Review of Onibi: The Fire Within

Introduction

After his initial success with `Another Lonely Hitman`, a curious mix of violence and existential reflection, Rokuro Mochizuki turned to familiar territory for this movie. It`s worth noting that Mochizuki`s filmmaking background prior to these `deeper` movies was in Japanese Porn. With both `Hitman` and `Onibi` he shows us a far more intelligent and reflective ability.

Yoshio Harada (`Azumi` and `9 Souls`) plays the role of a moody hitman released from prison after serving nearly thirty years for his earlier violent `services` on behalf of his Yakuza family. (The movie opens with this ultra-violent killing…)

When he returns to the streets, he`s offered money and a new high profile job - but he turns it down in preference for his rival`s camera (a nod to `Hitman`) and a job as a chauffer.

When driving some gang members to a money pick-up he finds that they have been kidnapped and badly humiliated. Single-handedly he helps them out - showing the young guns how the tough guys of yesteryear did the job.

As a reward he`s taken to a bar by his insidious boss where drink and women are both on tap. Drunkenly, he recounts some of his hits, and his appreciative boss offers him a choice of the women. He turns down all the ladies on offer and asks if he can have the piano player, Hideyuki Sakata (Ko Kitamura), an unobtrusive lady who was clearly not part of the offer.

Somehow, she is persuaded to go with him for a fee and they start a relationship. It becomes apparent that classical music (allowed occasionally in his prison) was one of his few comforts - and her playing puts him at ease in a world much changed.

She brings him out of himself and he agrees to help her wreak revenge on a man who abused her sister. The man turns out to be the brother of a Yakuza boss. And that`s when things start to fall apart.

Video

This an NTSC transfer, presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1.

The image is fine, though a little grainy on occasion, possibly a stylistic choice on the original print.

Audio

5.1 Dolby Surround in Japanese with English subtitles. It`s a fairly standard offer with little exclusive use of the rear speakers. Most notable in the rears though is the wash of classical music which does give this movie a vaguely cultural air at odds with its ultra-violence.

Features

Director Interview - the Director discusses the trials and tribulations of making the movie, not least the difficulties brought on by an E-Coli outbreak in Osaka during filming there.

There are also brief text based biographies and filmographies of the key cast and crew.

There`s also a commentary from Tom Mes, Japanese cinema`s biggest fan and author of `Agitator, the cinema of Takashi Miike`. He`s beginning to feel like an old friend now. I can`t imagine am Artsmagic release without him!

Conclusion

There`s no doubt that `Onibi - the Fire Within` is a cut above the standard Japanese Yakuzi movie. It has some real depth and pathos - and is a thoroughly thought-provoking movie. Yoshio Harad is utterly convincing in the brooding title role and plays the quiet tough guy quite superbly.

My only gripe is that it`s so thematically similar to `Another Lonely Hitman` (bad guy gets out of jail, the world`s changed, it all ends badly) that it`s almost criminal. This is a real re-treading of the themes and context of that movie, another of Mochizuki`s.

That said, this is still a fine movie in its own right, moving at a great pace and grimly compelling from start to finish.