FILM REVIEW: HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE ***

Title: Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle

Release date: 5th April 2010

Certificate: 18
Running time: 181 mins
Director: Takanori Tsujimoto
Starring: Miki Mizuno, Hirotsugu Imamura, Mitsuki Koga, Rei Fujita, Masahiro Komoto
Genre: Action
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Japan


Come quietly or there will be… trouble. Imagine a film in which the protagonist turned the other cheek and accepted the hand that had been dealt. There would be no Ben-Hur, no Straw Dogs, no Robocop and definitely no revenge. In 2007, Takanori Tsujimoto was an aspiring director that wanted to be taken seriously. With a revenge story to tell but a limited budget he had a trick up his sleeve; king of gore, Yoshihiro Nishimura. You can’t buy that for a dollar…

The not too distant future; Yokohama, in a post-apocalyptic Japan, has become a violent city beyond police control, taken over by gangs and remorseless criminals hell-bent on murderous destruction just because they can. Milly is one of the victims; her husband and child brutally murdered in front of her own tortured and mangled body, left for dead. Awaking in a deserted hospital she discovers her petite frame is now more machine than man, enhanced by knee guns, retractable swords embedded in various body parts and a cleavage to kill with. Hard Revenge Milly is purely about revenge; having tracked down a member of the Jacks Brothers’ she leaves her calling card, then sits back and waits for retribution.

Its sequel, Bloody Battle, expands the story, introducing Haru, a beautiful girl seeking help from Milly in her attempt to avenge the death of her own partner. Despite having lost her purpose in life, Milly agrees to train Haru so she may exact her own revenge. But no sooner have they begun then they are confronted by flunkeys of the departed Jacks Brothers’ who, tit for tat, want Milly dead once and for all. Not only will Milly have to overcome a foe more metal than mental, but the secret he possesses could destroy the trust Haru has for her…

Despite ambition and ultra-cool action, Hard Revenge Milly lacks plot, something improved resources still struggles to deal with when the sequel comes around. This could be worrying considering the movie lasts barely forty minutes, the sequel squeezing in it at little over eighty, but for the most part, the plot plays second fiddle to inventive bloodshed and carnage, orchestrated by Tsujimoto and mastered by Nishimura. The result is frenetic fighting replacing plot development, despite a few intriguing ideas in Bloody Battle that aren’t explored fully: Milly questions whether the memories of her past are real or just implanted by the mysterious people that rebuilt her, justifying her lust for payback.

Although the gore is top notch, excluding a few ropey effects in the first movie, it’s the choreographed fight sequences that really get the juices flowing. Tsujimoto knows where his qualities lie, and although, once again, Hard Revenge Milly suffers from some obvious wire work, Bloody Battle suggests an improvement in his directional skills, with lots of quick, short shots edited seamlessly to produce some exceptional adrenalin-inducing stand-offs. Nishimura’s trademark gore complements the often inventive and ludicrously entertaining mayhem; each gruesome demise better than the last, the final departure is a must-see crowd pleaser.

Due to the lack of budget, post-apocalyptic Japan is never fully explored, which is a shame, because the few glimpses on this wind-swept wasteland are a treat for the eyes. The isolation depicted is still frighteningly realistic, and it’s enough to suggest Milly has already arrived in Hell. Sadly, the primary locations, her home and an abandoned warehouse, are a little overused – it wouldn’t hurt to step outside every once in a while. Another problem is the plodding pace, especially in the first film. Reliant on flashbacks, a lot of time is spent watching Milly just sitting there contemplating. It’s hardly gripping viewing. More characters are introduced for the sequel, including a weird doctor, more of a gifted mechanic, and Haru, the girl seeking Milly’s help. The former offers intrigue but little answers, whilst Haru is merely a plot device to add a twist that’s never fully paid off. Having said that, at the very least it invites Tsujimoto to explore this world at a later date, and that can only be a good thing.

Miki Mizuno gives a sincere performance as Milly, taking her role seriously even if the hostilities don’t, her fight scenes suggest a bright future in the action stakes, whilst the other characters have enough depth, and their motives are concisely conveyed through satisfying performances. Let it be said, this is a far more serious affair than Tokyo Gore Police and The Machine Girl; it just happens to have the kind of hyper-kinetic fight scenes that splatter fans live for. Takanori Tsujimoto is certainly a man to keep an eye on, especially if he continues his successful partnership with Nishimura (which, lets face it, is very likely considering the workload Nishimura devours with such delight), and if he happens upon a half decent script then that’s even better. Whether he chooses to tackle bigger projects or not, Milly’s bleak world deserves to be revisited again, sooner rather than later.

Lacking in plot but more than making up for it with inventive, superbly choreographed fight sequences and gallons of blood, Hard Revenge Milly and Bloody Battle should be watched back to back to fully appreciate a desolate world that cries out for another stopover.

BUY THIS ALBUM: THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM AMERICAN SLANG ****

LISTEN TO THIS: ANARBOR 'THE WORDS YOU DON'T SWALLOW' ****

LISTEN TO THIS: AGAINST ME 'WHITE CROSSES' ****

WATCH THIS: THE COVE (DVD) ****

Following Richard O’Barry, the world’s leading authority on dolphin training, having worked on the set of Flipper until tragedy struck, this haunting documentary follows him as he forms a team of activists and filmmakers to embark on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan and reveal a dark, deadly secret. Thought-provoking, gripping and terribly tragic, The Cove is essential viewing.

ENGLAND SQUAD ANNOUNCED... FINALLY!

