Rating: B-
Dir: Sion Sono
Star: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi
This is a mess. It is, on some occasions, a gloriously unhinged mess, and I was impressed by the whole lunatic approach. But there’s a reason two-thirds of the Google reviews are one-star, mostly from annoyed Nic Cage fans. Though there is a marvellous entity from this confused person, who appears to be leaving a poor review of his local sports bar. Yet, somehow, this feels not inappropriate. And, hey, he gave the film five stars, so there’s that. Personally, I knew what I was getting into, having greatly enjoyed previous Sion Sono works. Here, he’s working from someone else’s script, yet it still feels very much like one of his own movies. Plus Nic Cage, going full Nic Cage.
It takes place in a bizarre, almost post-apocalyptic yet also pseudo-Western world called the Ghostland, whose residents will occasionally burst into a spirited group rendition of My Grandfather’s Clock. Inhabitants there are trapped by the whim of the Governor (Moseley), and there’s a group trying to make time stand still, by physically restraining the hands of a giant clock (top). They’re trying to prevent it from reaching 8:15, which as any fan of OMD knows, is the time the bomb went off over Hiroshima – one of the film’s many themes. The Governor’s daughter Bernice (Boutella) has run off, and he compels the Hero (Cage) to track her down. He’s wired into a suit with explosive charges to control his behavior. Lustful thoughts? Lose a testicle.
The bulk of the film is the Hero wandering the landscape, interacting with the various weird groups who populate the Ghostland. He was recruited because of a violent reputation, resulting from a bank robbery that went wrong – though this was more due to his psycho accomplice. So this mission is a chance for redemption, if he can rescue Bernice and free the Ghostlanders from the Governor’s tyranny. But it’s mostly just surreal weirdness, and your tolerance for such will largely determine whether you can make it through. Even Cage said it “might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made”, and you’ll appreciate that’s a high bar indeed. Personally, it does outstay its welcome, but I found the good stuff here phenomenal.
The first twenty minutes would be the best, because you get thrown in at the deep end of everything, and are simultaneously battered with striking visuals, while drowning in a sea of WTF? It’s a hugely disorienting experience, yet is one that I appreciated. There are genuinely amusing moments, such as the Hero bailing on the muscle car provided by the Governor, and riding off energetically on a bicycle instead. I would have preferred more structure to show up eventually, and the quest for Bernice is disposed of so easily, it’s barely an inconvenience. However, this is one of those films you watch for its moments. Okay, “moments” means things like a samurai (Sakaguchi) slicing a throat while his target’s head is inside a paper lantern. Take your entertainment where you can.