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IMDbPro

Wild Life

  • 19971997
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
119
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
293,308
16,855
Wild Life (1997)
ComedyThriller
An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief wh... Read allAn ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him st... Read allAn ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
119
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
293,308
16,855
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Shinji Aoyama
    • Writers
      • Shinji Aoyama
      • Hiroyuki Kurokawa(story)
      • Kumi Sato
    • Stars
      • Mickey Curtis
      • Akiko Izumi
      • Jun Kunimura
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Shinji Aoyama
    • Writers
      • Shinji Aoyama
      • Hiroyuki Kurokawa(story)
      • Kumi Sato
    • Stars
      • Mickey Curtis
      • Akiko Izumi
      • Jun Kunimura
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos

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    Top cast

    Edit
    Mickey Curtis
    • Kenzo Tsumura
    Akiko Izumi
    Akiko Izumi
    Jun Kunimura
    Jun Kunimura
    • Ijima
    Eiko Nagashima
    Yûna Natsuo
    • Rie
    Yôichirô Saitô
    Tarô Suwa
    Tarô Suwa
    • Man in pachinko parlour
    Kosuke Toyohara
    Kosuke Toyohara
    • Hiroki Sakai
    Ken'ichi Yajima
    Ken'ichi Yajima
    • Director
      • Shinji Aoyama
    • Writers
      • Shinji Aoyama
      • Hiroyuki Kurokawa(story)
      • Kumi Sato
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews3

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Stylish start loses momentum towards the end
    I don't want to be to harsh to this movie, yet somehow it's always worse when an inventive, intriguing film can't maintain it to the finish. So whilst this film is enjoyable and certainly worth seeing if you get the chance, I can't honestly recommend you go out of your way for it.

    Like a lot of Japanese films, this mixes comedy and mystery (and of course the ubiquitous Yakuza) to good effect, at least in the first half. There's a certain sense of free fall as you try and work out with Sakai san what the hell's going on, as fractured time lines pull disparate scenes together in a satisfyingly 'arty' manner. The mixture of light, slapstick comedy with a darker edge seems just right. The actors have fun hamming it up, and the director pulls all kinds of visual tricks out of the bag.

    Yet as things progress it becomes progressively flatter and more conventional. The story disappoints and there seems to be no real points made. As everyone falls about laughing as it draws to a close, you feel this is one joke you've been left out of. It feels like just another director with not much to say, but with lots of ways to say it. If it weren't for the large number of other, better Japanese films out there which are in a similar kind of vein then I would recommend this - but another surreal Yakuza movie? Full marks for trying - I look forward to seeing some of his other films.
    helpful•7
    1
    • from_the_eyes_out
    • Feb 21, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 5, 1997 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • WiLd LIFe
    • Production companies
      • Taki Corporation
      • Video Champ
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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