Audition (Uncut Special Edition) Reviews

• Piano wire makes for a fun evening!

  
  By A2V3P1XE33NYC3 on 2004-01-06
  In the battle between men and women, who will triumph? Who knows, but Japanese director Takashi Miike's film "Audition" shines a particularly brutal light on this eternal conflict. Set in Japan, the film takes on additional significance considering what we know about the role of women in that society. I am far not expert on Japanese social roles or mores, but I imagine the stereotypical picture of a Japanese woman as a subservient figure to men is more or less an accurate one. Certainly, gender roles have changed somewhat over the last fifty plus years as Japan rapidly industrialized and assumed a western style political system. One hopes that some progress in this area has taken place there, but I am not so sure after watching this film. Apparently, the idea of a docile, ever ready to serve her partner woman still exerts a strong influence in that country. Otherwise, "Audition" would make little sense to its target audience. Completely independent of its effect on Japanese audiences, the movie will send shivers down the spine of every American male.

  "Audition" starts like a Japanese adaptation of some saccharine American family television program. Aoyama, a man whose wife died some years before, desperately seeks female companionship. He works as a television producer, has done an excellent job raising his son, and enjoys bonding with this son on fishing trips. Aoyama, in other words, is a really nice guy. It's just that he is so lonely nowadays since his son is quickly growing up and has less and less time to spend with his father. Aoyama therefore soon faces the prospect of almost total solitude. Our hero opens his heart to his business partner one evening at the local bar, lamenting the changing face of Japanese society that has led to a decline of traditional women--meaning ladies who will stay home and serve their husbands--and a rise in the numbers of modern, cynical women. After commiserating with his buddy, the two come up with an excellent idea. Recognizing that they work in the film business, why not put out an ad for a female part in a new television program while secretly using the audition process as a means of securing the perfect mate for Aoyama? What a brilliant idea! A quick perusal of the resumes beforehand will help narrow down the final choices.

  The plan goes off without a hitch, and Aoyama does indeed discover a young woman who he thinks will be his ideal match. Blessed with an ethereal visage and the pretty name of Asami, this young woman seems like a magnificent catch. Aoyama likes the fact that the young woman has undergone a few personal tragedies in her life but emerged stronger because of them. He even seems to like her perpetual shyness, perhaps because it indicates Asami is a traditional woman who will know her place in Aoyama's household. Even after deciding on Asami, our hero hesitates to pursue the relationship. Should he be so forward? Wouldn't it seem indecorous to make such blatant overtures? As Aoyama debates what action he should take a few problems emerge that cast a pall over his choice. His partner encourages him to choose someone else, saying that her "chemistry" isn't right and that he has a bad feeling about this young girl. Another possible problem emerges when Aoyama discovers that Asami has no permanent address. Only a phone number links the two potential lovers, but the lonely Aoyama throws all caution to the wind and calls anyway. On the other end of the line sits Asami, who spends a lot of time sitting around a bare room waiting by the telephone. When the phone finally rings, a smile full of sinister implications stretches itself across Asami's mug. She obviously knows her charms worked on the older Aoyama and now she plans on running a show full of painful activities.

  No guy wants to think the sort of things that happen to Aoyama could really occur, but it can happen when you start treating people like objects instead of living, breathing beings. And Asami has been treated like an object by every male figure in her life. When it comes time to lash out at her oppressors, Aoyama is there to take the fall. The film becomes problematic when we learn that the main character is actually a nice guy. He loves his son, certainly wouldn't treat a woman badly, and is so lonely that it is tough to not empathize with the desperate measures he takes to find a woman. Miike lessens the likeability of Aoyama during the second half of the film, when we see he has some decidedly unsavory desires of his own, but I still couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

  Whether the extreme torture session between Aoyama and Asami actually takes place or is a dream really isn't all that crucial to the story line although it certainly achieves a fingernails on the blackboard effect for any male watching it. I think "Audition" is a film about how men and women constantly and consistently fail to connect on a personal level. When Aoyama authorizes the audition and reads through the resumes looking for the perfect woman, he assigns a host of assumptions to Asami based on what HE wants in a woman. Whether she will fulfill these expectations in person is secondary to what the man wants. Watch the movie, not just for the gore scenes, but also to view a social critique about gender roles and miscommunication.
  
  

• kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri...

  
  By A2CRIEA7FXEFST on 2004-04-03
  Aoyama is a sad lonely man whose wife died seven years previously. Instead of remarrying, Aoyama decided to put his all into his work and becomes relatively successful. However, the death of his wife leaves a hole in him, and when his son suggests that he get remarried he asks his friend Yoshikawa helps him by having a fake audition in which Aoyama can select 30 women and decide which one of them he wants to marry. He decides on the gorgeous Asami Yamazaki who is also very soft spoken, pleasant, and obedient. Aoyama soon becomes obsessed with the young woman, and their relationship begins to blossom revealing a flower full of worms. Asami is much more than what she appears to be.

  It should be noted that, although Miike gets most of the acclaim for this film, Murakami Ryu wrote the screenplay. Murakami penned such notable novels as _Almost Transparent Blue_, _Coin Locker Babies_, and _In the Miso Soup_. If I had never heard of Miike before watching this film, I would have still known to be on my guard because of Murakami.

  Although this film is ripe with violence, I believe that the main theme is lonliness. Aoyama is lonely. Asami sits by her phone in a dark room desperately waiting for Aoyama to call. These scenes display the lonliness that a number of Japanese, and of course others, feel in their post modern country. Surrounded by people, but all alone with no one they can really relate to.

  Please be prepared for some very disturbing imagery.
  
  

• Hot! Thought Provoking!

