Shamo

I was expecting something weird considering it was a HK adaptation of an ultra violent fucked up Japanese manga. On the fucked up scale it ranked pretty high considering even I couldn't read it after the first 30 or so pages. And that's no small feat when you take into account I managed to read about half of Ichi the Killer before feeling sick.

This film isn't for the faint hearted or for those who seek logic and well rounded characters in films. It contains none of that and sadly enough it also gleans over the most horrifying aspects of the manga. So in short it's a galli ka kutta which will appeal to neither the casual viewer nor to the otaku.

The film is not bereft of some charms though. The MMA scenes are extremely well done while the cinematography fluctuates between stunning and ridiculous. Acting is nothing to write home about though there are some very hot Chinese babes dressed up to look Japanese. I'm guessing the Robotech 3000 has something to do with it.

Not a must watch by any stretch of the imagination but def a solid primer on how not to adapt a a manga for the big screen. Very valuable lesson for me before I attempt to write a script based on "Strain".