While not exactly a "gay movie" -- there's no actual homosexuality anywhere in the film -- "Gozu" gradually morphs from a yakuza buddy/ quest story into a exercise in deconstructing the genre's confident myths of masculinity. A young yakuza tough finds himself in an unfamiliar city, stuck with the task of tracking down an old friend and mentor. Problems: first of all, he's not sure whether the friend is dead or alive, and second, when he does find him, he's been ordered to kill him, and third, he's surrounded by increasingly bizarre characters out of a David Lynch or Fellini film -- half of whom seem to want into his pants. His cool thoroughly shaken, our protagonist is unprepared for what he discovers when he finally tracks down his friend. Paradoxically, the story's escalating weirdness makes the film's emotional trajectory totally comprehensible -- and it's the only thing that possibly could.
Miike has created a minor masterpiece here, though you have to wonder if he knew what he was doing; coming from a director who's made overtly homophobic films, it's hard to believe that he was aware of all the things "Gozu" suggests. On the other hand, Miike gets credit for never losing his sense of humor, which perhaps gives him enough perspective to make films that approach the question from different, even contradictory, points of view. "Gozu" isn't recommended for anyone with a low tolerance for violent humor, body-fluid gross-outs or the theater of the absurd. On the other other hand, if you're interested in seeing the yakuza genre's masculinity myths picked apart by a director eminently qualified for the job, consider this film unmissable.
Miike has created a minor masterpiece here, though you have to wonder if he knew what he was doing; coming from a director who's made overtly homophobic films, it's hard to believe that he was aware of all the things "Gozu" suggests. On the other hand, Miike gets credit for never losing his sense of humor, which perhaps gives him enough perspective to make films that approach the question from different, even contradictory, points of view. "Gozu" isn't recommended for anyone with a low tolerance for violent humor, body-fluid gross-outs or the theater of the absurd. On the other other hand, if you're interested in seeing the yakuza genre's masculinity myths picked apart by a director eminently qualified for the job, consider this film unmissable.