Jul
30
2007
Invisible Waves
Posted by luna6 3 Comments
Movie : Invisible Waves
Release Date : March 2, 2006
Country : Thailand
Director : Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Starring : Tadanobu Asano, Hye-jeong Kang
Run Time : 130 Minutes
Website : http://www.invisiblewaves.com/
Editor Rating : 7.0
Users Rating: 6.6 
(10 votes)
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Plot Synopsis : Kyoji is a Japanese hitman that works for a Thai crime boss in Hong Kong. He has also been having an affair with his boss’ wife named Seiko. When his boss learns of their affair he orders Kyoji to kill his wife. After his wife is killed, Kyoji is then sent to Thailand to lay low. His descent into darkness is about to begin.
Movie Review :While watching “Invisible Waves” I couldn’t help to think about the classic Pixies song “Wave Of Mutliation.” Not the more familiar “Wave Of Mutliation” found on Doolittle, but the “Wave Of Mutiliation (UK Surf Mix)” found on the Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” EP. That version strips the song down its core, tempo slowed to a near crawl, yet the pulsating drum beat and the thudding bass lines just drives the song out into the wave of mutilation. And yeah that’s a whole lot what “Invisible Waves” is about.
Tadanobu Asano stars in “Invisible Waves” playing a Japanese hitman on the run ala “Last Life In The Universe.” This time around he’s not quite so suicidal and seeks to live long enough to exact revenge on his boss. Although the premise sounds like a thriller, “Invisible Waves” is actually a moody film noir, often taking inspiration from the surreal world of David Lynch.
If you ever kept a heavy amount of guilt, mixed in with anger, buried somewhere in your subconscious you will likely feel more empathetic towards Tadanobu Asano’s Kyoji character. He’s not a particularly nice guy, having slept with the wife of his crime boss and willing to kill her without much reservation. When the boss sent him on a cruise ship to Thailand, the movie then took a surprisingly dark turn into the mysterious and metaphysical. Action slowed down to a crawl, while the humming of the cruise ship engine was often the only sounds heard. In a way the cruise ship scenes derailed the momentum of the movie and could have been shortened in half. I did admire the static shots of the sea, bringing to light
Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s belief that kharma dissipates similar to the waves in the sea. For further proof just watch what happens to Kyoji from that point on. In particular, think back to the beginning scene when Kyoji retrieved the knife to dissect the boss’s wife. Kyoji happened to have the knife hidden in a bucket which was suspended by rope. Once Kyoji arrived Thailand, the money that he exchanged for Thai currency was also retrieved from a rope drawn bucket.
Visually the film was a engaging thanks to Christopher Doyle’s expert craftsmenship. Colors were similar to “Last Life In The Universe” with muted colors painted over naturalistic shots. The camera was often placed in the periphery of the action and most notably from outside a window or through the gates of an iron door. This worked well in transferring a voyeuristic feel to the audience as well providing a healthy degree of seperation to the man and his actions.
Casting was the weakest element to the movie. The actors chosen for the film ranged from very good to unwatchable. Tadanobu Asano provided his usual calm demeanor in a compelling way, while Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs) made an all too brief cameo performance. Ken Mitsuishi as “Lizard” gave the most memorable performance, providing a potent mix of camp and psychotic-ness. The weak links in the cast were Hye-jeong Kang and Toon Hiranyasap. Although Hye-jeong Kang (Oldboy/Welcome To Dongmakgol) shared the same character name of “Noi” with Sinitta Boonyasak from “Last Life In The Universe,” her performance was nowhere near as good. Even worse was Toon Hiranyasap who played the crime boss Wiwat, he spoke like he was slowly reading a passage from a childrens book.
Outside of two weak performances and the over-extended cruise ship scenes, Invisible Waves worked well as a hypnotic film noir. Not on the same level as “Last Life In The Universe” but nevertheless an engaging work that reflects well on the unique talents of Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.
buy Invisible Waves from YesAsia
Cast:
Tadanobu Asano – Kyoji
Hye-jeong Kang – NoiEric Tsang – Monk
Maria Cordero – Maria
Toon Hiranyasap – Wiwat
Ken Mitsuishi – Lizard
Hideki Jitsuyama – Kyoji’s Father
Tomono Kuga – Seiko
Hiro Sano – Hideki
Prompop Lee – Universal Cruise staff
If you like this movie you may enjoy : Ploy, Last Life in the Universe, Spider Forest
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2006 Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews |
Comments
3 Comments so far
Thanks for the comments. Not a surprise judging from the two prior split comments, but this is a movie that will turn off a lot of people off (slowness) and turn others on (hypnotic fee).
As stated in the review I thought Invisible Waves was very good, except for two of the performances by central characters in the film and the cruise scene could have been shortened.
If you enjoyed Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s “Last Life In The Universe” SOLELY for the relationship between Kenji and Noi than you’re not going to like Invisible Waves. The relationship betwern Kyoji and Noi wasn’t on the same level as Kenji and Noi, nor was Hye-jeong Kang’s performance as charming as Sinitta Boonyasak.
But if you also enjoyed “Last Life In The Universe” for the ambiance, slow plot twists, and the random quirks & symbolism shown in that film, you’ll like Invisible Waves.
Interesting to note that Hye-jeong Kang’s character was named Noi and her baby was named Nid, which were the names of the sisters in “Last Life In The Universe.
I liked this somehow hypnotic movie very much.
This is worthless and disappointing. Stay away from it :(