Trippy, Gory 'Yakuza Apocalypse' Puts Overkill Into Overdrive

By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 8, 2015 7:28PM

Kaeru-kun (the frog) in “Yakuza Apocalypse.” (Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.)

"Stay foolish" are words of wisdom given to the hero of Yakuza Apocalypse, the latest from the insanely prolific (and often just plain insane) Japanese director Takashi Miike. The filmmaker has clearly taken the advice to heart in this anything-goes spectacle of vampire gangsters, martial arts combat, bodily fluids spraying, bullets flying, talking tattoos, and an ass-kicking guy in a frog costume.

We'll get to the frog later, but any fans concerned Miike had left his bat-shit crazy side behind after regaining a foothold in the more respectable genre territory of 13 Assassins needn't worry. He is back in full-tilt cartoon chaos mode.

Frankly, it's a little too full-tilt for me, though there are undeniably amusing and exciting moments along the way. I think 70 to 80 minutes of this madness would have been plenty. At almost two hours, Yakuza Apocalypse may even wear out the midnight movie diehards it was clearly made to delight.

The plot is simple and bonkers. A yakuza gang (essentially the Japanese mafia, for the uninitiated) is led by a powerful boss who is also a vampire. When he is beheaded by enemies, his severed noggin bites his most loyal underling, who then becomes a hotshot bloodsucker, out to avenge his boss. Add to that an army of newly converted vampires, a very smelly beaked goblin, random earthquakes and the possible end of the earth, and you've got a full-blown Takashi Miike circus going on.

Anyone not fond of "gore-toon" splatter will want to stay far away, but for all his excesses, Miike can certainly mount skillful action and comedy sequences, even if he has no idea when the saturation point has been reached. A few sadistic moments aside, most of the violence here is so over-the-top it crosses over into the surreal, though certainly there is plenty to offend for those looking for it.

“Yakuza Apocalypse.” (Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.)

I've only grazed in the immense Miike fields. In the five years since 13 Assassins (his last movie to get significant U.S. distribution), he's directed 12 feature films and he has nearly 100 directorial credits in all. Bouncing back and forth between major theatrical releases, direct-to-video cheapies and television work, his is a resume of intimidating size—and he's only 55.

Of what I have seen, nothing has come close to making an impression equal to his international breakthrough, Audition (1999). A slow-burner that mutates from quiet, melancholy suspense to a harrowing shocker, it's the kind of film that leaves a mark. But what about the crazed comic book-styled action of Dead or Alive, the dark comedy provocation of Visitor Q, the gross-out genre smashing of Gozu, or the more traditional horror tropes of One Missed Call? Even the most in-your-face moments of those have dimmed in my mind. Being outrageous doesn't always make you memorable.

Such is the case with Yakuza Apocalypse, though it's certainly an easier film to like than Visitor Q or Gozu. I smiled at the mysterious fellow in Puritan-like garb with the tiny coffin-shaped case on his back—a tip of the hat to Django (Corbucci's, not Tarantino's). I liked the bartender/mentor explaining how blood drinking worked for yakuza vampires. And throughout the movie there are amusing reactions and line readings from a solid cast.

And I loved the frog costume. How could you not, especially when this absurdly dressed badass comes at his enemies riding a tricycle and ringing its toy bell? It's a great, delirious idea for a movie villain.

But after building this nutty creation up to supernatural heights, Miike undercuts his finale with an underwhelming mano a mano between lead actor Hayato Ichihara and a baddie played by tiny but mighty Indonesian martial arts star Yayan Ruhian.

Ruhian was the unforgettable Mad Dog, the key antagonist in the draining, epic climactic battle of The Raid: Redemption. Miike ends up making his final scene an in-joke about the intensity of The Raid, but it falls flat and only drains the movie of its energy.

Yakuza Apocalypse will undoubtedly play better with a large and rowdy crowd, and those who prefer Miike's freakiest freak shows will be pleased. You have to wonder, however, if those fans aren't a little like the director himself in trying just a little too hard to prove they are having fun.

Yakuza Apocalypse. Directed by Takashi Miike. Written by Yoshitaka Yamaguchi. Starring Hayato Ichihara, Yayan Ruhian and Lily Franky. 115 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. Rated R.

Opens Friday, Oct. 9 at the Gene Siskel Film Center and is also available through various video-on-demand services.