[KFCC] Bird people In China Review

Story: Wada (Masahiro Motoki), a salary man, is enlisted to venture off to China to investigate a potential Jade mine. After his arrival, Wada encounters a violent, yet sentimental, yakuza (Renji Ishibashi), who takes the liberty of joining his adventure through China. Led on their long and disastrous journey to the mine by Shen, the three men come across something even more magical and enticing -- a secluded village full of people who claim they can fly.

Review: Easily one of the most prolific directors of our time, Takashi Miike has proven again and again that he is a powerful force to be reckoned with. He has the ability to turn a low budget, and potentially worthless picture, into a gem. Whether by the use of excessive sex and violence, or through mature and competent storytelling, Miike turns heads. That’s a fact, like it or not.

Fans of Takashi Miike seem to know him more from his extreme efforts and sometimes they can be unsure how to react to a movie like THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA. The Miike fan base has grown significantly over the last couple years, largely because of films like the DEAD OR ALIVE trilogy, ICHI THE KILLER, and the infamous FUDOH. Because of this, expectations develop and can easily cloud your viewing experience if his film isn’t totally excessive.

Spawned from a novel by Makoto Shiina and adapted for the screen by Masa Nakamura,
THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA sums up much of Miikes' talent to create one of his most compelling works to date. The rate at which he matured since the original V-cinema days is more than obvious if it had not been previously with films such as KENKA NO HANIMACHI and RAINY DOG (only to be surpassed later on by YOUNG THUGS: NOSTALGIA, AUDITION, AGITATOR, and GRAVEYARD OF HONOR).

Gone are the bloody limbs, gratuitous sex and black humor. All that remains is pure, untainted content with a new approach (at the time) by an outstanding crew in a far off place. This is the real thing folks, a real quality film with a new depiction of a traveling theme between many Miike movies – a man in a foreign land forced to contemplate his surroundings, and to seek the very depths of his soul in finding of himself.

As we adventure with Wada, Ujiie, and Shen through China in search for another place to desecrate and industrialize, we are able to sympathize with the characters’ emotions easily. Initially we understand the greed for this potential jade mine, then we see the village near the mine and its inhabitants and feel compelled to put a stop to the evil. The people of the village are above us and are at peace with themselves, which is ultimately the reason they can “fly.” Ujiie finds himself helplessly drawn to the simplicity of things and Wada secretly begins to question his own plans to invade the village.

Masahiro Motoki‘s (GONIN, GEMINI) portrayal of Wada was almost too convincing. As we follow his character through the mountains of China we can clearly see the deterioration of his sense of supposed normalcy. The materialistic needs begin to shatter and his desire for the contrived, polluted world begins to dissipate. Although for Wada this happened at a much slower rate than that of Ujiie, who was excellently played by Renji Ishibashi (DORA-HEITA, 47 RONIN). Ujiee’s need to escape the yakuza life must have been in the back of his mind all along, which eventually becomes more than obvious after he violently tries to put a stop to the discovery and standardization of his new found, secluded love. With these two strong actors, the story unfolds with a copious amount of believability. It should also be noted that the choice to cast Mako (best known for his roles in the CONAN films) was a wise one. Without him, this would have been a whole different movie.

Surely, making the film was an arduous journey full of many difficulties to both the cast and crew. Luckily, the great Koji Endo and Hideo Yamamoto give their signature contributions once again to a Miike film. Endo’s score is beautiful and suiting; Yamamoto’s photography is able to capture the beautiful landscapes of China with ease.

Hailed as an adult fairytale, THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA helps us to momentarily live out each of our own fantasies of a simple life. Rarely does one get something out of a film, and because of this I am thankful. A sentimental, emotional stroll through our hearts’ desire sounds appealing, doesn’t it?