A surreal drama horror film from director Takishi Miike director of 'Ichi The Killer', 'Visitor Q' and 'Audition' and today's movie is 'Gozu' also know as 'The Yakuza Horror Theater: Cow's Head'A yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.'Gozu' is a very dark, creepy and surreal film but its also quite funny, weather it was intentional or not it still works and helps the film. Its a bit of a slow burn at first then it really kicks into gear after I'd say the first half hour. Our main character is very paranoid always claiming that something is a yakuza _____. That is designed to kill yakuza this happens two times by the time we are ten minutes in, but it turns out that this story isn't actually about him. Its about his friend who was driving him. Our characters aren't fully fleshed out but they're not boring either. Like one character has a skin condition and basically lives in a trailer park junk yard hybrid. The film is stylized in a very Miike way, with the lighting and camera work. Its got that Miike Style with the yakuza and the surrealism and of course the strange characters and violence.The acting is pretty good along with the writing, as stated the lighting and camera work blend together really well helping the surreal style. The make up effects are good along with the blood and gore effects. The film really works in weaving together a story a really weird story but an interesting one at that its like a combination of 'Visitor Q' and 'Ichi the Killer' because there are a lot of elements of both films. The sound design and music are also very good. Its not as weird as 'Eraserhead'. I honestly expected something weirder from Miike but this is what we got On the gore meter from one to ten One being something like 'The Corpse Grinders' and Ten being something like 'Braindead' 'Gozu' is the least violent Takishi Miike film 3, just some fist fighting and a barrel of organsI really liked this one although it pulls and 'Audition' and waits till the last hour to get to the creepy, surreal or best parts. I liked it as much as I liked 'Visitor Q' honestly but I don't think any film from Miike could beat 'Audition' that one is just the best 'Gozu' gets a 4.5/5

To say this film is bizarre is to put it extremely mildly; in places, it's down-right bonkers! However, I did find it strangely compelling, if a little difficult to follow here and there. I'm usually pretty good at following foreign language films; even those with subtitles, but this one just lost me a couple of times. At times it was very violent and it could be also very comic; touching drama and even horrific; it seems to touch many genres. There were some excellent special effects; all practical effects as far as I could see; and some of these were truly stunning (particularly one near the end). Over all though, I did find it a tad over long and a little frustrating to follow (too many metaphors, maybe?). Even so, I will deem it 'recommended' for its' innovative effects and some compelling (if confusing) story telling.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 5.8/10.You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Gozu is a lot of things. It's a mock-Greek epic, a yakuza yarn gone wrong, a black comedy, a horror movie, and a twisted, Freudian love story. And at the same time, it's really none of the above. As much as it crosses the line, it's much more subtle and deadpan than it sounds, and it refuses to fit into any marketable niche. Gozu is the most accurately I've seen a movie emulate the logic of a bad dream. The Lynch comparisons this movie gets are lazy at best; Lynch likes to let the audience put the pieces together into something that may or may not resemble what was originally intended. With Gozu, your subconscious can't miss what it's about: the guilt of betraying a friend, a sense of unworthiness, repression, isolation, etc.Above all deeper analysis, Gozu is a lot like being lost in a town where things just feel "wrong". Minor characters speak in meaningless inanities: "I said it was hot the other day, and he said nah! But it was hot the other day, ask anyone!" One character repeats this mundane, banal mantra until it becomes eerily unfamiliar, then hilarious, then all too familiar. The third wall is broken to pieces and gender roles are tossed out the window. As surreal as it gets, though, the humanity of the characters keeps us grounded and caring about what happens. At its kindest moments Gozu evokes a sense of childhood adventure, and when a movie taps into such a vulnerable part of who you are, that's when it can truly get scary. Up there with The Seventh Seal and Stalker as one of the most perfect movies I've ever seen.

This movie was absolutely ridiculous. NOTHING was explained. It was a CHORE to sit through and watch the whole thing, without a doubt, one of the worst movies I have ever sat through and wasted my time. There was nothing redeeming about it. The cinematography was boring, the characters were confusing and pointless, the story made no sense. It wasn't even like an "artsy" pointless. It was just stupid! Who are you people out there that gave this 8, 9 or 10 stars?! The only reason I even gave it 2 was because some effort obviously went into getting the actors to all show up on the same day for a shoot. There are about a million other things that are better to watch. Don't waste your time.