Review: While not his worst film, FAMILY is nowhere near the classic Miike that we know best. The film does however contain some promising material and a somewhat entertaining first half, which is completely ruined by the out of place third act. Diving into the world of digital video the same year as VISITOR Q (a highly superior film), Miike was able to truly experiment with the medium. It is just a shame, however, that partnering with screenwriter Hisao Maki brings out some of the worst material for him to work with. While the acting rises above the previous Miike/Maki collaboration it just doesn’t seem up to par with the rest of his later work.

Without the use of digital video, I believe this film would have fallen completely on its head from start to finish. Fortunately for Miike he was able to fully uses the medium to his advantage and make a somewhat watchable film, for the most part at least. It should be said that Miike was not only the director but also the cinematographer for the film, which really helped it stand out more from some of his lesser work. He really seemed to bring out all the punches using pretty much every trick in the book when it comes to the use of digital video. The film opens with the scratched and crackled film effect and it really drew me into wanting to watch (despite opening right into a rape scene). The digital camera also brings out the colors whether it’s a really bright yellow, a powerful red, or a flushed out blue tint, Miike is able to give the film a very distinct look. What a found most rewarding of his cinematography was his slow track shots you just really didn’t see from him until later on in his career. He uses this perfectly in a scene with the brothers in a bar. To me that is Miike at his best. While not all of his experiments work (I wasn’t a big fan of the grainy night vision shot), the use of digital and his choice to shoot the film himself is what brings this film several notches up the ladder.

Unfortunately there is not much that can be done to save the film from the final act. While not marked as part one in the series, FAMILY is actually only half a film (released on video in 2 parts). When a tank shows up in the conclusion I was nearly about ready to turn off the film. To be honest, I really don’t know what led to the film falling apart in the last part of the film. The film even resorts to gratuitous nudity and yet another rape scene, not unlike that in BODYGUARD KIBA. The opening scene is done so tastefully (well as tasteful as this type of scene can be, I suppose) with the use of a long distant shot which later tracks over to reveal another character while the scene near in the end is just plain painful to watch. The main villain, Miike regular Kenichi Endo, strangely just disappears from the film at the end and I am told never reappears in the second film. So much goes wrong with the film at this point that I really don’t understand why Miike chose to follow so close to Maki poorly executed screenplay.

While not much held my interest by the end of the film, I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Koichi Iwaki throughout the entire film. His very subtle and rather quiet performance was really one of the high points of watching FAMILY and will more than likely draw me into watching the second film. Its really a shame that Iwaki is forced to act so serious in some simply ridiculous scenes with some even more eccentric music (a loud obnoxious metal band which never seems to fit with the tone of the film) playing over almost every scene. I really wish that Miike would choose to use Iwaki in a better film than what he had to resort to in this one.

It still boggles my mind that by the time he had completely this film he already had a handful of classics under his belt (DEAD OR ALIVE & DEAD OR ALIVE 2, AUDITION, LEY LINES, BIRD PEOPLE OF CHINA) but still managed to put out some really mediocre work. I guess it just goes to show that a lot of great directors can really miss there mark at any point in the correct by working with the wrong people (in Miike’s case, Hisao Maki). I guess we just need to be glad that he chose to do VISITOR Q at the same time and wash Family out of the minds of many.