Yukio Mishima was a very unusual man--and you might find it interesting reading more about his real-life exploits. The story is anything but dull. The same, however, cannot be said about "Afraid to Die"--a decent yakuza film but one that seemed amazingly ordinary (aside from a part of the story I'll talk about below).
This movie begins with a botched assassination. It seems one mob boss wanted revenge on Mishima but his assassin accidentally got the wrong guy. For the rest of this movie, Mishima hides out from his rival until the abrupt ending. In the interim, Mishima's character broods A LOT, schemes and even rapes a lady. This rape really troubled me, as right after attacking her, he 'shows his vulnerable side' and she falls in love with him. And throughout the rest of the film he mostly treats her like trash...and she slavishly follows--even when he does the most abominable things to her. Although the film is technically decent, it just seemed pretty grotesque because of this whole rape me/love me story line. See it for yourself and see what you think.
This movie begins with a botched assassination. It seems one mob boss wanted revenge on Mishima but his assassin accidentally got the wrong guy. For the rest of this movie, Mishima hides out from his rival until the abrupt ending. In the interim, Mishima's character broods A LOT, schemes and even rapes a lady. This rape really troubled me, as right after attacking her, he 'shows his vulnerable side' and she falls in love with him. And throughout the rest of the film he mostly treats her like trash...and she slavishly follows--even when he does the most abominable things to her. Although the film is technically decent, it just seemed pretty grotesque because of this whole rape me/love me story line. See it for yourself and see what you think.