First Love
Hacukoi
Directed by:
Takashi MiikeScreenplay:
Masa NakamuraCinematography:
北信康Composer:
Kōji EndōCast:
窪田正孝, Sakurako Konishi, 大森南朋, Shōta Sometani, Jun Murakami, ベッキー, 塩見三省, Masaaki Uchino, Chun-hao TuanVOD (1)
Plots(1)
Blood, gore, severed heads and a tender love story at its heart. One night in Tokyo and Leo, a young boxer down on his luck meets his first love Monica, a call girl and an addict but still an innocent. Selling her body to pay a debt. Unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme. Leo and Monica find themselves pursued throughout the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis and a female assassin hired by the Chinese Triads. Prepare for unadulterated mayhem and carnage and fall for First Love. (Signature Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
The yakuza versus the Chinese versus whoever. And a young, unsuccessful boxer, who is accidentally drawn into the scheme and is protecting a drug-addled yet important teenage prostitute against
everything and everyone. The boxer’s storyline showing his transformation into a warrior is pleasant,
but First Love pays more attention to the clan war, which is more grotesque than riveting, and its
Miike-esque indie visuals do not add much. [Cannes]
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Takashi Miike is a roller coaster of a director. He makes one solid film and then follows it up with five terrible ones, with First Love being kind of a happy medium. Quite decent visuals for Miike, surprisingly without any awkward or weird scenes, but the film doesn't have much to surprise either. The action is relatively sparse and not too gripping, and plot-wise it could definitely have been more engaging too. Average. Story***, Action***, Humour**, Violence***, Entertainment***, Music***, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Suspense*. 5/10.
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