Red-Barracuda I had previously seen an earlier film helmed by Tetsuya Nakashima, namely Confessions (2010). I seem to remember that one dealt with some disturbing material involving high school kids. Well, this latest film from Nakashima also delves into these particular waters. In this one we have an older central character, a man who is an alcoholic, violent and a bad father. He is a former detective who is on the hunt for his missing daughter. As he progresses in his investigation, layer by layer he discovers more and more of his teenage daughter's horrendous double-life.This Japanese mystery-thriller was not unlike the South Korean film Oldboy (2003) with its complete absence of likable characters populating a world where every part of society is rotten. If anything, this movie is even more extreme in this regard. It's a very violent film, although its heavy stylization meant that the nastier elements are less disturbing overall. In truth the style that the film presents its story is possibly both its strength and its weakness. It is made up of rapid edits, with memories and present day occurrences being interwoven together. It is a bit full-on I have to say and thank heavens for the rewind button! It can be hard to follow if I am totally honest and you will need to be alert to keep up with this one. So I think the presentation can be a bit of an issue, however, it is also this very complex editing that ensures that the story is more compelling. Once you look back on it, the story has certain weaknesses, with an ultimate resolution to the mystery not necessarily being as interesting as the journey we take getting there. But the journey is interesting and dynamically told and, in fairness, I am sure this one would benefit from a re-watch given that there really is a lot going on. In addition to the relentless editing, there are also anime and comic-book graphics interspersed throughout, as well as twee Japanese schoolgirl material mixed in with disturbing and violent stuff; while there is a constant reference to 'Alice in Wonderland' with the idea of a girl falling down a hole that just keeps on going. It's a heady mix of ideas all things considered and I have to say that its ambitious presentation made this one a film well worth seeing.

24 hour party pizza Disturbing and well-crafted portrait of a broken family dealing with their agony and desperation by inflicting it upon others, as well as themselves. Japanese stalwart Koji Yakusho (13 Assassins, Kairo) leads as the vicious, alcoholic father on the hunt for his missing daughter, whose pain is more complicated than her absent parents know. Multilayered narrative and hyper-kinetic editing style reveal tortured emotions behind the graphic violence, although director Tatsuya Nakashima (Confessions, Kamikaze Girls) still has problems drawing uniformly strong performances from a young cast and spends too much time with a secondary character infatuated with Kanako. Utilizing animation, musical montage, and nearly every possible cinematic tool, the film drains the audience until we are as resigned to Kanako's fate as she is. Easily Nakashima's best film, although still flawed. Fans of Japanese aesthetics may love it.

tommywahlman I just seen the movie and i am speechless, one thing tho it made me scared of good looking Japanese women. Seriously after the movie i felt you cant trust anyone.There is a mixed emotion and feeling after i seen it and i ain't sure what to say. I do like Asian movies as they are different, they make you think, sometimes to much. When it comes to the disturbing parts of the movie and then i don't mean the bloody parts, its a bit like Swedish movies who can be when they put their mind to it very disturbing, you get a bad feeling in your stomach.Like in some other reviews i also felt a bit Tarantino over it and i cant say i think Tarantino makes a lot better movies, more rather if he seen this i believe he wish he had made it.

drjlo Perhaps one of the most nauseating films I have laid my eyes on, "World of Kanako" is certainly not for everyone. The Japanese psyche is an enigmatic one for outsiders like me, as the country seems to be an epitome of an outside appearance of civility combined with an internal repression of schizophrenic darkness. I can't imagine a movie like this playing in neighborhood movie theaters in America, but then again, most of those movies are vanilla time-fillers anyway. "World.." is an extremely unpleasant movie and will leave a bad taste in your mouth, kind of like what Tarantino would make if he was high on crack and decided "the hell with you." One thing I will say is that this movie is "memorable."