Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)

A renegade film crew becomes embroiled with a yakuza clan feud.

Director:

Sion Sono

Writer:

Sion Sono (screenplay)

Stars:

Jun Kunimura, Fumi Nikaidô, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi

8 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jun Kunimura	...	Muto
Fumi Nikaidô	...	Mitsuko Muto
Shin'ichi Tsutsumi	...	Ikegami
Hiroki Hasegawa	...	Director Hirata
Gen Hoshino	...	Koji Hashimoto
Tomochika	...	Shizue
Itsuji Itao	...	Masuda
Hiroyuki Onoue	...	Detective Tanaka
Tak Sakaguchi	...	Sasaki
Tetsu Watanabe	...	Detective Kimura
Tasuku Nagaoka	...	Mitsuo Yoshimura
Akihiro Kitamura	...	Hitman
Megumi Kagurazaka	...	Junko
Motoki Fukami	...	Master
Tarô Suwa	...	Sumita

Storyline

A renegade film crew becomes embroiled with a yakuza clan feud.

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Plot Keywords:

yakuza | tracksuit | cutting wrist | neck slashing | prison | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

7 November 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Why Don't You Play in Hell?

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,060, 7 November 2014

Gross USA:

$28,534

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Records, KH Capital, BizAsset

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Game of Death (1978)

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Soundtracks

Second movement (Allegretto) of Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Opus 92
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

One Helluva Self-Reflexive Yakuza Splatterfest.

Why Don't You Play In Hell? is all sorts of great fun. It's essentially a comedy driven Yakuza splatterfest. Sure, the actual splatter is mostly CGI, but the rest of the special effects and hilariously great kills more than compensate for this weakness.

It all begins in the not so distant past, with a group of kids who wander the streets in search of content to capture for a film they dream of making.

These kids call themselves "The F*uck Bombers", and have their HQ in the backroom of their local cinemaplex. They dream of making an epic movie together, but aren't particularly focused on completing the task.

On the flipside, we have Mitsuko- a young actress who has become infamous for singing a catchy tune in a toothpaste commercial. She is the daughter of the leader of the Muto Yakuza clan and his wife.

One day Mitsuko returns home after acting class, to find an absolute bloodbath in her apartment. Turns out, the rival Ikegami clan had tried to raid and assassinate her father. But they happened upon her mother instead...whose capacity for vengeance they had clearly underestimated.

Anyways, the sole survivor of this ordeal was Ikegami himself. And he became obsessed with young Mitsuko- when she happened upon him near death....giving him a new lease on life.

Fast Forward 10 years later....

The F*ck Bombers still haven't completed their film (though the passion is still there). Muto's wife has been imprisoned for the massacre she unleashed on the Ikegami's. Mitsuko has become a rebel youth and disappeared off the grid. While both Muto and Ikegami are attempting to find her.

Eventually, she is captured by the Muto clan- who want her to star in a movie they are planning to produce- in order to appease the desires of Muto's imprisoned wife. But Ikegami thinks he could be a better father to her- and thus, is also searching for her.

Upon her forced return, Mitsuko escapes and runs into a self-deprecating young gentleman named Koji- who used to be totally in love with her as a boy. She asks him to be her "pretend boyfriend" as a means to ruse her captors. Never has he felt so lucky and privileged.

Anyways, Koji is given an ultimatum: direct the film for the Muto clan or die. He agrees, but has no filmmaking skills. So he runs away to find The F*ck Bombers...so that they can finally realize their decade long fantasy...with full funding, an actual crew, and actors!!! The plan is to set up a Muto raid on the Ikegami clan...and film the whole thing in realtime (for maximum realism)- with both parties acting as willing participants.

Cue one of the most hilariously over-the-top bloodbaths ever captured on 35mm celluloid.

This film is absolutely hilarious from start to finish. The characters are great. The special effects are awesome (less the overuse of CGI bloodspatter).There are loads of amazing deaths and kills. And the final scene is so action packed you simply can't look away without missing something.

Like with all films about making a film, it also possesses an incredibly alluring quality of self-reflexivity (meaning that the content of the film acts as a reflection on the making of the film). I haven't seen a film which such a depth of self-reflexivity since the indie masterpiece The Wizard Of Speed In Time. So this film is keeping up with some pretty solid company!!! It's simple really. If you like gore- or films about making films- this will definitely be up your alley. Be sure to check it out!!! 8.5 out 10.