  
  By A1E94T4GW7O149 on 2005-02-22
  Without waxing to anecdotal (or pseudo analytical), I have to admit I had not idea what to make of Audition. The perplexity in a way is a good thing as it made me think. Here goes... Not sure whether this movie was `art house' or `sensationalism' or `shock value' I stuck with it. Based on the novel by Ryu Murakami, Takashi Miike's rendition defies easy explanation. Audition is a yarn of a middle-aged, widowed TV-producer's looking for a wife (or partnership) through bogus auditions of youthful actresses. According to some research this is in line with Miike duality juxtaposition of `attractive/repellent,' `fascinating/disgusting.' After a really long first hour that smacked of soap-operaish melodrama we are presented with a tour-de-force of rapid-fire violence. Granted Miike sets this up a `collision' I'm still confused as to what to walk away with. In the special features where Miike is interviewed he denies any social commentary. Fair enough, however, one cannot help but read into the movie (if looking at the movie `as text') much like `Fatal Attraction' one sees a certain critique of men's viewpoint of the objectification of women which get brutally repaid by their own gullibility (or is it ignorance). I certainly read it as a denunciation of the Japanese male's mind-set towards women. As un-intellectual as this sounds, take into account a widower who wants a beautiful, unsullied, submissive, youthful and wife, but does not hesitate to run the prospective entrant through a `meat market process' - such as an `Audition,' where we are supposed to accept that she is willing to wait in line with others in order to expose her breasts for two `Oyaji' she has never met - and like it. The candidate is somewhat unaware that this is all because the men folk are so socially inept that they cannot meet well adjusted women in a real world scenario - where the power relation is a little bit more - shall we say - `balanced.' I hate spoilers so I won't do one here. However, we get a sense that this fellow is not so bad and Miike, I think, tries to make us sympathize with this `awkward' individual - who apparently doubts his action (but goes through with it anyway). Aoyama doubts his actions and we are supposed to commiserate. His persona (I think we are supposed to allow for) is a `gray area,' so this is not supposed to be a film as condemnation of `either/or' but more like `both/and.' So Aoyama is both pathetic AND reflective - we are not supposed to judge him. In a way, what I found disturbing was how during the audition scenes, we see him somewhat `uncomfortable' while his associate, who created this whole scenario to begin with is unreflective. As a somewhat `redemptive' aspect of the film as the movie progresses we get the sense that Aoyama is the victim in this whole thing as we are presented with Aoyama's feelings for Asami as genuine and that he might be the way out of her `issues.' Not likely I guess from the outcome. Hard to expect that relationships that spring from such dysfunctional beginnings (no matter how linear my thinking) can be expected to succeed. As a psycho thriller this movie is nothing short of a tour-de-force. Moreover, if it but stops and makes us consider our objectification then Miike may have succeeded beyond his sensationalist roots.
  
  Miguel Llora
  
  

• kidee,...kidee.....kidee.....

  
  By A48JD65BKLC0Q on 2002-09-23
  AUDITION - directed by Takashi Miike (2001)
  DVD/VHS
  10/10
  Japanese with English Subtitles
  This film is un-rated and contains graphic violence.

  I can't decide which director would enjoy watching this film best: Clive Barker, Dario Argento, or Alfred Hitchcock. All these directors I appreciate for their talents in darkness whether it is extreme or subtle. Takashi Miike has accomplished drawing the audience in slowly with subtle and well-made storytelling that turns into a roller coaster ride of white-knuckle extreme terror. At first it seems as though Miike is presenting at straightforward family drama. Husband/father Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) widowed seven years prior decides under the gentle and humorous direction of his son (Tetsu Sawaki) it is time to remarry. Simple? Well, no. Aoyama's drinking buddy Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura) decides to hold a fake audition for a film in search of the perfect woman. The editing during this sequence has a natural rhythm and humor that highlights the whole facade as the numbers of unusual women are asked a series of questions. Enter Asami (Eihi Shiina), a former ballet dancer, who seems to have suffered in her past. Aoyama falls in love quickly, and against the warnings of Yoshikawa moves forward in quest for the perfect mate," a compliant woman is best." Takashi quickly cuts to a still shot of Asami, sitting on the floor her head bent down, her hair falling over her head so we can't see her face, a telephone in the foreground, and a very large canvas bag. Throughout soundtrack is very well done and there are very different types of music to fit each scene. At this point, however, there is total silence. Long enough to create tremendous tension. Miike takes the audience with Aoyama as hints Asami's of psychotic disintegration almost subliminally sneak into the narrative. At the midway point we become just as disoriented as Aoyama. Is love blind and deaf? In a series of well-edited montage scenes we are shown previous shots of conversations with different dialog, or simply, more direct. Asami seems to be disclosing all of her painful and tragic past. Or is she? Do we really listen when we are in love, or do we simply hear what we want to hear? Asami's lifelong forced submission and compliance have been driven so deep they boomerang ..standing these traits on their heads. I enjoyed Takashi's sense of direction. The film flows, picking up pace towards the final scenes effectively employing the lost art of giving the audience the maximum amount of tension and fear while revealing little. By then it is too late. Throw in a couple of misplaced acupuncture needles, dismembered limbs, three fingers and a tongue. Well, you can imagine the scenarios. Or can you? This is a slow burn, with a great pace and it really pays off. Not for the squeamish, faint of heart or anyone who is afraid of needles. Deeper, deeper..deeper.
  
  

• A+

  
  By A48JD65BKLC0Q on 2002-09-19
  AUDITION - directed by Takashi Miike (2001)
  DVD/VHS
  10/10
  Japanese with English Subtitles
  This film is un-rated and contains graphic violence.

  Takashi Miike has accomplished drawing the audience in slowly with subtle and well-made storytelling that turns into a roller coaster ride of white-knuckle extreme terror. At first it seems as though Miike is presenting at straightforward family drama. Husband/father Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) widowed seven years prior decides under the gentle and humorous direction of his son (Tetsu Sawaki) it is time to remarry. Simple? Well, no. Aoyama's drinking buddy Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura) decides to hold a fake audition for a film in search of the perfect woman. The editing during this sequence has a natural rhythm and humor that highlights the whole facade as the numbers of unusual women are asked a series of questions. Enter Asami (Eihi Shiina), a former ballet dancer, who seems to have suffered in her past. Aoyama falls in love quickly, and against the warnings of Yoshikawa moves forward in quest for the perfect mate," a compliant woman is best." Takashi quickly cuts to a still shot of Asami, sitting on the floor her head bent down, her hair falling over her head so we can't see her face, a telephone in the foreground, and a very large canvas bag. Throughout soundtrack is very well done and there are very different types of music to fit each scene. At this point, however, there is total silence. Long enough to create tremendous tension. Miike takes the audience with Aoyama as hints Asami's of psychotic disintegration almost subliminally sneak into the narrative. At the midway point we become just as disoriented as Aoyama. Is love blind and deaf? In a series of well-edited montage scenes we are shown previous shots of conversations with different dialog, or simply, more direct. Asami seems to be disclosing all of her painful and tragic past. Or is she? Do we really listen when we are in love, or do we simply hear what we want to hear? Asami's lifelong forced submission and compliance have been driven so deep they boomerang ..standing these traits on their heads. I enjoyed Takashi's sense of direction. The film flows, picking up pace towards the final scenes effectively employing the lost art of giving the audience the maximum amount of tension and fear while revealing little. By then it is too late. Throw in a couple of misplaced acupuncture needles, dismembered limbs, three fingers and a tongue. Well, you can imagine the scenarios. Or can you? This is a slow burn, with a great pace and it really pays off. Not for the squeamish, faint of heart or anyone who is afraid of needles. Deeper, deeper..deeper.
  
  

• A twisted and disturbing romantic comedy!
  By A3UA40JOD3BE1M on 2002-12-02
  I'm not an aficionado of foreign language films, but didn't let that put me off this Japanese production. Apart from the original Russian "Solaris," and the German mini-series "Das Boot," I can count the number of films I've read the subtitles to on one hand, and they've mostly been by Kurosawa.

