After their leader, Aizawa, is imprisoned, a group of political extremists are left without a leader. One of Aizawa's fellow prisoners is set free and brings instructions to the group that Aizawa's girlfriend, Misami (played by Sumiko Mukami), is in charge until he returns. One of the group's most outspoken members, Yamane (Tomohiro Zaizen), takes issue with this and is forced to leave. Misami uses her sexual prowess to control the members of the group who have been reduced to robbing post offices to pay for their living expenses. Things go from bad to worse after news that Aizawa has killed himself in prison causes Misami's sanity to slip. When Yamane returns and attempts to get some members to defect with him to a more politically active group, Misami and company react violently. As Misami's paranoia builds, no one is safe from the final showdown between the remaining members.

Director Kumakiri superbly directs this very professional student film. Inspired by real events and set in the early 1970s during one of Japan's periods of political unrest, Kichiku is one of a kind. The film's fluid editing (by Kumakiri himself), inspired cinematography, and fearless gore effects help this film attain and earn its cult status.

The performance of the cast is strong and carries this bleak film to its bloody climax. Sumiko Mukami is great as the scheming and unstable Misami whose strong personality slowly disintegrates under the pressure of a world of paranoia and violence that she instigated. Tomohiro Zaizen is perfect as the brutish and very foolish Yamane who despite being so unlikable ends up being the voice of reason who is silenced (to say the least).

The only remotely sympathetic characters are Sugihara and Kumagaya. Shigeru Bokuda plays Kumagaya, the kind and intelligent young man who is drawn into Musami's web and becomes another enemy of her shrinking inner circle. Toshiyuki Sugihara plays Sugihara, the follower who befriends Kumagaya but is too cowardly to go against the grain and come to the aid of his friend.

Unfortunately, some of the actors are nondescript and don't do much of anything during some scenes. Their names are never given and they seem to disappear before the end of the film. Even though these characters represent the mediocrity of this pseudo political group and a warning against blindly following anyone out into the woods whose armed with a double-barreled shotgun, Kumakiri could have chosen a smaller cast to tightened up the production.

The tension builds very slowly and the unease grows so thick, it's easy to see what's coming. However, what keeps this film from being a revenge story like The Last House on the Left (despite Wes Craven's best intentions) is that the viewer will find it very hard to get any satisfaction from the outcome here. In the end, none of the characters get what they deserve because none of them deserves to die. Even Misami's misguided sense of leadership isn't a crime that deserves her grisly fate. Both her and Fujiwara (played by Kentara Ogiso) are like children with their toys; he with his sword and Misami with her shotgun. Like children that is, until things get out of hand and they think there's no turning back. Of course, this film isn't about stable young people that turn their backs on their differences and move back home with their folks.

Kichiku dai Enkai will not restore anyone's faith in humanity. Gorehounds owe it to themselves to check this one out and they will be surprised to find an intelligent film underneath all the brains and intestines. This film is quite ugly in several scenes and may not be for everyone. The brutality and horror of the final third will stick with you whether you like it or not. And you probably won't be comfortable around anyone for a while so tell your friends you'll hold that demonstration some other time.

DVD Stuff

Kichiku is presented in 4:3 full frame from the 16mm print and looks great with hardly any noticeable imperfections. Frankly, this is one of those films that benefits from a full screen presentation. The 5.1 Surround Sound is fine and leaves nothing to be desired.

ArtsmagicDVD goes all out on the second disc of this double disc set. "The Making of Kichiku" is the an eye-opening experience as it shows the lighthearted nature of the cast and crew while they were making such an extreme film. Then there is "Reaction to Kinchiku" which takes place at a film festival where there is a conference on the film with speakers such as Akira Terashima, Tomohiro Zaisen, and Kazuyoshi Kumakiri.

There is an introduction by the always informative Tom Mes. Next up is an interview with director Kumakiri, then another with cinematographer Hashimoto, and an interview with the actors. The fim's theatrical trailer is also presented in its 4:3 full frame ratio.