Product Details

• Actors: Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Fujiki, Chisako Hara, Eijirô Tôno
• Directors: Masahiro Shinoda
• Writers: Masahiro Shinoda, Masaru Baba, Shintarô Ishihara
• Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Homevision
• DVD Release Date: November 18, 2003
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000CG8I4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,085 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Pale Flower" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Drugs, drag-racing, and gambling deliriously collide in a classic of the yakuza crime genre, Masahiro Shinoda's "Pale Flower." Ryo Ikele plays Muraki, a hard-boiled gangster fresh out of prison after serving a sentence for murder. At a gambling house, he meets Saeko (Mariko Kaga), a mysterious woman drawn to the dangerous high-stakes lifestyle. Their doomed love propels them at breakneck speed through Tokyo's underworld, down a road filled with hoods, drugs and murder. "Pale Flower" features stark black-and-white photography by Masao Kosugi, and a twisted score by noted composer Toru Takemitsu.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pale Flower - yakuza poetry, September 26, 2004

By	ZombieTongue (Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This is an absolutely beautiful yakuza film by Masahiro Shinoda. It is much deeper and thought-provoking than typical yakuza b-movies, which glorify violence and the gangster lifestyle. However, this is not a b-movie, but more of a poetic and artistic yakuza noir. It was films like this, and the famous yakuza films by Kinji Fukasaku - such as the 'Battles without Honor' series, and 'Graveyard of Honor' - that redefined the yakuza genre into morality plays that were highly critical of the criminal aspects of Japanese society. Thus, the film is not action-packed, but much slower in pace, which actually makes it much stronger.
This edition, released by Home Vision Entertainment, has a good transfer and picture quality, and the film also boasts a very good score. The music is especially powerful near the end of the film. Overall, it is a must for anyone who likes yakuza films, film noir, or Japanese cinema.

4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars YAKUZA NOIR, November 21, 2003

By	Robin Simmons (Palm Springs area, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Tokyo's underworld of drugs, drag-racing, gambling and the doomed love of an ex con and a mysterious woman collide in PALE FLOWER (Home Vision Entertainment). Masahiro Shinoda's Yakuza tale reflects much of the meticulous Jean-Pierre Melville style but stands on its own. In stark black and white with a cooly twisted score by Toru Takemitsu.