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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Agitated my Interest in Takashi Miike, 18 Aug 2003
With perhaps the exception of the gruelling experience of Audition, his most well known film in the UK, Japanese auteur Takashi Miike's films are so unlike anything else past or present, so idiosyncratic and unpredictable in style, tone and ideas, that many are likely to dismiss them as nonsense. Indeed, as with other directors whom consistently offer truly unique film experiences, such as Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, even the most astute and proficient of film critics have made this mistake. Tom Mes addresses this potential difficulty by deciphering and offering sound interpretations some of the more complex and seemingly imperceptible elements and themes within Miike's films. The enthusiasm for his subject pervades throughout the book, which is clearly expressed and well-researched, Mes creatively analysing and perceptively discussing the director's oeuvre. Miike's films are, without a doubt, more about style than content. And Mes's discussion is sensitive to this, highlighting particular visual and aural techniques and their baring on such things as the themes and overall tone of individual films. Mes also avoids the trap many writers fall into when writing about something they zealously adore: that of offering little genuine criticism. This often comes about when authors are too protective of their beloved subject and/or blind to their flaws. In contrast, Mes's study is as conscious and honest of the faults and problems in Miike's work as it is of their ingenuity and brilliance. Moreover, he never supplies far-fetched readings of the films that unearth sub-texts or implicit meanings that over-stretch the most insignificant of details; a problem that frequently occurs when aficionados or scholars allow their over-active imaginations to get the better of them. In addition to Mes's own views, and priceless to hard-core fans, is a fascinating and probing interview with Miike as well as the director's own diary on the making of the controversial Ichi the Killer (now available on DVD, and, quite simply, unmissable). Again, this offers much insight into how Miike approaches filmmaking and considers his art. For those yet to be turned on to the enigmatic work of Takashi Miike, Tom Mes's book provides an invaluable introduction. For those who are already somewhat au fait with the eccentric Miike universe, and survived some of the most extremely shocking images and ideas committed to celluloid, Agitator also makes a highly commendable attempt to further their appreciation and understanding of the man and his revolutionary visual vocabulary.
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