Our take
Sure, it takes a special type of crazy to try to make it in the movies, especially if you’ve been at it for ten years without any sort of premiere, but the strangely persistent four-man production of Why Don’t You Play in Hell? takes this to even crazier heights, involving a yakuza gang war and potentially their lives. Writer-director Sion Sono infuses his signature gore with much more playful comedy, slinging together chaotic action scenes through the pure power of cool, and the entire roster’s enthusiasm for cinema is just so infectious, it’s compelling to watch, even when the plotlines don’t fully mesh well. Why Don’t You Play in Hell? is such a fun tribute to gritty action filmmaking.
What it won
Venice
1 nom
The story
In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.
Elsewhere
"A deliriously gaudy celebration of the decline of everything (including Japanese cinema, film as a medium, and any notion of good taste), it plays like the improbable bastard offspring of Cinema Paradiso (1988) and Kill Bill (2003)"
— Anton Bitel
"A middle-aged filmmaker's tribute to the kind of epic-sized gangster-romance he used to fantasize about making."
— Simon Abrams
A group of gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save the acting career of child star Mitsuko, end a yakuza war between Muto’s and Ikegami’s clans, and make a hit movie.
How much fake blood, exactly, was used for this film? It’s actually insane.
People say that it takes a miracle to make a film. This is one heck of a miracle.
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
