Popular reviews

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  Review by George Wood ★★★½ 7

  Cannes Q&A interview

  Q: "Lots of movies are called First Love, why did you choose that name?"

  Miike: "To make money"

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  Review by kársten ★★★½ 4

  Takes a bit long to get going and a bit long to cool down but everything in between is batshit crazy in the best way.

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  Review by davidehrlich ★★★½ 6

  A boxer with a brain tumor, a crooked cop with terrible luck, a screw-up yakuza who’s seen too many movies, a dismembered Chinese gangster who wields a pump-action shotgun with his one remaining arm, a terrified prostitute who’s stalked by a ghost in tighty whities, an unkillable femme fatale who will kick a man to death just for being in her way, and the world’s most wonderful heroin. Those are just some of the many different ingredients that prolific Japanese auteur Takashi Miike swirls into his frequently sublime new gangster film, a piece of work so feral and full of life that you’d never guess it was (at least) the 90th feature its director has made in the last 30 years. Even now, after making everything from scarring horror masterpieces (“Audition”) to unwatchable family comedies (“Ninja Kids!!!”), Miike hasn’t lost any of his lust for life, and he still finds new ways to surprise.

  READ THE FULL REVIEW ON INDIEWIRE

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  Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★½ 13

  Hoop-tober (hopefully), #14:

  The perfect midnight movie. Sincerely some of the most spectacular Asian horror-action since Tsui Hark’s Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind and, much like that masterwork, First Love is an absolutely deranged adrenaline rush from start to finish. I haven’t audibly responded to the violence in a film as often as I did here in some time; thankfully, I wasn’t alone. This may go down as the most memorable screening of the festival, at the very least if only in a visceral sense. Miike’s done it again — what a blast.

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  Review by josh lewis ★★★ 2

  “funny, but painful.” miike’s Baby Driver for better and worse.

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  Review by Darren Carver-Balsiger ★★★★ 1

  Takashi Miike could make this sort of thing in his sleep. His talent at executing cinematic experiences with precision and speed is unmatched in many regards. He is so proficient, and varied, as a director. Every frame and edit of First Love is confidently and perfectly executed. He also stands as one of the greatest action directors around, though goes underappreciated because of the breadth of genres he has worked in. In First Love, as with 13 Assassins or Blade of the Immortal or Yakuza Apocalypse, the action is done with glee, but remains properly violent and smooth in flow. First Love is also mental, being ridiculous and farcical in a way only Miike seems to do. The story, of chances and mistakes, is silly but both delightful and dark. Altogether this leaves First Love as a wildly entertaining and hilarious slice of Japanese genre cinema.

  2019 Ranked
  Takashi Miike Ranked

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  Review by LME ★★★★ 1

  We get a sword fight, a gun fight and a boxing match all in one. 

  Other than the bystanders who would stare at the actors, I was extremely invested in the characters.

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  Review by Sean Gilman ★★★★½

  Every time I watch a Takashi Miike movie, I end up asking myself why I ever watch movies that aren’t Takashi Miike movies.

  Review at Seattle Screen Scene.

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  Review by Aki Menzies ★★★★ 9

  Filled with Miike’s trademark violence and weirdness, First Love is equal parts gangster movie, romcom and hallucination. The film’s over-the-top antics are probably not for everyone, but it weaves characters together with increasingly satisfying results. Ultimately, First Love serves up nonstop entertainment, reminding us along the way that having something (or someone) to fight for makes all the difference in life.

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  Review by Warp ★★★½

  What a lovely setting; Tokyo by night. Couldn’t be more atmospheric for this raw, funny, thrilling, action packed movie by Miike. Great characters also; a boxer with a brain tumor, a lost hooker, a corrupt cop, some crazy Yakuza guys and a Chinese gangster with a pump shotgun and one arm. Sometimes its told a bit messy with some pacing issues, it could’ve been easily shorter tho. But it still has enough violent moments with lots of blood, crazy hilarious moments and a banging soundtrack. An entertaining watch for sure.

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  Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★½ 2

  Masataka Kubota plays a small time boxer (Leo) with nothing left to lose who falls for a prostitute. If it couldn't get anymore cliche than that, it made for an extremely blasé first act. 

  The action heats up though, once we are given more depth into Monica's background and a kickass fighter named Julie appears. Leo has tons of good fight sequences. A cruel decapitation scene is forgiven, because the swords have cute knitted animal head protective covers. 

  Overall, Takashi Miike rules the screen because of his humor and great staged sequences. 

  Note: I saw this in the IMAX, despite the film not being enhanced for IMAX.  

  Vegan alert:
  -Leo peels eggs
  -Snakeskin coat
  -Animal print coat

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  Review by laird ★★★½

  "All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun. A wind up toy dog. Some swords. Several kilos of cocaine. Maybe some more guns just in case. Oh, you know what'd be really cool? A one armed gangster who does the single hand shotgun pump like Linda Hamilton in T2." - JLG (Japanese Legend GTakashiMiike