This may seem like a typical Valentine’s Day release from its title, but despite there being a love story at its centre, it certainly isn’t a rom com! In Tokyo, Leo (Masataka Kubota), a young boxer is told by his doctor that he has an inoperable brain tumour. On his way home, he sees a beautiful woman (Monica, Sakurako Konishi) running away from an older guy. Leo knocks the man out but when he sees that he is a cop, he runs off with Monica.
What follows is a dizzying tale of drug dealing, rival gangs and corrupt cops. The hyper-kinetic style of veteran director Takashi Miike is suited to the manic and convoluted plot. The violence is plentiful, graphic and sometimes comic, with blood flowing at every opportunity. Whilst all this is mostly good fun, it is difficult to keep the pace going throughout the running time, and, after an engaging start, things sag at around the halfway mark. The relentless crossing and double crossing becomes a bit wearying and difficult to keep up with. Also, whilst the leads are good, there are a couple of larger than life performances amongst the supporting cast that start to grate a little.
The final action set piece, though, delivers the goods, ensuring that the movie ends on a high.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10