Catching up: ‘First Love’ ★★★½

By Bob Bloom

“First Love” is a chaotic Japanese import that combines contrasting elements from yakuza thrillers, comedy and romance that blend into a riveting experience that keeps you entranced.

The movie, from director Takashi Miike (“13 Assassins”) charges from subplot to subplot and from character to character until all threads are woven together during a fiery finale.

The movie’s two young protagonists are Leo (Masataka Kubota) and Monica (Sakurako Konishi), two lost souls who accidently find each other and form an uneasy bond that grows and brings them closer.

Leo is a boxer who believes a blow to his head has altered his life; thusly, he has adapted a fatalistic outlook about the future. Monica, meanwhile, is forced by two low-level yakuza functionaries to sell her body to pay off a debt incurred by her father.

The movie features a corrupt cop, a yakuza’s girlfriend seeking revenge, a turncoat yakuza underling, a crime boss seeking revenge and a potential gang war between a yakuza clan and a Chinese mob over drug trafficking.

Yet, while it all may sound overly involved, “First Love” is rather straightforward as it steadily races through a Tokyo night of murder, violence, betrayal and double-crosses.

The film’s main MacGuffin is a gym bag containing packets of heroin. The bag is sought by criminals and cops alike — all of whom are greedy to profit for the sale of the drugs.

The film’s graphic violence is tempered by its sardonic humor and some histrionic acting that actually benefits the proceedings.

It especially applies to Shota Sometani’s Kase, who wants to steal the drugs from his yakuza bosses, and Becky’s Julie, who wants to kill whoever murdered her lover.

Kubota and Konishi keep the film somewhat grounded in reality. They are dragged into the middle of a situation in which they know nothing about. But, because of a series of lies, everyone believes they are at the center of the entire affair.

Underlying all the mayhem is the slow-growing romance between two damaged people who simply want to start life anew. It’s the sweetness that complements the brutality of “First Love.’

“First Love” is a flamboyant exercise in moviemaking that, despite its bloodshed, will impress you with its softness and compassion.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

FIRST LOVE
3½ stars out of 4
Not rated, graphic violence, language, drug use