Review: Wrapping up the Black Society trilogy, Takashi Miike's "Ley Lines" touches on some similar themes as the former two entries in the series, such as characters of mixed race, which was also dealt with in "Shinjuku Triad Society". The world these characters live in is completely blackened, and murky (and not just because of the picture). However sparingly, Miike shows the speed bumps inherent to the half Chinese, half Japanese leads getting along in society. This ranges from the sun-spotted memories of a shunned childhood to Ryuichi (Kazuki Kitamura) being denied a passport in one of the opening scenes, and beyond to the downtrodden moody streets of Tokyo. .

When Miike isn't running a handheld camera through the dodgy nightlife, exploring what happens on the outskirts where pushing Toluene and planning stowaway escapes to Brazil are the only methods of moving on, he's filming gorgeous sunset skies and open country-sides that almost disguise how little hope there is as the timer ticks on the movie. Some of the camerawork is really somber and nice, not unlike the still, calm focus in "Bird People of China" or the scenic latter portion of "City of Lost Souls".

Without being splattered with violence, "Ley Lines" manages to continue scraping the graveled ground of what is gritty and real. Through the perspective of immigrants in Tokyo, Miike explores a melting pot of many of his recurrent themes, albeit in a less blood-splattered and graphic sexual manner. The moments that are blue in the film aren't fetish fantasies but shattered dreams and wayward lifestyles prostituted to the highest bidders.

Kazuki Kitamura mixes tough attitude together with a fresh-fish naivety as Ryuichi. The rest of the cast, including but not limited to the always badass Sho Aikawa, add more flavor to what is already significantly spicy ramen. Most don't make it in the city, most are thrown to the side. The simple and straight-faced exterior of 90% of the city's denizens makes for no bullshit confrontations in the back alleys and boatyards.

Despite the freedom Miike seems to enjoy during the creative process, he's actually restricted by shackles of a different kind, at least as far as the perception of his work is concerned. An interesting dilemma, Miike is one of the few directors that is somewhat pigeon-holed by his fan base into being known as a certain kind of artist. Consistently billed as the "crazy one" (though not entirely unwarranted), there's an entire group of his fan base that seems to reject Miike's other more languid side, and at the same time there are those that write him off because they see him as a one-trick pony. It's not hard to see how this happened. All of Miike's most popular movies, especially those that first graced our side of the ocean, have been an explosion of his darker side. American fans came to know Miike as the man behind the notorious "Audition" finale, the coke-line-snorting-stomach-splitting "Dead or Alive" opening, and the lactating head-chopping moments in "Visitor Q".