First Love

Yes, it's preposterous and at times hyper-violent, but the tongue is always firmly in its cheek. Until it's cut out.

A small release, but if you're looking for something different to see, please let me recommend this one. It's not like any other film out.

Kôji Endô's thundering jazz-rock score amplifies Miike's tendency towards playful cartoon excess.

Imagine if the David Ayer of Street Kings and End of Watch had shot the first half of a gangster movie, then thrown his megaphone to Spaced-age Edgar Wright.

Sweetening up a smidgen without chilling out, this is Miike having fun, bombarding us with squirm-inducing violence while making us laugh and - ever so slightly - tugging on the heartstrings.

It's bizarre and very unwholesome. But weirdly inspired.

This film is not only an excellent addition to Asian crime or Yakuza cinema, but it is also a rip-roaring comedy with a big beating heart.

Every time Miike could go completely off the rails, he reins himself in, pulling back where barging ahead would make this an even more memorable (if messier) experience.

Theres no question that First Love is a Miike film, but thats not to say that it feels tired or uninspired.

Another scrappy, outside-the-box crime flick that radiates with [Miikes's] anarchic spirit.