|
 Masters
of Horror: Imprint (2006)
R1 / NTSC DVD
Anchor Bay / 2006
Directed by Takashi Miike
Written by Daisuke Tengan, Shimako Iwai
Cast: Billy Drago, Youki Kudoh, Michie Itô, Toshie Negishi,
Shiho Harumi
Review by Vaughn Drake
Wife beating, priest on child molestation, abortion, graphic
torture, incest, patricide…these are several of the reasons
why Showtime originally passed on airing this Masters of
Horror episode. Billy Drago plays Christopher, an American
journalist who travels to an island brothel to find his long
lost love Komomo, whom he promised to whisk away to America.
He finds out she’s passed on, and in his grief he demands to
know her story. One of Komomo’s closest friends, a deformed
prostitute who knows of Komomo’s last hours, proceeds to
enlighten Christopher. However Christopher has a hard time
believing Komomo hanged herself and demands more
information. Each time the story becomes clearer and perhaps
more honest, a sicker account of Komomo and her friend comes
out, until he’s had enough and ends the conversation with
dramatic results.
The look of the movie is absolutely gorgeous with vibrant
colors jumping out at the viewer with beautiful sets
highlighting an abundance of non politically correct issues.
Spoken completely in English, many of the cast members, who
do not naturally speak English, phonetically mouth their
lines…but somehow it works. Having said that, my main
complaint with the short movie is the phonetic acting of the
Japanese cast somehow manages to out act English speaking
Billy Drago. I swear Drago would lose an acting contest to
William Shatner, Madonna, Keanu Reeves and David Caruso.
The DVD, like all the Masters of Horror DVDs, is packed to
the gills with bonus materials, but one feature I wish was
present, is not. Miike is only heard in an interview, and I
would have loved to hear him comment on his movie during a
running commentary. We also receive a philosophical lesson
about the vagina; “That hole is the one that leads to hell.”
Truer words have never been spoken. |
