End of Death

This film (drama)Also known asDead End Run，is aJapanProducerwomen sex，At2003Released in year 。The dialogue language isJapanese，Current Douban rating6.8(For reference only)。

Film SynopsisDirector Ishii once again injects his mysterious and simple style into his cinematic world.“End of Death”: A man (Yusuke Iseya) is being chased and eventually finds himself in a dead end with no escape. As a figure approaches him, he grasps a metal rod and attacks, inadvertently killing a woman he has never met before. Just as he believes he has accidentally killed her, she suddenly stands up and dances gracefully…“Shadow”: A man (Masatoshi Nagase) on the run wipes the blood from his face and finally reaches a dead end. He hears footsteps behind him, turns around and sees a person holding a gun.“Flight”: A man (Tadanobu Asano) escapes from the police, runs into a building, and races up the stairs to the rooftop. At that moment, a woman is hanging clothes out to dry on the roof. He points a handgun at her, taking her as a hostage, but she remains silent. Later, the police arrive, trying to convince him, but he doesn’t listen at all, while the woman continues to be silent. Suddenly, he raises the handgun to his own temple…Film ReviewAbout the Film:This is Ishii Sōgo's work, three years in the making, which consists of three stories—"Song of Death," "Shadow," and "Flight," each telling the story of a man being pursued: the three men emerge with "desperate runs," but at the moment they reach a dead end, extraordinary things occur. Ishii Sōgo is ambitious, wanting to showcase the plight of these three men at their wit's end through imagery. Although the film is short, the urgency of their running gives it explosive power. What unfolds before us is a fugue of three oppressed bodies in flight. Tomorrow is no longer important to them; they have no choice between heaven and hell, and they are not even willing to find a reason for their escape. Director's Profile:Japanese independent film director Ishii Sōgo, a first-generation filmmaker, created “Bipolar” in 1980 using 16mm film, which later premiered as a 35mm feature. As a director who grew without experiencing a photographic system, he infused vigor into the New Japanese Cinema. He released “Burst City” in 1982, and his 1984 film “Reverse Spray Family” won the Grand Jury Prize at the 8th Saluzzo Film Festival in Italy, earning him high recognition abroad, even surpassing his domestic acclaim. In 1994, he won the Gold Prize at the Birmingham Film Festival with “Angel Dust.” He then released “August in the Water” in 1995 and “Dream Galaxy” in 1997. Following “Five Directions of Spirit War” in 2000 and “Electric Dragon 80000V” in 2001, his new work “Dead End Run” once again brings a mysterious and illusory style into his film world. Who is Ishii Sōgo?After three years in silence, Ishii Sōgo presents us with three stories about death through explosive imagery. Oh, and love too.In the Japanese film industry, two masterful visual filmmakers remain active: one is Shinya Tsukamoto, and the other is Ishii Sōgo. From them, one can sense the smell of steel. These two of the lowest output directors in Japan have maintained a pioneering passion for nearly twenty years. Remarkably, in their eyes, film has no commercial value; it is merely an experimental product that requires improvement and refinement. Ishii has been making films since he was 20; now at 47, he has been creating experimental films for 27 years.Some say that Ishii's metallic style was inherited from Tsukamoto, but that is a misrepresentation; Ishii's breakout film “Burst City” even predates Tsukamoto’s “Tetsuo” by seven years. In truth, both have their merits—while their themes and forms may often align, Ishii leans more toward visual effects, whereas Tsukamoto is more enamored with the portrayal of suffocating oppression. Coincidentally, after Tsukamoto released the black-and-white experimental film “Snake in June,” Ishii brought forth the filter-laden “End of Death” as a response.In these three stories about life, running serves once again as a prelude to death and becomes a recurring formal element in Ishii's practice.