‘Why Don’t You Play in Hell’ DVD Review

Why Don’t You Play in Hell is the newest release from Drafthouse Films. It follows two seemingly separate groups: a Yakuza crime boss’s family and a young amateur filmmaker hoping to create a masterpiece.

From the trailer you see the Yakuza hire the young filmmakers to make a movie, so I was surprised to see how long it takes to get these two groups to come together. It is well done, and the established preliminary backstory is necessary for both sides.

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The film is told in a recognizably Japanese style. Visually, the movie is highly stylized. Sort of like Kill Bill, but the color palate here is brighter. It has the look of a modern-day Japanese movie as opposed to an American production.

Similarly, the script also reflects the Japanese style. There is a delicate balance of action and comedy that makes the movie wildly entertaining. Both are performed well, and a portion of the comedy is even driven from the action.

The non-linear storytelling is a bit hard to follow, but it makes some of the reveals more worthwhile. The movie isn’t like Pulp Fiction, with different segments that take place at different times in the story. The jumps in time are more to explain the present moment, and they’re a great representation of how the human mind works. A character sees someone they know and their mind flashes back to a previous encounter.

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I know I have compared the movie to both Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction. It does have a bit of a Tarantino feel to it, but it is not trying to emulate his style in any way. It’s like if Tarantino collaborated with Mel Brooks on a Japanese movie.

The writer and director, Shion Sono, is no slouch. He has an extensive list of works that include the well received Suicide Club and Love Exposure. I’m anxious to check out some more of his work.

The characters are very well thought out. They are all ridiculously insane in the most wonderful of ways. The script plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy, and the characters follow suit. It is great to watch all of the characters from this young, idealistic director–from the Yakuza bosses to the boss’s daughter and the young boy who’s in love with her–crack under the pressure of the moment and go hilariously, yet characteristically, crazy.

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In many ways the film is also a love letter to young filmmakers, a word of encouragement from a seasoned veteran. Keep working at your craft, it seems to say. Believe in yourself, and watch for your opportunity. You never know when a Yakuza crime boss will fall into your lap with a huge stack of cash.

I really enjoyed this movie. There is a huge battle scene with a lot of blood and humor that is worth the price of admission. Drafthouse Films continues to carefully select its releases, and it is paying off. They want to be known for quality instead of quantity, and they will definitely accomplish that goal if they continue to release titles like this.

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