  I purchased this movie purely on the strength of the reviews I read of it here on Amazon, the first time I've done so. "Audition" seems to elicit extreme reactions from reviewers, like Kubrick's 2001, you'll either love it or hate it... and as you can see from the 5 Stars I gave, I'm in the former category. But just so you know, my taste in film runs from, A Man For All Seasons, to the original Halloween, via the aforementioned 2001, and the original Dirty Harry!

  I won't go into too much plot detail, others have done so, suffice to say it's not terribly original; boy meets girl, boy falls in love, boy loses girl, girl reappears, transformed from meek and mild child-woman, to messed-up psycho-slasher with an extensive collection of acupuncture needles!

  The first half of the film plays out as a gentle romantic comedy. Even with reading the subtitles, and missing the undoubtedly subtle Japanese cultural references, I was smiling and chuckling as our hero, Aoyama, met, under slightly dishonest circumstances to be sure - the "auditions" of the title - and then started to woo, the girl of his dreams, Asami.

  But all, of course, is not as it seems. Her background is hazy, to say the least, but still, he is smitten, and plunges headlong into the relationship, only to have her disappear without trace after they have made love for the first time.

  He sets out to track her down, and slowly but surely his world disintegrates into a living nightmare of disturbing revelations and strange, dreamlike, meetings. This all builds inexorably to the "messed-up psycho-slasher" finale, with its extended scenes of fairly graphic torture, which, to be honest, COULD have been much worse! The reasons for all the horror goes back to Asami's childhood, and is explained in a couple of, brief though explicit, scenes of sadomasochistic child abuse!

  This film is not for everyone by any means, but it is one, I feel, that will reward repeated viewing. The performances, cultural subtleties aside, are warm and naturalistic, the story is solid, but it's the direction/editing that drives the whole thing, relentlessly, to its Grand Guignol conclusion. Certain scenes are repeated/expanded upon, seen from different perspectives, then repeated again `til you're not quite sure what is "real" and what is imagined on the part of the protagonists. The final moments have an ethereal dreamlike quality... a stunning conclusion to one hell of a ride!
  
  

• The less you know, the better
  By A1BJ9RYODD2GY3 on 2002-05-05
  I had heard of "Audition" for months before actually getting my hands on a copy of the DVD. I basiscally knew what to expect -- slow first hour, horrific final half hour, leaving you guessing at the nature of what really happens. However, because I'd read so much about the film, I think I really cheated myself out of a truly visceral horror experience.

  First, a short plot synopsis: Main charcter's wife dies. Seven years later, he's lonely and decides he wants to re-marry. To meet women, he holds an audition, casting for a fake movie, in order to easily meet young women. One particular young lady captures his fancy. But she is definitely more than she seems.

  ATTENTION: This is NOT a Hollywood horror film. Don't expect the fake-scare red herrings, or the busty brainless chicks creeping into the attic to find out what that growling noise is. In fact, Audition contains few, if any, "shock" moments. Instead, the movie is a slow boil of disturbing creepiness that crescendoes into a brutal third act. This is not to say that there are not horrific moments, certainly this movie is rife with terrible images. But the film plays so differently from the tripe we see in American horror genres. It's slow, it's measured and it's effective.

  I might be in the minority here, but I enjoyed the first hour of this film immensely. I liked the main character as a person, even felt a little sorry for him during his quest to find a mate, which made his fate (which I knew because of my research into the film) all the more dreadful.

  I suppose because the second half of the film is so brutal, viewers might feel cheated out of what could have been a nice love story. However, I think this is what makes the film so quintessentially Japanese in its horror. "Audition" is the fright of every day relationships, taken to extremes beyond extreme. This is the darkest journey into ideas of loneliness, friendship and the fact that noone really knows anyone in this world. It is an examination of psychological fears made flesh.

  My advice: See this movie, but do not ruin it for yourself by reading much about it before experiencing it. "Kidee, kidee, kidee, kidee."
  
  

• Audition.
  By APCHVFMSQZVY4 on 2005-07-15
  With all due respect I think that Takashi Miike has made a masterpiece, not only is this film scary as hell but it seems that halfway through it manages to catch you of gaurd and that is whats great about this film.
  The story is about a middle-age widowed man that lives alone with his son, throughout the years he becomes increasingly lonely and his friend at work realises this so he decides to help his friend find his ideal woman by seting up a fake audition for a t.v. movie, then Asami comes in and he soon realises that she is perfect although she seems a bit shy she is a nice person or thats what it might seem like in the begining.
  Thats all I'm going to say so I would not spoil anything, its better if you see this with an open mind and if your a patient person afterall this is not a complete gorefest horror film as the begining is rather slow and is played out more like a drama untill it reaches its last half hour it becomes more violent and disturbing. I thought that the film was very cleverly executed and it also brings up the traditional role of husband and wife in the modern culture of Japan.
  So if you like Audition then I suggest that you check out more of Takashi Miike's films like Happines of the Katakuris, Ichi the killer, City of lost souls, Fudoh:the new generation and visitor Q even though I have only seen a few of his films I just think that this guy is a geniuos even though he uses extreme violence and gore so you have been warned.
  
  
• looking for love in all the WRONG places!
  By A5MPR38KL612P on 2002-03-31
  Takashi Miike's AUDITION (Odishon) is not your ordinary horror story. Rather, it's a complex look at human frailty, fear and the desire to be loved.

  I just saw it at a midnight screening, and the anticipation I and my friends felt was very high. Even the theatre management offered us their high praise of what they said is a very intense and unforgettable film.

  Unforgettable and intense would be just two words I would use to describe AUDITION. The words suspenseful, horrific, sad, creepy, and graphic also come to mind. This is not a film for younger viewers (those under 17) or those who are squeamish at all.

  The story revolves around a man, Aoyama(Ryo Ishibashi) who some years earlier lost his wife to illness, and had to raise their young son on his own. In the present day, his son is about 22 years old, and Aoyama is feeling old and very lonely. His business partner and he hatch a plan to find him a bride. They use the guise of casting for a film. They hold a casting call from the hundreds of interested young girls who respond to their solicitation. Ayoama, who desperately wants to find a wife, has already set his sights on one girl, Asami (Eihi Shiina) whose very touching letter he read from her resume.

  Asami enters the interview room dressed in virginal/angelic white, acting very humble and deferential like a traditional Japanese woman would act toward a man. She is literally a vision of beauty and peace, while there is much more to her emotionally and psychologically. The business partner tells the man there is something he feels is amiss with Asami, and recommends against choosing her. However, Aoyama is irresistibly attracted to her, and can think of nothing but phoning her to say she has the "part" for their fake movie.

  What transpires for the first half of the film is an unfolding of a potential relationship, wherein Aoyama and Asami spend hours in cafes revealing the most intimate emotions and details of their painful lives. Aoyama truly believes he is falling in love, and all will be well. He does come to tell Asami that he isn't really casting for a film, but really looking for a wife and lifelong companion. Asami then suggests they go away for a weekend away, and the downward spiral begins...

