One of the reasons contemporary Japanese cinema became so popular is the fact that filmmakers who came out in the end of 80s and 90s could let their imagination completely free in all aspects of their movies, from the script, to the characters, to the violence, to the production values. Thus, they came up with high-energy, punk-driven, originally presented films that are still cherished throughout the world. Based on the homonymous manga by Minetaro Mochizuki, “Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl” has Katsuhito Ishii's signature all over him, as he wrote, directed, edited, was responsible for the props, music and costume designs, and is definitely one of these films.
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The story begins outside of a hotel in the mountains, where beautiful Toshiko is trying to escape the sexual advances of her uncle Sonezaki, the owner of the establishment where she also works. Her escape however, ends up in a car accident, and her joining a yakuza on the run from his gang, Samehada. On the heels of the duo are a number of sociopathic, high fashion Yakuza headed by boss Tanuki and his son, whose keen sense of smell makes him as valuable as it does obnoxious. Eventually, a rather peculiar amateur killer, Yamada, is hired by Sonezaki to track down the two, but eventually falls in love with Samehada. As expected, a showdown is inevitable.
“Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl” is definitely one of the most absurd yakuza films ever made, with the story and the characters here being as irrational as they are entertaining. The uncle who wants to sexually exploit his niece, boss Tanuki (which has double meaning, since in Japanese, apart from the specific raccoon dog, the word is also used to describe person's facial expression of feigned ignorance, which is probably the most fitting word for the specific actor, Ittoku Kishibe) and his son who acts just like a dog is just the beginning, since the preposterousness here never stops. That fact that all the gangsters are dressed in flamboyant costumes, including Samehada who changes ones a number of times in the movie, also move in that direction, as much as the interactions between the various gangster members, particularly the ones where Sawada is involved, not to mention the ones between Yamada and everyone that comes his way.
Truth be told, Tatsuya Gashuin, who plays the particular character, is the one who steals the show in the movie, with his mannerisms and his quirkiness, not to mention his voice. The scene where he first “meets” Samehada is the most absurdly hilarious in the whole film, with its repetition resulting in the most outrageous love confession of all time. Furthermore, the action scenes involving Gashuin are all hilarious, even within their violent premises, with the standoff in the end in particular being impressively shot.
And talking about the action, the way it is choreographed and in general directed by Ishii is excellent, with the combination of violence and ridiculousness, and guns vs knives being as entertaining as possible, throughout the movie. Ishii's editing finds its apogee in these scenes, with the cuts adding to the absurdness, in an overall great work in the particular department, both in the fast pace of the movie and the placement of flashbacks within the story. Regarding the pace, the rock/punk sounds are definitely one of the appeals of the production, with their overall selection and placement being ideal.
Tadanobu Asano looks cooler than ever as Samehada, even in the moments he gets severely punished, while Kimi Shingyoji as Tanuki's wife, also steals the show with her laconic, cigarette-smoking, highly stylish persona. Ittoku Kishibe as Tanuki, Susumu Terajima as Sawada and Sie Kohinata as Toshiko round up an overall great cast.
“Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl” is a truly great movie, one that will definitely appeal to fans of Tsukamoto, Miike, Sono, Toyoda etc, and a reminder of how unique Japanese cinema used to be.
