As some of
you know I’m a bit special. My taste sometimes takes absurd ways and often
totally without care of other movie geeks emotions. Tarantino, for example, is
a director that never caught my eye when he first broke through with Reservoir
Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Good movies, but nothing special – in my humble opinion.
They felt forced naturalistic, which I never liked. I really started to
appreciate Tarantino’s work when he made Kill Bill 1 and 2, Death Proof,
Inglorious Basterds and now Django Unchained, movies which seems more honest
and exploitive – but still doesn’t lose their message. Anyway, f**k you if you’re
not agreeing with me ;)
Just kidding.
But when Pulp Fiction came out the market was flooded with hip, Tarantino-esque crime-movies, plagiarizing Tarantino’s style and themes. Basically exploitation of exploitation. One of the best was the much underrated Things to Do in Denver When you’re Dead, but also 1997’s Suicide Kings (starring, among others, Christopher Walken). They both feel more refined, less pretentious… and I like that a lot.
This leads me to Sushi Girl. The cover and title made me first think of one of those stylish but terrible boring Japanese splatter flicks from Sushi Typhoon, but after a couple of weeks seeing the blu-ray everywhere – pretty cheap also – I just had to pick it up and read what the hell it was about. To my surprise it’s seemed like a modern Tarantino-rip off (in a good way of course) starring Tony Todd, Mark Hamill, Noah Hathaway, James Duval and Andy Mackenzie + cameos by Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, Danny Trejo and Sonny Chiba! Not a bad cast! So I decided to give it a try…
Tony Todd is Duke, a powerful criminal who one evening gathers his former gang of robbers to once and for all get the truth out regarding some missing diamonds. Fish (Hathaway) has just left the prison after a failed robbery where the diamonds never was found. He’s spent six years in prison and all the others are convinced he knows where they are. But it’s a very special evening, Duke has arranged to serve a very unique form of sushi – served on the body of a naked young woman. The last piece to be eaten is the Fugu, a piece of a very poisonous fish – deadly if not prepared correctly. Now this woman is stuck in the middle of a violent, graphic, sadistic and very dirty verbal showdown between criminals who just want to get rich!
Sushi Girl is directed with so much flair and talent I was surprised. I expected something simpler, something… primitive. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me. This looks like a million bucks, but I sincerely think it was a lot cheaper to make. I have some problems with story, there are a few things that don’t work according to me – including quite a big detail, but hey… I can live with that. I’ve would have done it in a different way, but it’s not my movie and I must respect what the filmmakers have done here. The real reason to watch it is the cast. Hathaway, James Duval and Andy Mackenzie are wonderful, but my favorite Tony Todd makes on his best performances in years and years. He’s totally committed to this character! Such intensity! Chiba, Biehn, Trejo and Fahey makes cameos – good ones, good actors – but hard to judge because they doesn’t have that much to do. THE star of the film, except Todd, is Mark Hamill – who’s so far away from Luke Skywalker as possible as the sleazy, super-gay Crow – like a mix between Philip Seymour Hoffman in Boogie Nights but with a big splash of Hypnotoad and Steve Buscemi. Brilliant all the way, and he’s also gives 1000 % in his performance. I’ve always liked Hamill, he really is one under-fucking-rated actor, and it’s fun to see him in such an original part.
Sushi Girl surely has its flaws, but the good things make the bad things quite unimportant. It’s a visual feast, an gold mine of acting and makes some bigger budgeted movies die of shame!
"Tarantino, for example, is a director that never caught my eye when he first broke through with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Good movies, but nothing special – in my humble opinion. They felt forced naturalistic, which I never liked."
No, I liked both of them....instantly when they first arrived.....still do.
"I really started to appreciate Tarantino’s work when he made Kill Bill 1 and 2, Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds and now Django Unchained, movies which seems more honest and exploitive – but still doesn’t lose their message."
I like them too....but I see them more as a 2nd chapter in Tarantinos CV.....wether or not he goes back or continues on this path....remains to see.
"Anyway, f**k you if you’re not agreeing with me ;)"
Awwwwww.......don´t be mad.....hahahhahahhahahha...
"But when Pulp Fiction came out the market was flooded with hip, Tarantino-esque crime-movies, plagiarizing Tarantino’s style and themes."
Yeah.....there were alot of that then.
"One of the best was the much underrated Things to Do in Denver When you’re Dead, but also 1997’s Suicide Kings (starring, among others, Christopher Walken). They both feel more refined, less pretentious…"
I had big problems with both of them......very bland I thought.
But Walken was great in both these films......well....I always liked him.
"starring Tony Todd, Mark Hamill, Noah Hathaway, James Duval and Andy Mackenzie + cameos by Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, Danny Trejo and Sonny Chiba! Not a bad cast!"
You could say that again...great cast.
"I have some problems with story, there are a few things that don’t work according to me – including quite a big detail, but hey… I can live with that. I’ve would have done it in a different way, but it’s not my movie and I must respect what the filmmakers have done here."
It´s hard but sometimes a good film with flaws, is something you have to accept.
"Chiba, Biehn, Trejo and Fahey makes cameos – good ones, good actors – but hard to judge because they doesn’t have that much to do."
Well.....they usually deliver.
"is Mark Hamill – who’s so far away from Luke Skywalker as possible as the sleazy, super-gay Crow – like a mix between Philip Seymour Hoffman in Boogie Nights but with a big splash of Hypnotoad and Steve Buscemi."
Did you just use Hypnotoad and Buscemi in the same sentence...?
hahhahahhahahahh....I will steal this from you!
"Sushi Girl surely has its flaws, but the good things make the bad things quite unimportant. It’s a visual feast, an gold mine of acting and makes some bigger budgeted movies die of shame!"
Casting alone is a reason to see this.....good review and thanks, never heard of it.
Posted by: Megatron | October 17, 2013 at 17:10
remember reading about this a while ago but then forgot all about it. Cool review Fred. Going to look for this one. Also, agree with you on Thing to do in Denver... love that movie. "I am Godzilla!" "You are Japan!" some awesome dialogues in that one.
Posted by: gk | October 17, 2013 at 18:22