FIRST LOVE, the latest movie I've seen from the incredibly prolific Japanese cult director Takashi Miike, sees the director on fire with a film which is filled with the usual perversion, quirkiness and high energy hijinks. The first half an hour is rather confusing, introducing as it does a jumbled tapestry of characters and their links to each other, from brutal Chinese Triads to a Yakuza boss straight out of prison, a corrupt cop, a treasonous Yakuza, a drug addicted prostitute and a lonely young boxer. Gradually you get drawn into their complex story and at this point the film becomes a thrill-ride of romance, action, danger and suspense. There's the usual gory death, blacker-than-black comedy and weird stuff going on, alongside some very fine performances and likeable characters. It's definitely one of my favourites of the director's work.

First love even stranger? Yeah I reckon you knew I was going for that, so pun intended. Then again, if you do know your Miike that should not surprise you. This is quite the regular movie for him, mayhem and craziness included. Although I reckon he has been farther out then in this one. It's always a bit of a surprise when there is something resembling a coherent story.

Not to mention characters that make "sense". Still a lot of blood, a lot of violence and quite interesting turn of events. I'm not even sure I would call them twists. Many things are predictable, once all characters and their motives have been revealed. Still this is fun and entertaining, if you can wrap your head around it

This was my first look at a Takashi Miike film, and for a director with over a hundred movies to his credit, it felt like the work of a younger guy. The impetus and energy for the story comes from the fatalistic prospects of young boxer Leo Katsuragi (Masataka Kubota),incorrectly diagnosed with a brain tumor, who then figures what the heck, might as well go for the gusto in defending a hooker (Sakurako Konishi),who's been framed for stealing a stash of white powder from her pimp. It turns into a full night on the run from rival Chinese and Japanese drug gangs, with elements of the Shinjuku city police department thrown in. I didn't quite take note of the humor in the story that some other reviewers refer to since it's understated in a way that you have to look for it. Double crossing young gangster Kase (Shôta Sometani) alludes to the unreality of killing so many people on a given night, though it doesn't prevent him from running over a fellow Yakuza member after incapacitating him with a stun gun. When the action reaches a fever pitch, director Miike resorts to a colorful animated sequence to stylize the frantic pace of a high speed chase. Coming out of nowhere it has a somewhat jarring effect before reverting back to the main story. Plenty of blood and gangland violence highlight the picture, but it always leaves me with the searing question - can it be that easy to take someone's head off with the swipe of a sword?

Note*** This was the 100th film I've added to my list of 'Gangster Films I've Watched and Reviewed on IMDb'. Check it out!