Review of Bullet Ballet

Introduction

Films can be entertaining, educational, exciting, moving, and a plethora of other adjectives. It`s a rare film though that can be described as unsettling. I first saw Tetsuo over ten years ago now, hidden away on late night television. Shinya Tsukamoto`s cyberpunk vision of man and machine made my skin crawl. It was an experience that has stayed with me ever since, despite the fact that I have never seen the film again. When the opportunity came up to review Bullet Ballet, made in1998 by the same director, I felt pretty comfortable in the knowledge that no matter what the film may be like, it would be unlike anything I had seen before.

Goda has a successful career directing commercials, but his life is torn apart when his girlfriend commits suicide with a gun she has been holding for a friend. Goda becomes obsessed with the gun, a Smith & Wesson Chief`s Special, and tries desperately to get hold of one. This sends him headlong into Tokyo`s underworld, where he tries and initially fails to obtain the restricted weapon. He encounters a gang of disaffected youths led by Goto, comprised of members who lead hardworking respectable lives by day, and seek thrills and violence by night. Among them is the elfin Chisato, a girl whose fascination with violence verges on the morbid, and who seeks increasingly lethal thrills. The gang just see Goda as easy pickings, but Goda`s search for his weapon will intertwine his fate with that of the gang, as he struggles to understand what it is that drives him to seek out violence.

Video

Bullet Ballet is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. The film is shot in stunning monochrome in a documentary style with handheld cameras. The image is clear and sharp, with just a hint of grain. The contrast is good, with the play of dark and light, the variation of shade reproduced to dramatic effect. Tsukamoto`s astounding cinematography is something worthy of appreciation, and this disc certainly does the film justice in that respect. The only complaint I have is an ill-timed layer change about 16 minutes from the end of the film.

Audio

The soundtrack on this disc is a DD 5.1 Japanese track. It`s an unremarkable surround track, with subtle use of the surrounds for ambience and reproducing the sparsely used metallic score. The dialogue is clear throughout, and as on all the Artsmagic releases that I have seen thus far, there are two subtitle tracks, differing only in the size of font used.

Features

On the disc you will find filmographies for Shinya Tsukamoto, Hisashi Igawa, Kirina Mano and Kyoka Suzuki. These are presented in the form of text pages that you can navigate through with your remote control.

There are two trailers and a page of artwork to promote the film.

The Director`s Interview lasts 35 minutes and is presented in 4:3 format. It`s an interesting conversation with Tsukamoto as he discusses the themes that motivate his films and Bullet Ballet in particular, the interaction between citizen and city. He discusses his style of filmmaking and the difficult genesis of Bullet Ballet. There was a problem with the subtitling on this feature though; three times the subtitle caption was truncated at the edge of the screen. Fortunately the gist of what was being said wasn`t lost.

Finally there is the Tom Mes commentary. Tom Mes is the Bey Logan of Japanese cinema, bringing his considerable knowledge forth to accompany many Japanese films. His comments are always pertinent, providing background into the filming process, the filmmakers and the cast, and he also provides a cultural context for the film that adds meaning. He has an understated, measured delivery though, that would benefit from subtitles, absent here.

Conclusion

Bullet Ballet is certainly unique. It`s brutal, violent and uncompromising, yet paints its characters with sensitivity and honesty. Like all thought provoking cinema, it works on many levels, and repeat viewing certainly rewards. The Artsmagic presentation focuses on the violence, the text on the back of the case refers to `humanity`s deep need to make war`. Indeed Bullet Ballet`s examination of the gang culture is indicative of this aspect. However the storyline that resonated with me most was Goda`s personal journey. After the suicide of his girlfriend he becomes obsessed with possessing the weapon that she used. His search for that weapon pulls him deeper into the heart of the Tokyo underworld, embroils him in violence, and sets him on a self-destructive path. It`s an examination of the grieving process, as he tries to understand what happened to his girlfriend that fascinates. In that respect, it`s his ambiguous relationship with Chisato that provides some sort of focus to his actions. Initially seeking some sort of vengeance against the gang that has attacked him on more than one occasion, (Chisato has literally left an impression on him), when Goda learns of Chisato`s self destructive nature, he sees a chance to understand why his girlfriend killed herself, and gradually becomes something of a protector.

As the film progresses, and Goda more involved in the gang culture, events spiral out of control becoming more brutal and nihilistic. Bullet Ballet sets out to shock, to disturb, and the climax of the film is violent and bloody. Yet the final scene is optimistic and uplifting. Shinya Tsukamoto takes us through a journey into grief and mourning, of despair, apathy and loss, yet proffers us the chance of redemption, of transcendence. It`s ultimately a story of death and rebirth, one told in uncompromising terms.

The performances are excellent. Shinya Tsukamoto also stars as Goda, a man bewildered by his loss, then obsessed with trying to understand it. Kirina Mano is mesmerising as the ephemeral Chisato, always pushing the limit, as if through violence is the only way that she can experience life. The supporting cast also excel. The photography is astounding, monochrome is the perfect medium for this film and Tsukamoto wields shade and light to brilliant effect. The alleyways and back streets, the gang inhabit are claustrophobic and suffocating, the realistic style of filming makes the violence seem ever more brutal, yet it is accomplished more through implication, reaction and the audience imagination, and it is all the more effective for it.

Bullet Ballet is a film that grabs you from the first scene and doesn`t let go. It`s rare for a film to elicit such a variety of reactions, but Bullet Ballet manages to both attract and repel, and it`s a disturbing and moving experience. The characters elicit both sympathy and revulsion; none of them is truly irredeemable, and the world they inhabit has no simple right or wrong, no moral code to adhere to. Yet the stunning final scene left me feeling uplifted and optimistic. The journey that these characters go on is ultimately a worthwhile and meaningful one. Artsmagic have presented the film well, but one or two niggles should have been picked up. Bullet Ballet is amazing, visceral cinema, well worth your time.