user-899-95626 Crows Zero is an action movie which is based on "crows" manga. In this movie there is a violent high school named "Suzuran". The students makes their own group/gang and fight each other to be the head, the main boss/leader of that high school. One day a High Schooler as a transferred senior come to the Suzuran high school with a aim to conquer the whole school. He is the main character of the movie and his name is Takiya Genji (Shun Oguri)the son of a Yakuza boss named Takiya Hideo. During the freshman orientation assembly Yakuza arrive at the school seeking third-year senior Serizawa Tamao to avenge an injury.To show his worth, Genji fights and defeats the Yakuza, who mistake him for Tamao.

Onderhond Crows Zero is often cited as one of Miike's most commercial films. While this is hardly true (think Koshonin or One Missed Call) it certainly is one of Miike's slickest films gaining such international attention to date. The film has a solid budget, minimal weirdness and even a pretty linear and well-developed storyline. But it is still Miike alright. screen cap of Crows ZeroSetting for the film is a notorious high school where the scum of Japan gathers to gain control over their rivals. Gangs are started and wars are fought without any of the teachers interfering. While this by itself may sound like a streak of Miike weirdness it's actually not an uncommon theme in Japanese entertainment. The film itself is based on a manga, for those who haven't read it the film could best be described as a mix of Blue Spring, Volcano High and Cromartie High.Helping the setting is a typical Japanese J-Rock punk look and sound that gives each of the characters it's unique style. The weird dressing sense and crazy hairdos are lifted straight from a manga universe and, while a little silly, add a lot to the coolness of the gangs. Needless to say, there's a lot of posing and looking mean to be admired.The story is pretty simple as newcomer Genji is out to prove himself to his father and is willing to take on the top chief of the school. He impresses from the start and is able to work his way slowly to the top, where he will face Tamao to gain ultimate control of the school. There are no twists and turns so you know what to expect from the movie when it comes down to storyline development. screen cap of Crows ZeroVisually the film looks splendid, but indeed a lot slicker than earlier Miike films. There is not too much room for visual silliness anymore (although there is that bowling scene), though Miike makes excellent use of the budget he most obviously received. The action scenes in particular look stunning, with perfect use of fast forward and slow motion to increase the impact of the punches. The visual timing is spot on, aided by some very solid editing work. It's reassuring to see that Miike should not be limited to working with small budgets only.The soundtrack is a little less satisfying. Though I can live with the J-Rock sound in a film like this, the time spent on concerts and the like is a little too long. The R&B intermezzos are probably even worse and make the film a little too smooth in some scenes. A film like this could've done without them and probably would've benefited from it too.Acting is strong all round, with Shun Oguri showing off a lot of his abilities. Supporting roles are strong too, giving the film that little extra flair. And I'm always pleased to see Kenichi Endo liven things up a bit. Most importantly, the actors succeed in keeping a lighter tone throughout the scenes without hurting the gritty feel of the film.Crows Zero is not Miike's best film, though it will probably become one of his more popular ones. While the exterior of the film is a little slicker than usual there is still enough Miike weirdness left and some really bone crunching fights to behold. The film never slacks and even gives the viewer a nice look into the whole gang structure in between the fights, making it a little more than just another butt-kicking action flick.Miike is near perfect in setting the atmosphere for this film, only the music can be a little too much sometimes. Apart from that, I still prefer Miike as a loose gun director, but I can hardly criticize a film like this just because of that. A fun ride, intense where it needs to be and solid in all other areas. 4.0*/5.0*

RResende This is fully based on style. It's an exploration of what it means, in a certain moment in time, in a certain culture (arguably global...), to be cool.Everything here is designed to look cool. In fact, whenever we hear about wanting to 'rule' the school, what's in fact at stake is being the coolest there. The fighting is a fundamental issue of that coolness, the best fighters gain admiration, not for their physical skill but for the coolness with what they get out of the situations - even when Genji is defeated after fighting dozens at the same time, he falls in a cool way. To underline this, we come to understand that in fact the strongest guy in the school was in fact away from the main disputes all the way, probably because he is not cool, in the notion of the cool guys (he is cool in his uncool way).This is a thin notion, which probably will appeal to a teen mind (with 24 i'm not quite sure yet if i've ever been a teen). This film gets away with that single thin notion because it is able to support it visually. The director knows a few things about framing and pace, even though he doesn't take many risks (or none at all) in how he shoots the fights.In a way, this is no different, in root, of series like Rambo, the filmography of Chuck Norris or the urban hip-hop acting pose. Different moments in time, and different places on earth, and an important element: this film doesn't take itself seriously, as the others do. This is all staged, and that's clear to us, and it's OK. The comedy bits exist to underline this. Also the parody of the Yakuza, as inferior guys who get beaten up by the school kids.My opinion: 3/5 http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com

