS fails to stand up against Miike's stronger offerings. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The City of Lost Souls

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW