UniqueName76
What is Survive Style 5+? One of the best films I have ever seen in my life. This film is about 5 ( or more, you decide) styles of living, depicted in a seemingly haphazard and bewildering form. The use of song, colors, cinematography will ensure most people have no excuse BUT to be captivated by every scene. Even those that simply miss out on all the symbolism and allegories for every day life will find this movie highly entertaining simply from the excellent performances and superb overall presentation.The movie opens up with a man, who's apparently murdered his wife, burying her in the forest with a couple of meaningful comments about murder itself. That serious moment opens up a floodgate of seemingly subconscious events and comedy that is meant to jar you from the underlying essence of the movie for a moment. The film introduces other "styles of life", for example a group of bumbling burglar teens, a hit-man (Vinnie Jones) and his translator, an advertising guru who thinks every think she makes is the pinnacle of hilarity, and a family that apparently has a few issues of their own to deal with.Each layer of bizarre is followed by another layer of bizarre, until the ending will most likely leave you with your jaw on the floor. The great thing about SS5+ is that deep within the layers of apparently non-sensical comedy and action, there is a meaning to unearth, most people will come up with their own ideas as to "what it all means" and THAT is the best aspect of SS5+, enjoy.
suspiria56
Well what can you say... just witnessed this spectacle ... completely crazy...yet still manages to have depth. Not everything works , its a little too long but hey !! who cares when you have plot lines which includes a dysfunctional couple (played to the extreme), repressed homosexuality which blossoms at the end, amazing soundtrack (even the cake song was relevant), a man who is mentally a bird due to hypnotism gone wrong, later taught by his his son to fly due to the son's admiration of his father, Vinnie Jones !? who constantly is interpreted by a Japanese sidekick who never once utters a word of English, the worlds greatest actor (T.Asano), set designs that will blow your mind, spoofs of J-horror/game shows/anything really !! ... i could go on and on... not for everyone but why is this not released in the UK. There is so much more than Ghost stories and Miike takashi (he is still amazing mind)... invest in Survival Style 5+... it makes Tarantino look like Renny Harlin
kmevy
Definitely one of my favorites!There are so many creative and innovative ideas and genuine rip-off's of clichés. A real fun to watch. And the stunning art style ... never seen a so detailed and thought-out flick like this one. Even when you watching this film a second time you still might get lost in figuring out all these details. Music was also perfectly used; a 100% match with the art style (something like Rock/Pop ...(?).. well, you'll get it when you see it) Even the slower and moderate background music (simple piano chords), which was used in the middle of the film for quite a long time, was also a consummate choice. The highlight, alongside the art style, of this movie was definitely characters and acting. Every one of them really stand out. Some of the reviews complained about a cliché-kind of presentation of Vinnie Jones. You know, this was intentionally; hinting at the cliché image of Gaikokujin (foreigners) in japan. It is just an amazing performance of the entire cast.If i happen to see this movie presented in an art exhibition, i wouldn't be surprised at all. A real masterpiece, though some might only like it, but not love it, as i do ... well, too bad! ;)
guido_thepimp-1
Everything said is an opinion so it might help you decide or it may give you the wrong impressions. Be aware of this. I read a few opinions on this website before watching Survive Style 5 and they were mostly misleading. I am not bitter but this is simply what I think. The film had it's moments which were mostly good comedy and some romance(or maybe that's just me being attracted to beautiful women), but overall the film was drawn out, the story was too difficult to comprehend, and I can endure long silences with no action or movement, but only when there is a purpose, and in this film I saw no purpose and lost interest through the film a few times. There was a review here on IMDb that described the silent character's role as amazing, but I just did not feel his amazing performance. In comparison, I watched Musa The Warrior the following night where the leading role is a silent one and I was truly awe struck by his performance, which had just as little dialog and I know it's a completely different story and setting, but writing and acting and directing created the most mesmerizing silent performance I have ever witnessed, and it ranks highly among all other characters I have seen. Musa's character was an amazing performance and like someone on IMDb already mentioned about Korean films in relation to SS5, there are better quality films out there with better writing, acting, directing, and which come together to make quality films that have a lasting impression because they are so compelling. Musa was one of these films that is so absorbing that after two hours when the film had ended, it seemed like on an hour and a half. So watch and enjoy what films you will, opinions are for the individual and should be cautiously observed. I hope you enjoy the film and many more Korean films to come.
AD
