"Have you seen
'Audition?'" is always a question certain to be asked when the subject of
Japanese gore films is discussed. For anyone who is unfamiliar with director Takashi
Miike's style and reputation, the heart-stopping turn of events in the blindsiding
plot twist of Audition will leave them shaken to the core. In the manner of Hitchcock's
Psycho, a seemingly simple drama leads to unimaginined terror. In Audition, a
woman's nightmarish hallucinations merely hint at the real horrors to come.
And
yet, though Audition is certainly Miike's most widely seen and popular film, it
is shockingly not his most dark, disturbing or violent one. Ichi the Killer
and Dead or Alive explore the sadistic violence of the Japanese yakuza, and Visitor
Q is a disturbing vision of sex, violence and corruption within the twisted circle
of a dysfunctional family.
| Seen
as one of the most important filmmakers to emerge in Japan in the last twenty
years. Miike's films are marked by a dazzling visual style, brilliant narrative
invention and a willingness to go far beyond accepted boundaries.
"Agitator
- The Cinema of Takashi Miike" examines Audition, Ichi the Killer, Dead or
Alive and Visitor Q in depth, revealing a provocative but remarkably consistent
body of work.
The book is illustrated with hundreds of stills, behind-the-scenes
pictures and rare photographs from the director's private collection. This
third pressing of Agitator features a new and expanded 16-page colour section,
completely updated DVD information, and several brand new reviews of Takashi Miike
films. | 
