When I first read this title, I immediately thought of The Maccabees
song (same title) and the funny thing is, the song actually fits perfectly amongst
the Yakuza, their henchmen, the crooked policeman and the of course the boxer
who just happened to be walking past at the right time in the wrong place. The
song doesn’t necessarily work word for word but it does have the same tone as
Leo and Monica’s story. I won’t try and summarise the stories on the film as
they cross over and over again so I’ll write brief intro.
Over the course of a day a crooked cop and Yakuza snitch plan to steal
a drug shipment and set off war with the rival Chinese gang but nothing goes
according to plan. Caught in the middle of all this is Leo, a dedicated boxer
who has just found out devastating news, but his life changes the minutes he
bumps into Monica, a drug addict who has been held captive by the Yakuza to
settle her father’s debts. It’s one crazy night that isn’t without a blood bath
or two.
The actual carnage of the night is brutal and bloody but isn’t
without comedy. There are several scenes that take place that shouldn’t be amusing
but you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous events playing out, particular
in part to Kase, the Yakuza henchman who is betraying his people. His plan
seems air tight but anything that could go wrong, goes wrong, leaving him to kill
quite a few people in the process, to his annoyance. Another overtly comedic recurring
theme is the underestimation of Juri, girlfriend of murdered Yakuza member who
was also helping keep Monica captive. She survives the most throughout the film
from almost rape, murder, explosion and finally turns rabid dragging around an
axe to kill the one she believes is responsible. Its very funny and painful at
the same time, but the one thing to learn here is, NEVER underestimate a woman.
One of the best and worst meet queue for a romance is definitely
between Leo and Monica. The former takes out the corrupt cop with one swift
punch, all because the latter asked for help. This sets in motion a long night
of survival. As Leo feels like he has nothing left to loose, plus only being
told that he needs someone to fight for other than himself, is a massive hint
to what is to come next. Leo’s and Monica’s romance isn’t sickly over the top but
is subtle and sweet, their trust grows first and seeing as they are in a life
or death situation, that is more valuable than over dramatic moments.
The weird and wonderful moments in ‘First Love’ are exactly what I’d
expect from the director of ‘Blade of the Immortal’, Takashi Miike. An
entertaining crazy fuelled story with a very sweet delicate centre.
#LFF @BFI