Rampo Noir (Rampo jigoku)

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Rampo Noir (Rampo jigoku)

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Rampo Noir (Rampo jigoku)

Hanae Kan, Hiroki Narimiya, Kaiji Moriyama, Mikako Ichikawa, Minori Terada

Four short films, based on stories by Japanese mystery writer Rampo Edogawa, explore dark themes of obsession, sex and death. In "Mars Canal," a naked man wanders alone through a swamp recalling a for...( read more  read more... )mer lover. "Mirror Hell" follows a serial killer with a fixation on hand mirrors. "Caterpillar" centers on a crippled veteran, his sadistic wife and their unhealthy relationship. And in "Crawling Bugs," a chauffeur plots to seduce a starlet.

Id: 10871609

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Rampo Noir (Rampo jigoku) Recent Reviews
  • Stinger839
    August 15, 2008
    Stinger839
    Horror Not to Miss List Commentary:
    Ramp Noir is comprised of four short pieces all based upon the writings of valued horror writer Edogawa Rampo. The first is the most art-house, avant-garde, lacking sound and existing within a world of its own colors and kineticism. The ne...( read more)xt is an astoundingly creepy detective horror with a superb mythical-meets post-modern/surreal ending. The third is one of the most beautiful disgusting movies you'll ever see, with much astute - no, plain genius - subtext. The final piece feels like a good end, as it has the least ambiguous conclusion and the most gratuitous beautifully rendered decay and madness.
    Everyone should see this so that they can know what proper modern horror film is supposed to be.

    "So Fucked Up" highlight:
    wife simultaneously copulates with and tortures her crippled mute husband, who sort of likes it
  • Hexenkult
    March 24, 2008
    Hexenkult
    Great Japanese film, based on the macabre short stories of Edogawa Rampo (known as the Japanese Edgar Allan Poe). It's an anthology consisting of 4 segments. The first segment is "Kasei no Unga (Mars Canal)" and it's only about 7 minutes long; but it's a very surreal 7 minutes an...( read more)d a nice way to open the anthology. A naked man (Tadanobu Asano) staggers along a bleak landscape and comes upon a pool of water where he sees the reflection of a woman (and I'll leave it there because this is really a conceptual piece left up to the individual viewer's interpretation). This segment makes great use of sound and the absence of sound. Up next is "Kagami Jigoku (Mirror Hell)" and it definitely brings the noir mystery element (as well as some S&M kinkiness). Private detective Kogoro Akechi (played by Tadanobu Asano), investigates a series of deaths where the victims faces have been melted, their skulls charred, and a handheld mirror found at the scene of each crime. It features a wonderfully kinky erotic scene involving rope and candle wax. The third segment, "Imomushi (Caterpillar)", is my favorite and the most disturbing; directed by the wonderfully demented Hisayasu Sato (Splatter:Naked Blood). A soldier returns home from war but without his arms and legs. He has also lost the ability to hear or speak. His wife takes care of him, but her "care" soon turns to torture and sadism. Private detective Kogoro Akechi (Tadanobu Asano) turns up again. Kogoro Akechi is a recurring character in Rampo's works (much like the character of Dupin in Poe's stories). This segment reminds me of a much more disturbing and sadistic version of BOXING HELENA. The fourth and final segment is "Mushi (Crawling Bugs)", and it's basically a surreal and melancholic tale of obsessive love (with some perverse twists of course). It also features some beautiful cinematography. Tadanobu Asano stars again as a limo driver for a stage actress, whom he's secretly in love with. She doesn't share this love, however, and he finds a way to (shall we say) remedy the situation.
  • cacutshaw
    January 24, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Highly watchable, and at times disturbing, Edogawa Rampo anthology film. All the stories were great, in fact I can't think of anything by Rampo I've read or any movie adaptation I've seen that I haven't really enjoyed (yes, that includes Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf). This one ...( read more)is surreal, dark, mysterious with fascinating and disturbed characters doing terrible things. Well worth searching for. Now why the hell have I not seen Blind Beast yet?
  • rhadynascimento
    December 30, 2009
    rhadynascimento
    I didn't get it at first. Then I thought I knew where this was going because I had already read some Edogawa Rampo.

    My ass. This, as Rampo, isn't just for your brain, it's for your senses.

    The first piece is brief, silent, stunning, nearly Tarkovskian.

    "Mirror Hell" is cold,...( read more) distant and should be watched that way. It will bring up some of the many elements and superimposed moods that are to be constantly resignified throughout the film.

    "Catterpillar" is barely survivable, even for those who know what it's about.

    And the last piece... It is simply superb. The kind of thing Almodóvar would be doing if he were a Japanese horror filmmaker.

    I think it'll take me a while to get over this one.
  • sephira081277
    September 1, 2009
    sephira081277
    Consists of 3 stories in one movie. The third story kills the whole movie.
  • betelgeuse
    August 20, 2009
    betelgeuse
    Really Creepy, Weird, Nasty, n more...
  • msanthrope
    June 25, 2008
    msanthrope
    Loved this movie - very artistic and dark, just the way I like them.
  • crystalmalki
    May 18, 2008
    crystalmalki
    9/10 This is a collection of 4 shorts by "Rampo" a famious writer (director?) known for his really "different" storys/shorts. I usally advoid collections as a rule cause they're usally just groups of B-movies clumped togther in the hope they'll do better as a group then by themse...( read more)lves. Let me tell you now... this one not only stands out, it is MORE than capable of standing on its own 2 feet. The 1st story, "Mars Cannal," I admit is a very odd peice with no sound (yes, your dvd is working) that shows a very non-sexy sex scene (kinda the point, I think). It's definitely the weakest of the 4. The 2nd one, "Mirror Hell," is a nice neo-noir murder mystery. Acting is good, atmosphere is great, and characters have the nior feel down cold. Even the main character's wife (who's only on like 10 seconds and is bound in a wheel chair) drips style. The 3rd film, "Catapiller" is definitely an odd film. Very interesting, but doesn't make a lot of sense. Don't worry, it's just the way it sucks you in to it. The more you get into the story, the more sense it makes.... but the more sense it makes, the freaker it gets. By the time it's all clear to you, it's too late to untangle this short from your mind. I admit, if I was in the same situation as the main character, I'd probably lose it too. I'd like to think though that I'd not have taken it "THAT" far. The 4th one, "Crawling Bugs," despite being last it's the real gem of the group. And I warn you, this tale will leave a mark on even the most jadded film viewer. Starts out predictably enough. Guy has crush on film star, crush leads to obsession, obsession leads to kidnapping, kidnapping goes wrong, and some one dies. But rather than ending the story there, that's where this one really begins. Trust me, by the end youll have some new wrinkles in your brain you're never really going to get ironed out. All and all, what makes it stand out from all the other "collections" is top rate writing, acting, sets, and a very good understanding of what makes us go "TWITCH" inside.
  • asorensen
    July 3, 2007
    asorensen
    Very Very Different.................a little freaky..........not your average movie
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