Japanese Horror Hit Comes to Britain
Source: 4Digital Media press release
Official Movie Site: xx-movie
Special Thanks to Steve Beecham
The J-Horror/Comedy film X-CROSS (XX Ekusu-Kurosu: Makyo Densetsu) has been released on DVD in the United Kingdom by 4Digital Asia, and imprint of British distributor 4Digital Media.
The movie was made by “X-Cross Film Partners” (Avex Entertainment, Studio Swan, Toei Company Ltd.) and released theatrically in Japan by Toei on December 1, 2007. In 2008, X-CROSS played the North American festival circuit with screenings at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, and the FanTasia Film Festival in Montreal.
The following text and images are courtesy of 4Digital Media…
From the Director of YO-YO GIRL COP and the Writer of the DEATH NOTE Movies
Anyone believing that the Japanese horror film industry had run out of creative steam in recent years will find many reasons to reconsider that opinion in the revelatory horror-comedy X-CROSS (pronounced ‘criss-cross’), the fourth and by far the most impressive and accomplished feature from director Kenta Fukasaku (YO-YO GIRL COP; UNDER THE SAME MOON; BATTLE ROYALE II), son of legendary filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku (BATTLE ROYALE, THE GREEN SLIME, BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY).
Based on the hit novel Sono ketai wa XX de by Nobuyuki Joko, scripted by Tetsuya Oishi (DEATH NOTE: THE LAST NAME; DEATH NOTE; ONE MISSED CALL) and starring up-and-coming Japanese singer/actress Nao Matsushita (SAND CLOCK, MY SASSY GIRL television series) and J-Pop star Ami Suzuki (RAINBOW SONG), the film plays out like a bizarre mix of elements from THE WICKER MAN, FRIDAY THE 13th and THE BURNING complete with inventive RASHOMON-style flashbacks that coolly and cleverly reveal the plot and its many twists through several different perspectives.
Having recently split up with her first boyfriend and in need of some sympathy, innocent Shiyori Mizuno (Nao Matsushita) is invited for a girls-only getaway by her best friend, “bad girl” Aiko Hiuke (Ami Suzuki), who is keen to enjoy some relaxation time away from her quartet of current boyfriends. Together, the two friends head off to stay at the remote Ashikari Camp Grounds, a former logging village now reinvented as a hot springs spa resort.
While bathing in the springs on their first night in the village the girls have an argument, prompting Shiyori to head back to their cabin alone. There, she discovers a mobile phone ringing and, on answering it, hears a mysterious voice warning her, “Get the hell out. They’ll cut off your leg.”
It’s not long before Shiyori discovers that the village is home to a cult of scythe and axe wielding, inbred locals with a penchant for the ritualistic severing of women’s legs… and she’s next in line to join the list of unfortunate amputees. Meanwhile, Aiko has just stumbled across an equally pestiferous problem of her own. Reika (Maju Ozawa), a crazy, one-eyed Harajuku girl armed with several giant pairs of scissors is stalking her and appears to be intent on cutting short not only Aiko’s brief break with her friend but also her life.
Trying to escape from Ashikari, the girls are split up and keep in touch via their mobile phones. Multiple points of view and shifting time frames keeps the viewer on their toes trying to discern the grisly fate of these “lost” girls.
Stylishly shot, high on heart stopping shocks and impishly funny, X-CROSS is a riotous thrill ride from start to finish, and features one (or perhaps the only!) of the most intense and impressively choreographed ‘giant scissors versus chainsaw’ duels you’ll ever see. This is one film that is almost certainly destined for cult classic status amongst discerning horror fans and Asian cinema enthusiasts.
X-CROSS (XX Ekusu-Kurosu: Makyo Densetsu)
Production: X-Cross Film Partners
Director: Kenta Fukasaku
Producers: Kentaro Koike, Shinzo Matsuhashi, Masatake Kondo
Screenplay: Tetsuya Oishi
Based on the Novel by: Nobuyuki Joko
Cinematographer: Komatsu Takashi
Editor: Suzaki Chieko
Music: Ike Yoshihiro
Starring:
Nao Matsushita
Ami Suzuki
Shoko Nakagawa
Yoshiyuki Morishita
Kyoji Kamui
Takashi Nishina
Ayuko Iwane
Rikiya Koyama
Nozomu Iwao
Maju Ozawa
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
UK DVD
Release Date: 19 January, 2009
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Certificate: 15
Label: 4Digital Asia
Format: PAL
Region Code: 0 – Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 16×9 Anamorphic
Audio Format: Dolby Digital 2.0
Audio Language: Japanese
Subtitle Language: English
Feature Run Time: 90 minutes
Extras: ‘Making of’ Featurette; Cast and Crew Interviews
SRP: £14.99
