With Rainy Dog, Director Takashi Miike has taken everyone by surprise, in Japan and elsewhere. After the hyperactive and insanely bloody Fudoh (1996), he has become one of the most respected directors of contemporary Japanese cinema. Rainy Dog is a dark thriller, a slow and oppressive film noir, constantly animated by a uniquely graceful poetry. Recently, Miike has shown the world just how much his films fit within the cinema of exile. Rainy Dog is certainly a part of this, because it was shot entirely in Taiwan (you'll recognize some familiar faces from Taiwanese cinema, especially actors from Hou Hsiao-hsien's films) and features only two Japanese actors. After Takeshi Kitano, "Yakuza Cinema" has found a new master. For Japan, it has found a new poet for its society. (J. F.)