jmaruyama One of my favorite Japanese movie series of the 80s was Nasu Hiroyuki's absurdly violent "Be-Bop High School" which was based on Kiyuchi Kazuhiro's popular manga series which ran in "Weekly Young Jump" from 1983. It was outrageously violent and portrayed high school life as a battlefield, where personal combat was a means to prove a teen's worth and masculinity. Enter Miike Takashi's recent "Crows Zero" which almost plays like an updated version of "Be-Bop High School" albeit with his own unique flourishes and stylistic nuances. Based on Takahashi Hiroshi's gritty comic series "Crows" which runs in the "Monthly Shonen Champion" magazine, the movie follows the exploits of Takiya Genji, the son of a high ranking Yakuza gang-lord, who has transferred into the notorious high school Suzuran.Suzuran's student body has the unique distinction of being the most violent, lawless and brutal. Formal education is the least of the worries at the school as daily classes are almost non-existent and students spend most of the time either fighting with each other or allying themselves with the various factions that control the school.The top "A" class comprises of allies of the current king of the school, Serizawa Tamao(Yamada Takeyuki) who is the so-called "Hyaku Jyu Oh" (King of the Hundred Beasts) for his ferocity and strength in fights. Despite his baby faced good looks and somewhat goofy personality, he is ruthlessly determined to keep his top position at whatever costs and beats down all challengers to his throne.A new transfer student, Genji Takaya (Oguri Jun) has just entered the school and begins to make a name for himself, first by beating up a group of Yakuza who had a run in with Serizawa and then by beating a leading school warlord, Tamamura "Chuta" (Suzunosuke) to take over his class. One of the Yakuza thugs sent after Serizawa, Katagiri Ken (Yabe Kyosuke), himself a former dropout from Suzuran, takes Genji under his wing and offers to teach him how to become the new king of the school, an achievement that Genji hopes will eclipse his father's reputation and give him lasting fame.Together with Chuta, they begin to unite the other warring school factions in an effort to strike at Serizawa's class. Genji's allies include the dim-witted yet fiercely loyal Makise Takashi (Takahashi Tsutomu) and the brutal and calculating Izaki Jun (Takaoka Sousuke).Genji's ambitions bring him into conflict not only with former schoolmate Tatsukawa Tokio (Kiritani Kenta), who has become Serizawa's right hand man but also endangers the life of beautiful hip-hop singer Aizawa Ruka (Kuroki Meisa) a childhood friend, who is in love with the "bad boy".While Fudo Shugo's lively and energized script clearly draws inspiration from Takahashi's manga, it seems to also draw heavily from other similar high school delinquent manga-turned-films like "Be-Bop High School", "Rokudenashi Blues" and "Sakigake! Otokojuku". There also seems to be elements reminiscent of Walter Hill's rock-n-roll fairy tale "Streets of Fire" (1984), particularly with regards to the romance between Genji's character and Aizawa.Miike's direction is wickedly entertaining in its outrageousness and eye-catching style. Miike never fails to make visually interesting films and "Crows Zero" is no exception. Make no mistake, "Crows Zero" is a guy's film and it is filled with testosterone pumped action and showy machismo almost to a comical level. Yet, Miike surprisingly also inserts some genuinely nice and moving moments particularly involving the complicated relationships between the various characters.Miike's young cast is superb and does an awesome job as bringing Takahashi's exaggerated characters to life.Oguri Jun (GTO TV Series, Azumi, RoboCon) is mesmerizing in his role as Genji. His action scenes are terrific and he brings a devilish charm to his character. Yamada Takeyuki (Dragonhead, Maiko Haaan) is also very charming in his role as Serizawa. He is not your typical villainous thug and in fact is quite likable despite his character's actions (very similar to Russell Crowe's Ben Wade character in "3:10 To Yuma). The stunning Okinawan beauty Kuroki Meisa (Camus Nante Shiranai, Vexille) does terrific work in her small part and also gets to showoff her talents as a singer. Yabe Kyosuke (Sukiyaki Western Django, Kids Return, Dead or Alive) is another standout as the bumbling Yakuza Katagiri. Yabe brings much heart and sympathy to his character and one can't help but feel for him as he tries to live his life's dream of conquering the Suzuran vicariously through Genji.The punk rock soundtrack is appropriately loud and infectious as is Kuroki's R&B, Hip-Hop numbers. "Crows Zero" is not for everyone and its over-the-top story won't win any awards but for your average male movie-going demographic, it is an absolute winner which is sure to please.