If you're getting withdrawal symptoms from not getting any more Vengeance movies from Chan-Wook Park, and I'M A CYBORG, BUT THAT'S OK didn't work out for you, here's another bloody tale of revenge from South Korea...
As a scenario, this is superficially similar to SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE, as it certainly doesn't pull any punches revenge-wise. But unlike the Vengeance trilogy, rather than analyse the nature of revenge and the resulting cycle of violence, PRINCESS AURORA has a more one-sided viewpoint as a story, and more single-minded than DIRTY HARRY as a character.
From the very start, we get the full brunt of the raw violence of the central character, as she mercilessly murders a step-mother for beating her little girl. Then she snuffs out another young woman who has been verbally cruel to a pizza delivery woman. This is extremely rough justice for the respective crimes, but the police are immediately on the case.
Little does one of the detectives know, just how involved in the case he already is. As the killing spree continues, the police are still clueless about her motive or identity, except for a Princess Aurora sticker left at each crime. Though it's not shown in much detail, it looks like the Disney cartoon character from the animated classic SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959).
This is a compelling thriller from the start, and just as it starts looking like a typical cat-and-mouse detective story, the plot starts twisting. It's not a whodunnit, but the killer's motivation is the mystery - and not a shallow FRIDAY THE 13th explanation, but the very core of the film. This is a slickly-made, bloody thriller with intelligent, well-rounded characters. The plot gets a little far-fetched towards the end, but it doesn't spoil the intensity of story.
Jeong-hwa Eom has the toughest role, showing the turmoil of her character, and having to play-act various roles to infiltrate her way into her victims' lives. Sung-keun Moon plays a detective on the case, who'd rather be studying to be a pastor!
Gorgeously shot in 2.35 widescreen, PRINCESS AURORA has just been released on region 2 DVD by Tartan UK.
Exte - Hair Extensions
It's good to see actress Chiaki Kuriyama finally back in a Japanese horror film. But with Sion Sono directing, it was never going to be a straightforward affair. Sono also wrote and directed the infamous SUICIDE CIRCLE aka SUICIDE CLUB (2002), with its unbelievable opening sequence where dozens of schoolgirls join hands at the edge of a subway platform and then jump under a train. Despite a central story of an investigation into the serial suicides, the director tied in a bizarre subplot involving a girl band. The opening was a great hook, the dramatic scenes were gripping and downbeat, but Sono was obliquely exploring other themes - the sort that only film critics seem to understand. The bizarre song and dance... Read full review...
