MONDO YAKUZA

2016 | DIR. ADDISON HEATH | REVIEW BY SHAUN CRAWFORD.

Monster Pictures, in association with the newly revamped Fatal Visions label, have dropped Addison Heath's second film upon us, MONDO YUKUZA. Addison has become a local legend - and a favourite of ours - and the fact that he's got a cache up of upcoming films in the works is a testament to his talent and tenacity.  For those who missed MONDO's stint on the festival circuit and were curious of its worth, I am here to assure you of it. 

Heath's first film UNDER A KALEIDOSCOPE was a small, intimate film about a friendship founded and blossoming under extreme and unusual circumstances; a chamber piece that hung on the performances of its principal cast of two. MONDO YUKUZA, on the other hand, is a stylish sprawling Melbourne-set gangland thriller that immediately has "cult" written all over it.

Substituting the minimalist confines of two bedrooms of KALEIDOSCOPE for a black-and-white, monochrome urban sprawl, MONDO has Kenji Shimada as Ichiri Kataki, a yakuza who travels from Japan to Melbourne with the sole intention of wreaking bloody vengeance on a band Melbourne criminal low-lifes following the murder of his sister, Yuko.

It's a monster leap for Heath, in both it's scope, story and his utilisation of the medium, especially given the pressure following up the success of KALEIDOSCOPE...

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​...KALEIDOSCOPE had two story arcs, keeping it simple, whereas with MONDO, Heath has a multitude of threads to weave into a complex narrative; bogan gangs, yakuza hitman, mad cults and hookers with hearts, but the sophomore local has woven them in to a tight chronicle, that while taking heavily from others, wears its influences squarely on its crisp, black suit-sleeves.

There's no doubt that Addison has thrown all the good stuff into MONDO. If Seijun Suzuki, Takashi Miike and Tarantino all met at a road-side diner, this is the film they would have gushed over, or perhaps even produced. It is a gritty, stylish, pop-culture- laden and - frankly - grotesquely entertaining popcorn film.

If there's a fault to be had its that the action sequences would benefit with a tighter edit. Just a modicum of trims to smooth it out. And if that's the only gripe with this wildly entertaining passion-project, then I'm okay with that.

Given Addison Heath has become a local movie-making factory, and that the leap from one film to the next has been so huge, I think it's fair to say I'm excited about what he's got for us next.

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