  What follows for the next 45 minutes or so is a collage of dream-like flashbacks (a la David Lynch), extreme violence, and a lot of "heartbreak." I'm not going to detail the events of the last 20 minutes as this is the point where you DEFINITELY don't want to get up and walk away from the screen. Too much happens here and if you blink, you will miss something.

  If you look past the graphic depiction of torture/revenge visited upon the men in this film, you will see that AUDITION is in many ways a social commentary on the modern-day perils, both real and imagined, that all people potentially encounter when they are paralyzed by their fears of loneliness, rejection and sadness.

  The film's key strength is its use of genuine suspense and the deliberate unfolding of one horrific image followed by something more innocent. It is this juxtaposition of horror and innocence, love and hate, revenge and desire, that draws the viewer further into the darkness that is the soul of the abused and the unloved.

  Recommended with a caution that is very graphic and disturbing. Nonetheless, you won't likely soon forget it!
  
  

• Exceptionally Disturbing Thriller Film
  By A23VGBG17K5NJ3 on 2003-09-25
  Disturbing is too kind of a word for this film, yet in its way Audition works as a shock-thriller meant to sear itself into your brain.

  Suppose your wife dies, and you're getting old and lonely. Do you hit the bar scene to find an annoying, giggly, snobby girlfriend (watch the film...)? No! You get your movie producer friend to set up a fake movie so you can screen the young women auditioning for the lead role as prospective wives. Perhaps what later ensues is simply turnabout for fair play...

  Everyone has a "bad feeling" about Aoyama's choice, and for good reason. Demure little Asami spends her free time at home, sitting hunched-over and drooling while waiting for the phone to ring... with a large, bulging sack in the background.

  The film does explore very well the fears of men in Japan today while at the same time looking hard at and twisting the role of the "obedient" and proper traditional Japanese woman that Aoyama so desired. Looked at from a cross-cultural perspective, the film makes much more sense--which only heightens the horror and disturbing nature of its message.

  I would wonder (or perhaps worry) about those who claim to truly love this film, but at the same time those who enjoy psycho thrillers or like to be disturbed will find this movie worth a watch. It's not what I'd call true horror, but you will definitely be horrified!
  
  

• Doesn't live up to the hype.
  By A3F8Y66VALF3HW on 2003-03-09
  I love horror movies, especially intelligent, subtle ones. I kept hearing about this movie from people who compared it to Ringu. After seeing it, I'm not sure how it earned that comparison.

  I love the main concept of Audition, the story is a critique of sex roles in Japan. The film is very well made, from a technical standpoint. The sets and lighting start out very ordinary, and slowly get more extreme. Same goes with the camera work. So all the pieces of a really great movie are there.

  But the ending is horrible. I have no problem with the violence, and there's a surprisingly small amount of gore considering the situation. But the film takes what should have been creepy and understated and shoves it in your face. It's as if the filmmaker was afraid that we're all too stupid to get his point. And although the movie's theme was made totally clear, the plot got sloppy. The story just dissolves into a mess of relatively dull hallucinations and flashbacks, occasionally punctuated by severe torture. I think that throwing together a bunch of dreamy scenes is a cop out ending. I guess some people see that kind of thing and call it art, but I'm not one of them.

  So please, rent this before you buy it.
  
  

• High on hype, poor on delivery
  By on 2002-04-28
  When this film started hitting the festival circuit, mainstream reviewers (and my friends) pretty much panned it, while art-house reviewers generally praised it. Being an artsy type myself, I decided to heed the latter and wish I'd listened to the former.

  I simply can't voice anything recomendable or remarkable about this movie. While it's plot "twist" was hailed as a breakthrough, it's little more than the old suspense-movie staple of the good-girl-with-a-dark-secret, except the secret is very very dark and the badness, when it comes out, gives "director's cut" a new meaning. The film's plot is simply implausible which itself is not a movie-killer-- Miike intentionally makes the film rather surreal-- but it is so plodding in so many places that the first hour is almost as painful to watch as the harrowing later scenes. Some of the dropped hints (e.g. the "furniture" in Asami's apartment) are so dumb that the movie seems kitschy at times.

  The film's main weakness is that it's awfully difficult to care one whit about the characters. Asami Yamazaki, the apparently aspiring actress, is supposed to be psychologically wounded from some vaguely-outlined childhood experiences, but her acts in the second half are so retch-inducingly revolting that Charles Manson practically seems sympathetic in comparison. Maybe there's some point to the direction, but Miike lurches from honestly sympathizing with her to wanting her impaled on a spike-- the basis of Asami's psychosis just isn't fleshed-out well enough, on balance, to make the viewer buy into what's going on.

  And Shigeharu Aoyama, supposedly representing the stereotypical Japanese worker-bee, is mildly engaging as a lovelorn, grief-stricken older man who falls puppy-dog like for Asami. But as much as one might buy into him being vulnerable from his losses, he winds up acting so ridiculously stupid and naive that you want a brick to fall and knock some sense into him. The clues as to Asami's misleading exterior could not possibly be more obvious, and Shigeharu's obtuseness is forehead-scratching.

  All of this might be forgivable, but there's so much unnecessary blood and gore in this film that it's other shortcomings just don't justify sitting through and enduring it, in the theatre or elsewhere.
  
  

• i thought this was going to be a nice movie....
  By A313FHXGRZNB68 on 2005-04-27
  let's give it to you straight...
  
  asian guy has a teenaged son and a dead wife.
  
  asian guy feels like it's time to get back on with his life and find a good woman for himself and a nice stepmother for his son.
  
  asian guy and friend decide that in order to find the perfect woman, they would audition her under the premise that they are making a film
  
  asian girls audition
  
  one makes the cut and asian guy decides to woo her
  
  they seem to come up with a nice relationship.
  
  the sentence above turns out not to be true.
  
  this film really freaked me out. i don't think i have ever seen such evil, insanity, disgusting stuff and mean-spirited storytelling.
  
  silence of the lambs? for sissies.
  toxic avenger? child's play
  friday the 13th? can't even compare.
  
  this is the stuff that that hack quentin tarrantino WISHES he could make. the last 45 minutes will enthrall the nutcases and turn the stomachs of normal people as things fall apart for the well-meaning, yet harmlessly deceitful asian guy when it turns out that his woman is so out of her mind that it aint even funny.
  
  
• A Modern Horror Masterpiece
  By A34D4KCP94ACJZ on 2007-05-10
  Takashi Miike's Audition is a disturbing and at times confusing film. That being said, try to judge it for yourself while watching it, as the film takes you on an interesting and deceptive ride that plays on our definitions of film genres and cliche devices. In this respect Miike is not unlike Tarantino. He is a director who thinks outside of the box and seemed to recognize the potential in expressing himself with this story...and used this wisely to scare the hell out of me.
  
