Angel Guts

This box comes with a warning -- printed on both sides -- that the five films in this series contain "scenes of extreme sexual violence which will offend many viewers" and, trust me, they're not applying this warning just for hype. These are some very disturbing movies but, if you're up for a rough ride, they are not entirely without reward for the adventurous viewer.

Author Takashi Ishii, who worked on the screenplays for all five films in the series (and directed the final film) says that, unlike the typical Japanese sex film, these films were not made to put a couple in the mood for a little action when they got home. For starters, rape figures into the plot of just about every one of these films. And the scenes are just as nasty as the sequence in Gaspar Noe's Irreversible (though none of them, mercifully, run on as long). But if you can get take these scenes, there's quite a bit else in this set to warrant a look.

The first film, High School Co-ed (directed by Chusei Sone, director of Irezumi and the screenwriter of Branded to Kill), follows a biker gang whose members ride around beating up men and raping women until one of the members begins to develop something of a conscience, due to the influence of two women in his life: his younger sister, Megu, and one of his victims, Nami. When this happens, a conflict arises between the members of the gang and leads to a disquieting conclusion.

Sone returns to direct the second (and best) film in the series, Red Classroom. The films are not sequels, and aren't even stylistically similiar, but they do share two common elements: the presence of Takashi Ishii as writer and the fact that all of the plots revolve (in some way) around a woman named Nami who, despite the consistent name, is not the same character from film-to-film.

Red Classroom concerns a publisher of porno magazines who comes across a film starring a woman named Nami. His obsession with finding and getting to know this woman begins to drown out all other forces in his life, but his chance at happiness with the young woman ends up being far from a sure thing. The film contains some interesting visual tricks that show the influence of Sone's sensei at Nikkatsu, Seijun Suzuki, and elevate the film far above the other films in the series.

In fact, when Sone does not return to direct the third film in the series, Nami, the quality of the installments begins to decline. The third film, however, is not without its compelling qualities (charms just isn't the right word to use here). The third film concerns a reporter named Nami who is writing a series of articles on rape victims, becoming something of a celebrity and, possibly, a target of crime, herself. The director of this film, Naboru Tanaka, does employ some striking graphic experiments and the film only falls apart due to a weak (and nearly incomprehensible) third act.

In the fourth film, Red Porno, Nami ends up being tricked into modeling for a porno shoot, which ends up making her the object of desire for a troubled young man who sees her on the street and recognizes her from her magazine photos. The director of this film, Toshihara Ikeda (Evil Dead Trap), does manage to give the film some energy and instills a slight bit of tragedy into the third act that keeps the film from being a complete washout.

The same can't be said for the last film in the series, Red Vertigo, which was the directorial debut of the series' writer, Takashi Ishii. The film creates so little empathy for its characters that you're left with a film on the level of late-night Cinemax programming with subtitles.

However, after watching these films, you are definitely left thinking about the issues of relationships between men and women, and how violence can creep into their lives and destroy any chance of true happiness. The first four films are all disturbing, but thought provoking, and are more than just exploitation programmers: they're all works of art on some level. But they're not going to be the easiest works of art to experience and, if you're even slightly squeamish, I wouldn't steer you in the direction of these films.

However, if you do manage to appreciate these films, the extras will definitely enrich the experience. Jasper Sharp provides commentary for each of the films and he does a good job giving you a sense of context, in both the cinema of Japan at the time -- these were made in the late 70s and early 80s -- and the rest of the world.

He also manages to point out themes and visual motifs that may not occur to you while watching the films due to their visceral nature. If I have one qualm, it's that he has a habit of pointing out a key scene and then not talking over it, despite the fact that the dialogue is already subtitled for the viewer.

One neat feature (at least I found it so) are scans of the original Japanese video boxes, with sections of text that can be highlighted, then clicked on with your remote, providing English translation for the Japanese copy.

Trailers and filmographies of the key players are also included, as well as a heap of interviews with all the directors (except, sadly, Chusei Sone -- according to Sharp, he disappeared from the film scene and public life). Toshiharu Ikaeda's interview is especially entertaining, as he comes off as unpretentious, funny, and modest. He's also drinking beer and smoking a ton of cigarettes and, at one point, mentions how drunk he's getting. It's a welcome shot of humor in a very grim sea. -- Christopher Hyatt