Fudoh: The New Generation

Running time: N/A

If you're not sure what the word ''eviscerateO' means, you'll know what it feels like by the end of this shocking bit of celluloid. Boy, will you know! As the title suggests, Fudoh represents a new generation of nihilistic gangster mayhem. For the director, Takashi Miike, too much is never enough. Rivers of blood pour forth, bullets spew in torrents, heads part company from bodies and this is all before the opening credits. At the center of this revenge-driven madness is Ricki Fudoh and his ragtag bunch of schoolyard killers. Ricki is trying to wipe out organized crime's old guard. His baby-faced minions barely out of diapers, in some cases are taking care of this task with creatively vicious abandon. Ricki has a personal score to settle and wants no one getting in his way. His father, a Yakuza crime boss, has committed the ultimate sin; Ricki wants him to now pay the ultimate price. Fudoh: The New Generation is not for the squeamish. Many will be put off. But for each person who feels revulsion, there will be another who is dazzled and exhilarated by this beautifully made, imaginatively directed and fully realized cinematic vision. For me, it ranks as one of the great finds of the year. --John Porter