  The story is about a widower who decides to finally begin a search for a new wife at the suggestion of both his son and his movie producer friend. But how will he find his new bride? Well, this man's friend is of course a filmmaker and he decides to hold an audition for this widower, so he can look for an attractive girl with a history in some kind of artistic discipline (i.e. dancing, piano, ballet etc.). Our protagonist possesses a handful of applications and must choose 30 girls to audition for a part in this faux movie. His friend agrees that he must find a girl who is happy to be his wife, and happy women are never good enough actors, so whoever he chooses will convincingly not be acceptable for this fake movie role to being with. However, contrary to his friend's advice our protagonist chooses a girl named Asami, who is profoundly unhappy. She used to be a ballerina but broke her hip and feels that having to quit something she loves can be paralleled to accepted death itself. Asami is not happy but she is an attractive 24 year old girl who has intrigued our hero and he more or less chose her before the audition happens anyway. The film takes a turn as we begin to see some hints as to what kind of person Asami is and all her mysteries are gradually revealed. Trust me when I say there is plenty about Asami to reveal.
  
  Miike gives us a film that comes off as a Romantic Comedy in the first 80 minutes and then slowly transforms into a thriller/mystery kind of film, and then smacks us over the head with it's intense climax and conclusion that is shock, horror, gore and utter madness. Audition could've easily become a one-trick-pony in it's goal to play with our understandings of genres and what to expect, but it actually goes far beyond that and rarely gets credit for doing so. This is a very sharp film on many levels and in many ways. It is smart and surprising. I highly recommend this film to anyone willing and able to deal with it's violent content. I also see this as a gateway and introduction to Miike's films and other films like his. You shouldn't regret discovering this filmmaker.
  
  I have heard people say this is exploitative but that is likely a judgement on Miike overall, as Audition is one of his few films that really isn't exploitative at all. In fact, in terms of `gore' films Audition is not even close to Ichi the Killer but it should be taken with a warning as it is still very violent and realistic. I don't think this film deserves beyond an R-rating when we take into account the violence portrayed in "The Passion of the Christ". The limits have been pushed enough to allow films like Audition wider release in the United States without forcing either an NC-17 or no rating at all. There is almost no nudity in Audition but the violence and torture is creepy and well beyond acceptable for children to view.
  
  
  
• Japanese always do horror films with exceptional flair.
  By A3C6CZC2JP67VK on 2006-06-03
  It's difficult to know what my reaction to this film is. I have several, they're strong and they're pulling me in different directions
  
  Based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, director Takashi Miike's Audition is surprisingly "deliberate" and straightforward for much of its length. It's not a bad film at all, but most of it is in the realm of realist drama, even becoming something of a romance at one point. There are a few brutal images and scenarios, but they arrive primarily towards the end of the film, and they tend to be more conceptually disturbing than graphically violent.
  
  It's a good hour, at least, before anything very out of the ordinary happens in the film, and even when that time does arrive, the strange occurrences are extremely subtle at first. The pacing and tone of this first half of the film is more similar to Hideo Nakata's style as displayed in films like Ringu (1998) and Dark Water (Honogurai mizu no soko kara, 2002). This is only the third Mike film I've seen so far (I had difficulty tracking them down for purchase or rental before I joined Netflix), and the directorial style of Audition was surprising to me. That's because so far, every Miike film I've seen has a completely different style (the other two I've watched to date are Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1) and Happiness of the Katakuris (Katakuri-ke no kôfuku), both from 2001).
  
  It would be easy to read this film as a misandrist/gynophobic horror. It might be taken as a more specifically culturally Japanese lament for the passing of a way of life, a la 'Tokyo Story'. You could note that the jumbled chronology or hallucinatory structure of the horror segment could indicate uncertainty. Did it really happen or are those his fears?
  You could do all of these things however, I think it's a cut and shunt job. I like both sections on their own, but stick 'em together and it feels like I can still see the tape holding the two sets of spliced film stock together. These themes deserve exploration and I'd love to see the missing two halves to the two parts we've seen. Together it's a dislocated joint in my brain, albeit a well-executed and compelling one.
  
  Imagine the sensation if the loss and hope in the first half could have made it through to be confronted by the psychosis and nightmares of the second. Instead they're misplaced somewhere in the confusion of a drugged glass of whisky and the director's desire to stupefy us into submission.
  
  Despite Asami's philosophy of getting at reality through pain, I don't think this film was painful enough, although I can't think of any part of it I didn't like. My reactions to the film may be contrary but they don't hurt enough.
  
  
  
• Homebrewer
  By A3HK5EM5F8MT8H on 2005-02-17
  I will not go over plot points already covered in other reviews, but rather add another dimension to the discussion of the horror / gore aspect of the movie.
  
  In my view, the horrific and gory scenes of Aoyama being drugged, dismembered and so on are all dreamt. That is, everything between Aoyama being covered with a sheet after entering the bed with Asami and his waking up to fetch a glass of water is a dream. The dream continues after he goes back to bed.
  
  To put it simply, at the surface level, the movie is a psychologically acute and well acted drama about the growing relationship between Asami and Aoyama. Now, just as vintage horror fans will tell you, that which is implied is far more subtly terrifying than simple splatter and gore. The torture and punishment Aoyama undergoes at the hands of Asami is a nightmare firmly rooted in the narrative of the so-called boring build-up to these gut-wrenching scenes.
  
  An attentive look at the first three quarters of the movie reveals how motifs, phrases, and the emotional 'baggage' brought by each protagonist to the relationship are reworked in Aoyama's subconscious into a terrifying nightmare.
  
  It is to the writer's credit that this nightmare follows dream-logic in a way that is still cinematic and accessible. It is a dream which reveals much about the character of Aoyama, and nothing at all about Asami. (In fact, through the whole film, she is more an object of his gaze and interpretation than a subject narrating her own experience.)
  
  Does this mean that this movie should not be classified as a horror film? In my view, it is better seen, and only makes sense, at the level of an insightful, character driven drama about the guilt-complex of a traditional middle-aged man decided upon marrying a younger woman with some baggage of her own. Her 'baggage' is, of course, only alluded to, but it is enough for Aoyama's imagination to work into a powerful expression of his own fears and sense of guilt. And, likeable as the character of Aoyama is, there is enough for his guilt to chew on: he has used the artificial and deceptive 'audition' to find himself a wife. He was against the idea but talked into it by his coworker. Is it so strange that his subconscious should reproach him for it? He is remarrying after the death of his first wife through illness. Is it so strange that she should reappear in the dream sequence to warn him against Asami? And Asami herself is somewhat of a mysterious character. She is marrying a far older man. Why? And why isn't she already involved with someone. She has had a difficult upbringing. What emotional scars might it have left on her? The character herself, so brilliantly acted, also conveys a negative 'vibe' in the way some people just seem to do.
  
