I'm happy I can finally say now that I've watched a great Takashi Miike film. Rainy Dog retains all the gritty, stylish motifs that Miike is known for, but this time his story is grounded in reality. Rainy Dog tells the story of a struggling Japanese hit-man that hates the rain as he's living out in Taiwan. His world is upheaved when a woman from his past informs him that he has a son, which she dumps on him.The film then goes from being a gangster flick into a hybrid coming of age story as both the father and son as they adapt to their situation. Whilst the father is also trying to evade a local crime boss who's after him. Rainy Dog is a quiet, slow paced introspective film. This film worked well for me as i'm not a fan of Miike's usually hyper-kinetic direction and the over the top silliness that's found in most of his screenplays. This film has an engaging narrative, even if it borders occasionally on clichés that are found in the gangster genre. There's nothing wholly original in this film. However what makes it work though is how well directed the film is and the serious thoughtful approach given to the script.The films cinematography has a wonderful atmospheric tone, the whole film is literally drenched in rain which adds another layer on emotion on top of the film. The film also has fleshed out interesting characters, that whilst flawed, they're also sympathetic and relatable. One of the main issue I have with Miike's films are the poor characterisations, most of the time his characters feel like cartoons. Here he goes a great job of making them feel human. In the end Rainy Dog is a familiar but effective crime drama, and is one of Miike's best films.

Really, movies of this sort are more expected from Takeshi Kitano than Takashi Miike. Sentimental, lonely gangsters who wander the streets silently and try to escape the senseless, but ultimately fatalistic, violence that surrounds their lives. However, Miike tones it down a bit for this second in his "Black Society Trilogy", providing a heart-felt and strangely hopeful little art piece despite its bleakness.Yuji is a Japanese hit-man in Taipei. He lives basically day by day, killing people for his boss and then going home to sleep. Then an old squeeze he doesn't even remember stops by and drops off a little kid, Chen, claiming that the kid is Yuji's son. Faced with responsibility... Yuji basically goes along as if nothing happened. However, with this little kid following him around, and spending a few days with a just as lonely prostitute, Yuji decides its time to go somewhere. And his next hit provides his new means, though of course it also provides his greatest obstacle.Like Shinjuku Triad Society, the first film in this thematic trilogy, as much care is put into the emotions of the "badguy" or foil as the main character, and they honestly share more in common than is typical in most films. In this case, they even have brunch together while discussing their ultimate loneliness and the fact that they know they're going to have to face each other eventually, the type of scene that makes Heat such a success (only without that sense of star power). And some surprising twists and idyllic scenes make this movie more than unpredictable enough to be worth it for fans of Yakuza flicks, Miike films, Beat Kitano movies, and otherwise.I wouldn't be surprised if the screenwriter has scene Once upon a Time in the West. This movie seems almost like an unofficial prequel, only Asian. Nevertheless, it's a very beautiful and thoughtful film, and more effective emotionally than sensationally than Miike's greater oeuvre. In other words, it's a must-see for just about anybody interested in this type of movie.--PolarisDiB

Miike strays off the beaten path to do his own take on 'film-noir' (a tribute to Melville?): limited dialog, moody settings, and deliberately slow development all make for a unique movie in Miike's immense filmography. As surprising for its subtlety, pace, and precision as for its lack of the standard Miike moments, it is definitely not the director's best (for that see "The Bird People of China", "Ichi the Killer" or "Gozu"), but a great movie for a rainy Sunday afternoon, naturally if you don't mind the occasional yakuza violence.Could be read as the director's attempt at a character study (usually absent from his work) or an exercise in cinematic economy - in either case it is a movie well-above mediocrity, yet not quite reaching the level of masterpiece.

With Rainy Dog, Director Takashi Miike has taken everyone by surprise, in Japan and elsewhere. After the hyperactive and insanely bloody Fudoh (1996), he has become one of the most respected directors of contemporary Japanese cinema. Rainy Dog is a dark thriller, a slow and oppressive film noir, constantly animated by a uniquely graceful poetry. Recently, Miike has shown the world just how much his films fit within the cinema of exile. Rainy Dog is certainly a part of this, because it was shot entirely in Taiwan (you'll recognize some familiar faces from Taiwanese cinema, especially actors from Hou Hsiao-hsien's films) and features only two Japanese actors. After Takeshi Kitano, "Yakuza Cinema" has found a new master. For Japan, it has found a new poet for its society. (J. F.)