England's 23-man squad for the World Cup finals:

Goalkeepers:
Joe Hart (Manchester City)

David James (Portsmouth)

Robert Green (West Ham).

 Defenders:
Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)

Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)

Glen Johnson (Liverpool)

Ledley King (Tottenham)

John Terry (Chelsea)
Matthew Upson (West Ham)
Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)

Midfielders:
Gareth Barry (Manchester City)
Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
Joe Cole (Chelsea)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham)
James Milner (Aston Villa)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)

Forwards:
Peter Crouch (Tottenham)
Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)
Emile Heskey (Aston Villa)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

England team defeated by Portugal in the Quarter Finals of 2006:

England: Robinson, Neville, Terry, Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Hargreaves, Beckham (Lennon 51), Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole (Crouch 65), Rooney, Lennon (Carragher 118).

Subs Not Used: Campbell, James, Bridge, Jenas, Carrick, Downing, Carson, Walcott.
Sent Off: Rooney (62).

FILM REVIEW: ANTONIO DAS MORTES (DVD) ***

Title: Antonio Das Mortes
Release date: 14 June 1969 (Brazil)
Certificate: 15
Running time: 100 mins
Director: Glauber Rocha
Starring: Mauricio Do Valle, Odete Lara, Othon Bastos, Hugo Carvana, Joffre Soares
Genre: Drama/Western
Studio: Antoine Films
Format: DVD
Country: Brazil

Director Glauber Rocha was the leading light of the Brazilian Cinema Nuovo which revolutionised cinema in that country during the sixties. But the movement was stunted by the emergence of the Generals, who feared its radical films posed a threat to them. One of those films, Antonio Das Mortes, won Rocha the Best Director award at Cannes and his popularity in Europe and America was assured. Because of the problems in Brazil, Rocha decided to start filming in Africa and Spain but instead of moving on to bigger and better things his popularity declined. He turned to alcohol and drugs, dying at the age of 43 in 1981, leaving a potentially great legacy uncompleted.


His Cannes winner, Antonio Das Mortes, is the sequel to 1964’s epic ‘God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun’. Das Mortes appears in the first film as a hit-man nicknamed ‘Cangaceiro Killer’, hired by the local church to kill the last Cangaceiro (pirates of the desert). In the sequel he plays the main protagonist, returning to Jardim Das Piranhas, hired to take down another Cangaceiro, 29 years after they had seemingly been wiped out (almost single-handedly by Antonio).


Colonel Horacio is the blind landlord desperate for Antonio’s help, not wanting to share his land with people led by Coirana, the Cangaceiro. A duel leads to Coirana’s lengthy but inevitable demise, during which Antonio comes to the realisation that he is fighting for the wrong side. Coirana is merely an idealist, a leader of the hopeless and the hungry, its families destroyed by post-colonial exploitation. Colonel Horacio and Police Officer Mattos are disturbed by Antonio’s decision not to finish off Coirana when he had the chance. Sensing betrayal, they panic - lies and deceit suddenly spilling from every open wound.


Mattos sees his chance to overthrow the Colonel and tries to convince Antonio to kill him. When he refuses, Horacio’s wife Laura, who Mattos has been having an affair with, convinces him to kill the Colonel but he isn’t brave enough. Horacio catches wind of the affair and hires Mata Vaca to murder Mattos and his betraying wife Laura. Holed up in a bar, Laura decides the only way out is to kill her cowardly lover, sparing her life. Vaca continues his unforgiving rampage, wiping out the families and devotees Antonio had sided with, searching for the Cangaceiro Killer to end the feud. A shootout at the church is inevitable - bringing with it a climax and resolution that finally offers meaning to Antonio Das Mortes’ life, an existence devoid of anything for the last 29 years.


Although technically a sequel, Rocha’s story is just as powerful regardless of its predecessor. The only thing it lacks is revealing a backstory that might explain Antonio Das Mortes’ motives and thoughts. Too often he carries a silent, passive demeanor even when hell breaks out all around him. All we know is that he refuses to be paid for the assignment, curious to see if the rumour of one remaining cangaceiros is correct. Being proud is all well and good, especially if you claim to be the man who killed the last pirate, but sometimes it’s quite comical to see him just standing there like a statue as others fight and argue around him.


The first act is a slightly plodding affair; too much talk and not enough action. It isn’t until Antonia fatally stabs Coirana that things start to happen, and a plot lacking in direction suddenly explodes into life, twisting and turning to reveal genuinely exciting moments. In fact, sometimes it’s all a little too much; especially a love triangle only becoming obvious when Laura is dispatched in the final act. A drunk teacher smothering her in kisses as she pays her last respects to her dearly departed lover she couldn’t wait to kill in order to save her own neck a little unconvincing.


But without his new sidekick’s help, Antonia would never be able to confront Mata Vata and his disciples, all baying for blood. In fact, even he and the vengeful teacher, good with a rifle, shouldn’t be able to survive without a single scratch; the shootout climax wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of 24 as Das Mortes, or is it Bauer, picks off each foe one by one with a disappointing ease. The soundtrack offers more backstory than the screenplay, which is a shame when you are forced to constantly glance downwards at the subtitles to read its lyrics. However, the chanting and ritual songs from the disciples add another layer to the tension, drawing the viewer in, especially in the film’s manic second act. It really is rather exhilarating and a powerful trick by Rocha, complementing the stark and natural beauty of a Brazil that is no more.


The potential Glauber Rocha had is evident in this violent film that twists and turns brilliantly after a plodding first act. Some revelations are a little hard to swallow but the films power is undeniable and worthy of your attention.