  This is a movie in which the 'male' gaze is very much the primary one. The story is told from his point of view. But the female has her own revenge. She intrudes through the workings of his subconscious, complicated by his doubts and his repressed sense of guilt. If she must be objectified in the manner she is, an unattached female drawn out of a short-list of viable female candidates and turned into a dutiful wife, then she might just become, potentially a rather nasty object. In the strange, reverse world of the dream, she has become the active subject, and he is the drugged and immobile victim of her tortures and punishments. .
  
  Why, then, is the movie always referred to as a horror film? In short, it needed to be promoted as such to get an audience. If the reviews here are anything to go by, it certainly seems to have been received as such.
  
  But it is so much more than a horror flick, one-and-a-half hours more in fact. It is NOT a horror film with good characterization, but an insightful romantic drama with a violent undertone of personal and cultural repression. In fact, I would say that it is unique in standing between the two genres, linking the two and transgressing the bounds of both, for if horror films are so often characterless splatterfests, then romantic dramas are also often guilty of being superficial, sugary twaddle. To see it any other way is to overlook what the film achieves at once so brilliantly and so terrifyingly. Whether this was a fluke or intended as such, can only be answered by the director himself. I like to think, that like Asami, this movie can take on a life of its own in the viewer's mind. A+++ of an movie!
  
  
• "I don't like her...her chemistry...it's not right."
  By A2Y4MUU6R9NDUR on 2005-06-24
  SWEET JEBUS.
  
  Before watching this, my first Takeshi Miike movie, I thought that The Exorcist, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Rosemary's Baby, and Kubrick's The Shining were the scariest horror films I'd ever seen.
  
  Audition blows them ALL away in a single stroke. I seriously don't know exactly what level of damage we inflicted to the Japanese psyche with our "visit" to Hiroshima 50 years back, but methinks it has something to do with the likes of this movie; which (along with the rest of Miike's oeuvre) makes 99% of American horror entries past and present look like an episode of The Brady Bunch by comparison.
  
  The genius of this film lies in its pacing. Unlike most pedestrian, substandard "slasher" flicks which hit you with the splatter and severed bodies almost right up front, Audition takes its sweet time in milking the suspense for all it's worth. At first, this movie seems like a slightly quirky romantic comedy with a Japanese twist (main character and film producer Aoyama's wife dies of terminal illness, so at the behest of one of his friends he stages a fake film audition in order to find a prospective bride). He discovers the delightful, alluring, and stereotypically submissive beauty Asami (played to the cold steel hilt by Eihi Shiina), a woman who is not at all who she appears..
  
  I won't spoil the rest. Suffice to say, once things start coming unglued and Asami reveals her true sadistic nature, you will be left with images that dive like a red-hot fireplace poker straight into your psyche; a portrayal of cultural gender roles turned on their heads; and will probably have to sleep with the lights on for the next week and a half. You will never look at a doctor's needle or even the mere act of calling your pet cat the same way again. And I mean all that in the best possible way. Bravo to Miike for such a bold, unsettling film. Five stars, easy.
  
  
• Great Movie, Nice New Edition, But Not A New Cut
  By AVKSIVLP5M0GZ on 2005-08-24
  A truly terrifying movie that happens to be a well made film. Audition scares and shocks for sure, but you might be surprised that underneath all is a deep, well constructed plot full of subtlety you'd never expect from a "cult horror" movie. This disturbing film brought international acclaim to director Takashi Miike, one of the most original, innovative, and skillful directors to appear in the last 20 years.
  
  This movie has little in common with Ringu and the other Japanese horror fare currently being cannibalized by Hollywood. In many ways this is less a horror film than a drama. There are few of the horror genre's traditional "scare moments." The film has it's over the top aspects, but overall, this film feels realistic to a degree which the average horror film never approaches.
  
  This is not a film for everyone, certainly. Many are bored by the film, which is understandable due to the deliberate slow pacing throughout the first 2/3 of the film. Others are letdown in general as compared to the reputation the movie has. I can also see this, as the film's seems to have gain an almost mythical status among some fans; it's shock aspect is often built to a level which nothing but a snuff film could reach, and it's usually represented as something it's not (i.e. an edge of your seat thriller). This attracts people seeking only moments such as those found in the movie's final scenes find they are out of luck; this is not just an exploitation splatter flick. The psychological elements far outstrip the gore, and they contain the real terror this film stands on. The amount of violence and the general explicitness is above what many people (perhaps most people) consider tasteful.
  
  Also, some of said "don't believe the hype," but I say "don't listen to the hype." What I mean is, the less detail you know about this film and its plot, the better. The film is a truly great when you don't yet know what to expect.
  
  Technically, this DVD edition is good (and badly needed, as the film has been out of print for a while). Calling this the "Uncut Special Edition" implies that this is a new cut, but this is NOT the case. This is the uncut edition, as was the previous DVD release, along with new special features. Director Miike provides an intro to the DVD, commentary, and an interview. Also includes is the BRAVO segment on the film and an interview with Ryo Ishibashi. My only complaint: there are a few spelling errors in the subtitles, which bothers me as I cannot believe that so much work was put into a new edition and no one thought to double check.
  
  
• Belongs in the Criterion Collection
  By A2LSWBBCLW87LW on 2006-04-23
  "Audition" stands as not only an important horror film, but an important film in general. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say that "Audition" is horror. Indeed, the last fifteen to twenty minutes are extremely edgy and disturbing, but overall it could very well be Takashi Miike's finest achievement since it comes off as a painting more than a comic book (i.e. "Ichi the Killer"). It is a film about loneliness, abuse, deception and (oddly enough) hope. Although there are no protagonists in this film, and though the somewhat pitiful femme fatale gets her point across with razor wire and needles, you feel sympathy for the characters involved because the true enemy is circumstance, and it is through circumstance (mainly Asomi's tragic past) that the male lead is drawn however subtly into his inevitable downward spiral. I'm surprised that Criterion hasn't integrated this important film into its outstanding library. Perhaps it will one of these days, but for the time being I'm just thankful that Lions Gate was gracious enough to make "Audition" domestically available. I give "Audition" my highest recommendation and strongly suggest you check it out. 5 stars.
  
  
• Chiller...
  By A8X147D9E4GS3 on 2002-11-27
  Audition (1999)
  Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura; dir. Takashi Miike.

