Chûgoku no chôjin (1998)

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Masa Nakamura (screenplay)
Makoto Shiina (novel)

Release Date:

10 June 1998 (Japan)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A salaryman and yakuza are each sent by their bosses to a remote Chinese village but discover more then they expected.

Plot Keywords:

Yakuza | Chinese | Japanese | 1990s | Sky

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Masahiro Motoki	...	Wada
Renji Ishibashi	...	Ujiie
Mako	...	Shen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michiko Kase
Yuichi Minato		(as Yuuichi Minato)
Tomohiko Okuda
Manzô Shinra
Li Li Wang	...	Yan, Si-chang

Also Known As:

The Bird People in China (International: English title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Certification:

Taiwan:GP | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Yunnan Province, China

Company:

Excellent Film

Miike's best, hands down (no pun)

If you are going to see one Miike movie (just to see what the hell all the fuss is about), make it this one.

"Heart of Darkness" (aka 'Apocalypse Now') fades as a Euro-centric teen angst tale in comparison to this delicate gem, which has it all: mystery, search, innocence, innocence lost, passion, crime, sacrifice, sacrilege, comedy, drama, tragedy, and best of all - everything is carried by myths and dreams.

In the words of Miike himself (from an interview in the 'extras' section of the DVD): "...cinema not just for entertainment" However, if you feel like venturing further into Miike territory, be cautioned, it's a treacherous zone and takes some stunt-level adaptation.