Imprint, the only episode of Masters of Horror banned from Showtime, is a film I decided to undertake. Directed by the legendary Takashi Miike, I knew this movie would not be your everyday horror film.  After all, Miike is the man who brought us the disturbing tale Audition.  Even watching the previews I felt a sense of horror and trepidation about this movie.  One question you might have is if in the end did this sixty minute episode live up to its shocking reputation.  I would say most definitely.  The show is a gruesome parade of the underbelly of society featuring scenes of graphic torture as well as many other repulsive images.  This doesn’t mean it’s a good film though.  I’ve seen many other films from the land of the rising sun  and this one compares in imagery but falls dramatically short in production values.

First let me give you a short summary of the plot.  The story begins with a man named Christopher who is trying to find the love of his life he left behind many years ago.  He is from America and he promised her he would return for her someday.  He is trying to discover her fate when he arrives on a damned island and peruses the prostitutes kept in cells.  He sees one sitting in a dark corner treated sternly by her madam and chooses her for company.  The girl is unassuming with a disfigured face and a gentle temperament.  Soon we realize she knows what happened to Christopher’s beloved Kumomo.  The story of Kumomo’s fate begins to unfold.  The nameless woman weaves a story of unspeakable cruelty, depraved torture and broken hearts.  The revelations are shocking and when you think you’ve reach the limits of the brutal existence of these characters Miike takes it deeper.  Our lead character operates in half truths and soon we learn the rest of the story.   The story is a fascinating one based on a Japanese novel.  

 There are countless elements Miike does to stomach churning perfection for this sixty minute slice of terror.  Through story telling and strong characterization he manages to give you a connection to the prostitute and sympathize with her character.    Her life is one filled with sorrow and tragedy and even as she manipulates the truth and slowly reveals herself to be far more troubled than she first seems, you understand why she is the way she is.  When the movie is in the flashback portion he gives us some stunning production values from gorgeous costumes, authentic settings and credible make-up.  Even though I found  numerous scenes impossible to watch its clear he gave plenty of attention to the scenes of torture in the movie.  The movie is beautifully filmed and flawlessly visualized. 
If a horror movie has the mission of making you feel scared and uncomfortable Imprint accomplishes this almost too well.  A horror movie walks the line and teeters perilously between the lands of entertainment, social commentary and exploitation.  This film seems to be a mixture of the last two continents.  I think Miike pushes the torture farther than he needs to.   I just felt a little queasy witnessing it.  When the violence in a film is so brutal and arduous that you feel like a monster for watching it loses its entertainment value.  Yet, Miike is unflinching and an unapologetic filmmaker and I respect that.   His work in Odishon (Audition) is masterful and although its also an uncomfortable film you feel there is more to it than the violence.  This one seems far less intellectual although some of the themes are present in popular culture. 

There are two elements of the film which ruin the film for me. Billy Drago’s acting is appalling and detracts significantly from the film.  The man can’t play rage, sorrow, fear or even intoxicated with any acceptable level of competency.   The scenes where he is involved are by far the worst scenes in the film.  In flashback when we are glimpsing into the life of the two Japanese prostitutes the acting is sufficient though.   I also felt this film would have been better in Japanese overall.  Another huge point detracting from the film is the ending which makes absolutely no sense.  I’ve heard numerous theories on what actually happened but none of them seem right to me.  The story has a tight, absorbing narrative and then falls apart in the final ten minutes.  I don’t want to spoil the film but I didn’t think it worked even in the Japanese surreal nightmare kind of way.  I just could not suspend my belief.

Overall, I find Imprint hard to recommend.  Just the violence in itself would turn off most of the movie viewing public.  Even if you are a hard core horror fan its pretty hard to stomach this movie.  Yet, if in the end the movie had been a work of art with a powerful story (which it is partially), good acting and a masterful ending I would say it would have been worth it to sit through the disturbing scenes.  As it stands though I would say skip it unless you are a Masters of Horror fan and want to make sure you see all of them.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age