  A widower of 7 years, Shigeharu Aoyama (Ishibashi) starts looking again. Reluctant to use the normal channels (understandably, in my view) he has a friend set up a phony audition for a TV film, as a way of interviewing 30 eligible young women. The strategy works. He meets Asami Yamazaki (Shiina) - and she meets his requirements. She is demure, sensitive, educated, with a mature, somewhat pessimistic sensibility, to which Aoyama is drawn. She is responsive to his interest. And then it all goes horribly wrong. The film isn't exactly a horror movie, though. It's more of a short story which goes gorily surreal. The first three-quarters or so are shot at a leisurely pace, and constitute an engaging investigation of Aoyama's situation, with a good cameo by his cynical, ever-smoking friend (Kunimura), whose uneasy warnings fall on deaf ears, even though Aoyama has similar intuitions himself. The film is cinematically well-made, although a more rigorous approach to framing and composing every shot would have been an alternative approach. Director Miike is apparently a busy man, however, and perhaps he was in a bit of a hurry. Anyway, the light comedy seeps out of the film, continuity and point of view are fragmented and the spooky moments mount up (including one real eye-opener) as we follow a somewhat tortuous progress to the torturous finale where Aoyama is confronted by the monster Asami. The ending may have a little too much grue for some. Extreme depictions of violence seem to be a Japanese national characteristic (probably the direct consequence of their excessive politeness and unnaturally low crime rate, which would seem to stimulate these fermented fantasies). Despite the weirdness, however, "Audition" retains psychological plausibility, particularly with regard to Asami. Her character confronts the viewer. We are given no explanation of her motives - beyond a fairly superficial hint at abuse as a child. The suggestion that she is taking revenge on behalf of Japanese women for their treatment by the patriarchy is obviously ham-fisted (and besides, one could argue that in Japan everyone is oppressed by society) - but in a strange way there is something to it. Does Asami have some kind of grounds for her revenges? Is Aoyama guilty? For manipulating women? Or just being a complacent bourgeois male? These notions at least get a toehold; they wouldn't if the roles were reversed. Perhaps we tend to cut villainous females a little more slack than their male counterparts. Overall, a good film, provocative and worth seeing, but not for the faint of stomach.
  
  

• STUDY THIS FILM
  By A1CZAP222KIMSE on 2003-01-05
  First of all, this was my first introduction to Asian films, everything before whether it be Giallos (Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Opera, House with Windows that Laughed, What Ever Happened to Solange), or Film Noirs (The Third Man, Mildred Pierce, Memento), or 70's Exploitation (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas) seemed to teach me a lot less about the visual effectiveness a director can have on a film and its audience. The closest experience I had had to this sort of thing beforehand was Requiem for a Dream, and even that didn't seem to get to me as much as this film. If you want to understand Film Aesthetics study asian movies, the more contemporary the better. There will always be those critics who say the Japanese revolutionizing film ended with Kurosawa, those people have not seen Audition. So if you want to study film or study film and become a filmmaker pick up an asian flick. Audition, Battle Royale, Ringu, The Eye, Dark Water, Chaos, Kairo, Kakashi. With the recent resurfacing of horror and original ideas coming out of Japan, China and Korea, even if you aren't paying attention to these places you should already have figured out by now that even Hollywood is catching on. Dreamworks remade Ringu into The Ring, Wes Craven has plans to remake Kairo (the story of a live webfeed which broadcasts dead people who are seen still alive) into Pulse (the English translation of the word), Tom Cruise's production company has bought the rights to remake The Eye (the story of a girl who can see the dead after she gets a cornea transplant), there are also plans to remake the Korean film Cure (about a killer who hypnotizes people into commiting murders for him). Audition is an example of one of those movies that, while brilliant aesthetically and story-wise, its just too dark to be make it as an American Film, as is Battle Royale (a high school class is transported to an island where they are given 3 days to kill each other until only one people remains, or they all die). There is a lot of art and money in this medium, The Ring was the third remake of Ringu, there was also a sequel, a prequel, two tv shows, three made for tv movies, the book series and the comic book series. But Audition stands alone, its too good for a sequel, too proud for a franchise, and (I'm sorry to say this) just too good to be an American movie.
  
  
• Another experiment in hype
  By on 2003-04-05
  Just as the main character falls victim to his beautiful and mysterious love interest, I fell victim to what's amounted to nothing more than a pile of hype. The premise and even the story are excellent, but the execution falls flat. The person who wrote the script apparently was fired half way through the movie, which then becomes an "art film," trying way too desperately to be clever and confusing.

  Movies such as this try to make the viewer think that if they didn't like it, they didn't get it. I got it. It sucked anyway. If nothing else, I look at Audition as yet another case study in which viewers are told to think alike, and thus do. Just because a movie is non sequitur does not automatically make it interesting, innovative, brilliant, intelligent, ingenious, etc. The skill of Audition's marketers far exceeded that of the movie's producers, the unfortunate result being a sub-par film that could've/should've been a lot better being hailed as something more than it's worthy of.

  The movie wins points for premise, plot, acting, and some profoundly disturbing gore, but Audition proves that none of these things matter in the absence of effective execution.
  
  

• The only review you need to read about Audition.
  By A11FDN0BDZKKHJ on 2007-01-11
  It's obvious from reading all the reviews that this is a love it or hate it kind of movie. Either you "get it" or you don't. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and so is perception and taste. This is my criteria for determining if you should rent (or buy) this movie to decide for yourself. If your over 16 and still think that bodily function humor is funny, then you are probably not mature enough to understand the concepts of a movie like this. if you have Attention Deficit Disorder or can't stay off your cellphone for more than ten minutes, then you won't understand this movie. If you need a movie like "Hostel" to hit you on the head over and over again to let you know that you need to be scared NOW, then you won't like this movie. But if all of your brain synapses are working properly and you have any inkling of an imagination, i.e being able to immerse yourself into story and character, (remember books, where you had to create your own emotions and imagery rather than having them spoon fed to you?) then you will find this very psychologically disturbing and in some instances jolting. I saw this movie awhile ago and still have some of the images stuck in my head. It also helps a great deal not knowing too much about the movie going in. If everyone has been telling you how shocking or how great this movie is, as with any movie, it's going to take away from the overall effect intended and you might be disappointed. i recommend renting this movie to decide for yourself if it has any merit or not. By the way, one sign of a great movie other than obviously the talent involved, is the debate, discussion and controversy it evokes. As you can tell by this board, this movie has it in spades.
  
  
• Don't bother
  By A3EX8ZFNVDHGPM on 2002-06-30
  I'm sorry. This movie had few redeeming qualities except for the photography. To compare it to Memento - no. I found no "deep meaning" in Audition. Only a picture for those that like to see how much pain they can take. Technically the subtitles were easy to read which is not always the case in foreign films.

  Rent this movie if you HAVE to see it. Don't let children view it. On second thought, don't rent it. This movie is a waste of time.
  
  

• Do not buy this DVD under any circumstances.
  By A369MYLELKEGUO on 2005-09-01
  The movie is one of the all-time best horror films ever made. This DVD is a shining example of why you should do progressive transfers. Awful hazy non-progressive transfer may be animorphic... but it's filled with every bad video artifact you can think of (ghosting, combing, it's awfully blurry too). Do yourself a favor and buy the Collector's Edition from amazon.co.uk. It has a much better transfer, DTS sound and cool extras. Skip this.
  
