Fetus Film Of The Month

When it was announced that Takashi Miike would be making a film for the Masters Of Horror series, recognising the potential I thought great, a mad Japanese influence amongst all of the American directors. Later when the Showtime cable channel didn't show 'Imprint' because it was considered as being too strong for TV, I thought, f'me this is going to be excellent!

Now the Masters of Horror has on the whole been a good series (avoid the Tobe Hooper one) and delivered some of the most horrific, bloody, violent and nasty scenes ever shown on TV (forget Tales From The Crypt kiddies). So Miike's Imprint had a lot to live up to.

To my surprise, Bravo TV have just broadcast it uncut in the UK. Well is it any good? Hmm.. I guess it depends on each viewer's moral sensibilities and sense of humour. Billy Drago plays an American in Japan who is searching for a prostitute he has fallen in love with. He had promised Komomo that he would return and take her away from the brothel to a new, better life. Nothing much happens for the first half hour or so. Billy Drago looks the part but can't act. Add to this the Japanese cast speaking with really bad English accents and it's tempting to pick up the remote and watch something, anything else.

Visiting a brothel, Drago's character meets a disfigured prostitute who tells him that Komomo is dead. Distraught, he asks the woman to tell him more and so begins a convoluted sickening tale of torture and death.

Miike has made a film that is truly twisted. This isn't unexpected coming from him but perhaps he has gone too far this time. The extreme torture scenes are reminiscent of those in Audition but even harder to watch. The graphic use of unborn babies is disturbing and hard to defend. A true video nasty. As far as I know Bravo can only show certificated material in the UK and therefore I've got to assume that the violence against women only got passed by the BBFC because it was women committing the violence.

I'm not sure I can recommend Imprint. As a horror film it does deliver the goods but was it an enjoyable, worthwhile ride? No. The DVD will be released later this year. Hopefully Miike shot everything in Japanese as well as in broken English. A subtitled version would work so much better.