High & Low: The Movie

A decent action flick for Japan, nicely stylized and shot mostly in one take. The film is more or less about a war between five gangs, where they all fight for the city and cut each other up in the streets with no rules,using baseball bats, knives, bottles and of course fists and kicks. There are a lot of interesting characters, they all have interesting hairstyles, good designer clothes and almost everyone knows at least three martial arts, so it's hard to choose a main character at all, which bothered me quite a bit. I was a bit surprised that the first action scene doesn't come until the 40th minute, which significantly takes away from the pace, but when it does come, it's really something to watch. The final 3 vs 1 duel would put the creators of The Raid to shame. I'm sorry there wasn't a little more action otherwise it would be a clear five stars. A must for martial arts fans. Good stuff. 80% (15/12/2017)

A pretty good, gritty action movie that gives you the feeling that it could really be happening on the streets, but at the same time, it's nicely stylized, so it leaves you with a somewhat quirky, almost caricature-like impression. Ultimately, though, it doesn't really matter; the story is there, the film flows smoothly, and it's enjoyable to watch. (07/02/2017)