I'm happy I can finally say now that I've watched a great Takashi Miike film. Rainy Dog retains all the gritty, stylish motifs that Miike is known for, but this time his story is grounded in reality. Rainy Dog tells the story of a struggling Japanese hit-man that hates the rain as he's living out in Taiwan. His world is upheaved when a woman from his past informs him that he has a son, which she dumps on him.
The film then goes from being a gangster flick into a hybrid coming of age story as both the father and son as they adapt to their situation. Whilst the father is also trying to evade a local crime boss who's after him. Rainy Dog is a quiet, slow paced introspective film. This film worked well for me as i'm not a fan of Miike's usually hyper-kinetic direction and the over the top silliness that's found in most of his screenplays. This film has an engaging narrative, even if it borders occasionally on clichés that are found in the gangster genre. There's nothing wholly original in this film. However what makes it work though is how well directed the film is and the serious thoughtful approach given to the script.
The films cinematography has a wonderful atmospheric tone, the whole film is literally drenched in rain which adds another layer on emotion on top of the film. The film also has fleshed out interesting characters, that whilst flawed, they're also sympathetic and relatable. One of the main issue I have with Miike's films are the poor characterisations, most of the time his characters feel like cartoons. Here he goes a great job of making them feel human. In the end Rainy Dog is a familiar but effective crime drama, and is one of Miike's best films.
The film then goes from being a gangster flick into a hybrid coming of age story as both the father and son as they adapt to their situation. Whilst the father is also trying to evade a local crime boss who's after him. Rainy Dog is a quiet, slow paced introspective film. This film worked well for me as i'm not a fan of Miike's usually hyper-kinetic direction and the over the top silliness that's found in most of his screenplays. This film has an engaging narrative, even if it borders occasionally on clichés that are found in the gangster genre. There's nothing wholly original in this film. However what makes it work though is how well directed the film is and the serious thoughtful approach given to the script.
The films cinematography has a wonderful atmospheric tone, the whole film is literally drenched in rain which adds another layer on emotion on top of the film. The film also has fleshed out interesting characters, that whilst flawed, they're also sympathetic and relatable. One of the main issue I have with Miike's films are the poor characterisations, most of the time his characters feel like cartoons. Here he goes a great job of making them feel human. In the end Rainy Dog is a familiar but effective crime drama, and is one of Miike's best films.