  
• This film is not for everyone..for more reasons than one.
  By A32NZP694BV3AK on 2005-11-02
  It can be hard to commit to a movie you know nothing about. But I will try to give a review of Audition without spoiling the film.
  
  First of all, you should know that Audition is NOT a horror film. It is more of a psychological thriller with very intense, very disturbing images.
  
  There is a lot of character development in this movie. This goes on for almost 2/3 of the film. Some people may find this to make the film drag.
  
  To be honest there are subtle hints that everything may not be quite right early in the film but the first real scare is probably 40-45 minutes into it (The scene where he finally calls the girl back after three days or so and it cuts back to her flat...if you've seen it you know what I'm talking about..for those who haven't seen it I would love to tell you but all I can say is I jumped a mile when it happened).
  
  The character development, for me, works very well..I even found myself enjoying watching the two characters develop the relationship almost like a love story.
  
  But...the film suddenly turns on you and then it has you.
  
  For the last 20 minutes or so the film just becomes disturbing. All bets are off, everything that the film was building to make you comfortable is shattered and you are left squirming in your seat.
  
  There is a halucination scene that messes with your mind, not to mention that part of it is a very disgusting. Then a torture scene - played in real time. The camera doesn't show everything but it doesn't look away ether.
  
  So...Final Thoughts..
  
  I was very impressed (and disturbed) by Audition. The character build up reminded me of The Exorcist or even The Usual Suspects, where it builds up slowly and then takes off without warning then doesn't let go.
  
  If you are the type of person who needs the shock, horror and graphic gore up front and immediatly...this film is not for you.
  
  If you are easily disturbed by unrelenting, in your face graphic violence (even for the short amount of time it is in this movie) this film is not for you.
  
  If you are willing to be patient, commit yourself to the story that is unfolding in front of you, let the film sneek up on you and then stay with it to the end then you won't be sorry.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I'm so disappointed
  By AKI0Q6BCQM0F on 2005-11-17
  All the reviews on this film and everything everyone I know told me about this film were all incredibly misleading.
  
  "Audition" was an extremely boring movie. I'll admit, I went into it with high expectations - seeing as I had been told it was, "The most messed up movie ever," by a professor and I read about its "brutality" here on the Amazon reviews. There are no words to describe how amazingly disappointing watching this was.
  
  It is not "brutal" or "gruesome" or even "intense". The first hour of the movie drags on like it's never going to end, and in this hour there is NOTHING happening. It is all monotonous build up to a more than unworthy climax. Honestly, there were points where I wanted to just stop the DVD, get up, and run around in circles because I could not stand the boredom of sitting there waiting for something to happen.
  
  When the film reaches its climax, even that was a let down. Yes there is an extremely disturbing scene that is very graphic and there is also a scene that is just downright disgusting, but they are not good enough to make up for the ridiculous amount of build up. TWO scenes, no more than 15 minutes, to account for all of that? I didn't need a mindless bloodbath, but I did need to feel like I hadn't wasted my time.
  
  It seems many reviewers are calling this a "psychological thriller" and perhaps it is if you are a very simple person. There is no "thrill" to the psychology here. From the moment she is introduced, it is made very, very clear that there is something very strange about Asami, the pretty girl auditioning. Protagonist Shigeharu's good friend, the one who had the idea for Shigeharu to pick a girl via audition in fact, tells Shigeharu from get-go that he doesn't like or trust her. The audience knows all along that she's a lunatic and she is shown acting as such randomly throughout the film so it's not even a matter of "waiting for her to crack."
  
  Some people say that this is a story of revenege - it's NOT. It's a story of an insane woman who butchers and kills men, seemingly randomly, once she's established a relationship with them. There is no real reason other than that she is insane because of what she was put through as a child.
  
  I truly believe that some people convince themselves that this was a good, interesting film just because other people seem to think it is. Well, it isn't. Honestly, I wish I could see and understand what it is that everyone is convinced was so great. Don't make the mistake I did, rent it and make up your own mind before you buy it.
  
  And I must add that anyone who says "Audition" is Takashi Miike's best film have obviously just never seen his others...or they thought his other films were just downright awful.
  
  
• The needle! The frickin' needle...!
  By A2DXOD9HQBE1FL on 2006-07-09
  Audition is just THIS close to being brilliant.
  
  Uber-manic director Takashi Miike starts slow, introducing us to Aoyama, a lonely, middle-aged Japanese widower, whose film-director friend gets a novel idea and sets Aoyama up with a great way to meet babes: as a sham producer, sitting in on auditions. Aoyama becomes infatuated with a seemingly demure Japanese beauty, calls her, invites her out for dinner, and then all hell breakes loose. Maybe literally, maybe not - unlike most of Miike's billions of films, a lot of this is left to the viewer to decide.
  
  Miike directs from screenwriter Daisuke Tengan's script beautifully, letting the grotesque tension build to the point of bursting, subtly commenting on Japanese culture and with enough patented scenes of surreal freakishness to make the most jaded gore-hound run for cover (a friend of mine, seeing Audition in the theater, actually did, bolting out of his seat during the aforementioned needle scene).
  
  The special edition doesn't really include a lot of new stuff, but is completely uncut, with all the fun creepiness included. So throw a party, invite all your squeamish friends and introduce them to real Asian horror cinema. Compulsively watching films like Audition over and over again is what video was made for...
  
  
• God bless Takashi Miike
  By AXI81DBST2GE on 2006-09-16
  I read bad reviews of this movie and I have to wonder if the KIDS who wrote them knew anything about heartache. What I was expecting when I bought this movie was a sappy love story that ended with a stomache churning cringefest torture sequence. What I got was one of the best films on lonliness, heartache, pain and abuse that I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The end is not bad, it complements the pace of the movie well and by the end of it, you sympathise with both leads so much, It's almost hard pick a side. I mean comeon... She just wants to be loved; whats wrong with that. Miike did a brilliant job of telling this tale, he rarely uses music and the cinimatic delivery is cut and dry. Very simplistic, very deliberate... It is flawless in it's execution. The best however is the... Wait, noone has mentioned that; guess we'll let you see that scene since the rest are already ruined!
  
  
• Repulsive...but compelling. Thought provoking
  By A3K82891CP2SXE on 2006-12-30
  Easily one of the top five thought-provoking suspense flicks I've ever seen. Gave it to a few co-workers, who told me they wished they'd never seen it...then couldn't stop talking about it. First saw it on a Bravo channel re-run, and was caught totally unprepared. Not "horrific" as much as suspense / drama. Left me a mess for two weeks. See the movie first, THEN read the longer reviews (they'll pretty much give you the whole story, which takes away quite a bit of the impact). Good luck. (P.S. What other limited-release, subtitled movies have over two-hundred reviews? What moved these people to write? Consider that.)
  
  

• Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition)
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