Graveyard of Honor

Takashi Miike's GRAVEYARD OF HONOR is unlike anything you'll ever see. I can describe two films that this GRAVEYARD resembles, and those two are in their own right controversial and shocking. Like Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS, GRAVEYARD shows the inner workings of the mob, and exhibits a special interest of the director in the mob. Like Scorsese, Miike is no member or even possible prospect of the mob, but he is intrigued by them. In his film though, Miike has a particular interest in the mechanisms of the mob. Certain words and terms are explained in subtitles, commerce and killings are also explained at length. The other film GRAVEYARD resembles is HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. That film is gross and raw, featuring a disgusting rapist who acts without emotion. GRAVEYARD OF HONOR's main character is similarly evil and unemotional. Entering the mob after saving the boss' life, Ishimatsu (played perfectly by Goro Kishitani) rises quickly. After a kill, or a job, or an escape, Ishimatsu rapes a random girl brutally. Filmed in handheld, Miike exemplifies Ishimatsu's crime, and later, the girl becomes his wife, continuously raped and abused. Ishimatsu goes off the rails, but he's a powerhouse, and Miike shows how an insane character like Ishimatsu in unknowingly used by different mob families. GRAVEYARD OF HONOR is one of the best films ever made about the mob. It is raw and powerful.
Graveyard of Honor: ★★★★