Sushi Girl (2012)
Director: Kern Saxton
Starring: Tony Todd, Noah Hathaway, James Duval
Synopsis:
When one of their number is released from jail, a gang of jewel thieves reunite for a nyotaimori sushi banquet, but this is more than just a social call.
Impressions:
I first heard about Sushi Girl on the "Fat Man on Batman" podcast where Kevin Smith interviewed Mark Hamill. I first heard about nyotaimori around the time Princess Mononoke was being released in the States by someone trying to portray all Japanese culture as twisted and perverted. (As someone who has lived and worked in Japan for several years and been an avid observer of Japanese culture for much longer, I can assure you that only a considerable portion of Japanese culture is twisted and perverted. ^o^ ) To very quickly give you an idea of what to expect, think Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs specifically. You bring together these quirky personalities and they're shooting the breeze one minute and engaging in brutal violence the next. I'm not exaggerating the brutal violence bit, so if you're squeamish, stay away. The performances are great across the board, but I have to give special notice to Tony Todd and Mark Hamill. They're great in this. You also get cameos by icons like Sonny Chiba, Michael Biehn and Danny Trejo. If you like Tarantino-style films of crime and violence, this one's for you.
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