Masahiro Shinoda's Pale Flower is a gorgeously shot (and scored) yakuza noir set in and around gambling dens, which fits perfectly with its fatalistic themes. We follow Muraki, a mobster who just came out of prison and is trying to get his bearings in the shifting underworld. He killed a man because it was his turn to kill a man, and because it was that man's turn to be killed. In that absurd statement is the crux of the film. Muraki meets a mysterious young woman called Saeko, a nimble gambler who wants to every increasing stakes so she can feel alive, and the two of them, each in their own way, represent how brief our lives are, though you're within your rights to question whether their existential and nihilistic reactions to that realization are correct, or just self-destructive. Note that while the gambling monopolizes a good chunk of screen time, the game they play, perhaps enigmatic to Western eyes, is something Shinoda teaches visually, to the point where you can appreciate a good hand at least once. I still can't say it gave up all its mysteries, but it certainly didn't detract.
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Limbesdautomne
Game of looks in the dark and gambling straight in the eyes. Achromatic choreography of appearances for a dry thriller in raincoat.Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
SeanMX12
Thank you Roger Ebert. When I checked this 8 months ago, it had 35 checks. This will definitely get this classic more recognition.Gershwin
Roger Ebert just added this film to his Great Movies.SeanMX12
If you have netflix, it's available on instant watch.Siskoid
Masahiro Shinoda's Pale Flower is a gorgeously shot (and scored) yakuza noir set in and around gambling dens, which fits perfectly with its fatalistic themes. We follow Muraki, a mobster who just came out of prison and is trying to get his bearings in the shifting underworld. He killed a man because it was his turn to kill a man, and because it was that man's turn to be killed. In that absurd statement is the crux of the film. Muraki meets a mysterious young woman called Saeko, a nimble gambler who wants to every increasing stakes so she can feel alive, and the two of them, each in their own way, represent how brief our lives are, though you're within your rights to question whether their existential and nihilistic reactions to that realization are correct, or just self-destructive. Note that while the gambling monopolizes a good chunk of screen time, the game they play, perhaps enigmatic to Western eyes, is something Shinoda teaches visually, to the point where you can appreciate a good hand at least once. I still can't say it gave up all its mysteries, but it certainly didn't detract.Buksemannen
Beautifully shot!Louis Mazzini
Absolutely stunning movie! The perfect noir.