Review: Having helmed such eclectic cinematic creations as Electric Dragon 80000V and Burst City, Sogo Ishii is definitely one who disobeys every rule laid down by conventional cinema, choosing to weave his own unique styles and stories, often isolating himself from some but blowing others away with his creativity. While none of his films can be called similar, it’s easy to recognise Labyrinth Of Dreams as something born out of Sogo Ishii’s mind.

Instantly one can be drawn straight into the mood and setting of this film, purely due to the choice of filming in black and white. Not for a moment does the lack of colour create any dull feelings, instead plunging you into a curious and gloomy world, always filled with the unusual contrast of mesmerising scenery. As many have come to expect of Ishii’s works, the cinematography is near perfect, every scene is heaving with jaw dropping images and settings.

Stylish easily sums up this work, there’s no two ways about it, this has more panache than any one film should have. It’s a challenge to find a scene or shot which doesn’t reek of elegance, with powerful lighting capturing every expression cast, intelligent angles mixing the happiness and distress of each character while surrounding them in the serenity of the rural beauty. Although sometimes it is easy to feel style has often been placed ahead of substance, intending to be a thriller, some parts, while interesting usually fail to arouse any real fear or suspense. It ends up becoming more of a slow paced drama, but some portions manage to achieve the films original idea perfectly, with the later bus journeys truly succeeding in bringing that immense thrill which always promises to brew up.

This may also be considered an important film in that it’s the first pairing of Sogo Ishii and Tadanobu Asano, who stars in the directors three subsequent works also. Often it’s hard to fault Asano’s acting, once again his performance here is no exception. Just watching Niitaka casually awakening from his slumber in the middle of a train track, narrowly avoiding having himself plastered across the front of the oncoming train while not even breaking a sweat is a joy to observe. All throughout Niitaka never once breaks his calm exterior, remaining quiet and sweet, leaving Tomiko all but helpless as she gradually gets deeper with him, only wanting to feign her love but by the time she realises she’s no longer pretending, it’s too late.

At certain points it’s rather easy to become confused, with Ishii’s perplexing decision to shuffle scenes around never really been justified or adding to things at all, certainly a case of almost taking his unconventional ideas too far. He should be congratulated for the realistic, lifelike atmosphere he maintains for the duration, with each scene been drawn out nicely, truly letting the characters emotions get a chance to flow. Silence, something else used to great effect, those breathtaking moments where everything just stops, often when a grave realisation is made by one of the characters, you’re left with no choice but to focus every sense upon their reactions. Music is used sparingly, fitting soundly as it wells up eerie feelings, teasing the viewer and leaving them unsure of the forthcoming events.

To some Labyrinth Of Dreams will be disappointing, due to tension often lacking and a constant grinding pace which never really picks up. Whereas others may share my feelings, perhaps overwhelmed by the immense style it radiates, coming to adore the compelling little world Sogo Ishii creates through his uncompromising ways. To Ishii and Asano fans alike it’s worth inspecting, but perhaps only after experiencing some of their other work together first.