Aku No Kyoten is a dark yet captivating movie by the always impressive Takeshi Miike.

 

Before I dive into today's blog post, I felt that a trigger warning would be most appropriate. Considering the content of the movie I'm writing about, please don't read if you're sensitive regarding school shootings. Especially if you're from places in which such shootings take place such as, America. Now that that's out of the way, let's dive in. 

Have you ever had suspicions that a certain teacher of yours was not what they proclaimed? That they were secretly evil? Well, boy do I have a movie for you! Based on a novel by Yusuke Kishi and with a screenplay written by the fantastic director, Takeshi Miike, I present you, the 2012 psychological thriller/slasher, Aku No Kyoten. 

Aku No Kyoten revolves around Seiji Hasumi, a rather popular English teacher. He displays a magnificent understanding of English, seems quite approachable as we see students go to him with their problems and is very charismatic. Sound too good to be true? You'd be right to think so, as Hasumi is actually nothing like he seems on the surface. In the very beginning of the movie, he comes across as a likable character and we see him help Miyu stop Tetsuro Shibahara from sexually harassing due to blackmail. Don't be fooled by his charm as Hasumi engages in a sexual relationship with Miyu and even uses the apartment of a homosexual teacher whom he blackmailed after having caught him having a sexual relation with a male student, for the meetings. Hasumi also stops Keisuke Hayami and his friends form cheating on tests by jamming their phone signals and also bugs the classroom. When a concerned father repeatedly comes to the school complaining that his daughter is being bullied, Hasumi causes the unfortunate soul to burn down his house by replacing bottles of water with kerosene. Nobody suspects Hasumi to be involved with the disappearances and murders until a teacher named Tsurii informs Keisuke Hayami of Hasumi's sordid past. The previous school that Hasumi taught at had a strange flurry of sudden suicides and both of his parents were murdered with a knife, although no suspect was ever found. 

Aku No Kyoten is a movie of two halves. The first half is a slow-paced psychological thriller. In it, Hasumi's past is slowly revealed via a series of rather unique flashbacks. They're a mixed bag for me personally. On the positive side, they're a fun, well shot and slightly zany dive into Hasumi's twisted psyche. On the other hand, I found the use of English to be quite cringeworthy and at one point there's a guy not even trying to use an American accent whilst seemingly portraying an American. What we glean from these flashbacks is just how sick and twisted Hasumi really is and how he's much like a ticking timebomb waiting to explode. 

The second half is when the timebomb that is Hasumi finally explodes, as we see evil in action. He begins a rampage within the school grounds, armed with a shotgun and having a rather ambitious plan to frame his actions on Kume, the homosexual teacher he had blackmailed. Students are gunned down left and right, occasionally with some black humour sprinkled in. It might seem in poor taste, but it is rathe captivating watching to find out which students if any survive. Of course, there are the poor naive and dim-witted ones that are the first to get killed and there's the smarter ones who try to hatch plans for survival with varying results. 

One of the movie's main strengths is Miike's ability to build suspense. Several characters are explored in the first half and even some later on, before the inevitable finale and the massacre takes place. The wide variety of camera angles and shots also helps give the movie a sleek, visually appealing aesthetic. The use of colour is also fantastic, especially during the massacre itself as the festival preparations give the school a stunning blend of colour and lights. 

Another of the movie's biggest strengths lies with its leading man. Hideaki Ito portrays the very difficult role of Hasumi brilliantly. He has the right amount of charm and charisma for the first half when Hasumi is not yet fully unleashed. Then, as the second half begins and his past is revealed, Ito gives off a truly creepy, evil vibe. The tremendous range on display is commendable and quite unexpected as I had previously only seen Hideaki Ito in heroic roles. 

I also have to single out Yukito Nishii as Kakeru Takagi and Mayu Matsuoka as Satomi Shirai as their performances made their tragic stories impactful and Kakeru was one of my favourite characters in the movie.

All in all, Aku No Kyoten is an impactful movie with lush production courtesy of the awesome Takeshi Miike. His movie making skills never fail to astonish me and are on full display in Aku No Kyoten. The movie won't be to everyone's taste, but if you're a fan of dark cinema or Takeshi Miike in general, I highly recommend giving it a watch.