My experiences with Japanese horror have been a mixed bag to say the least, from the highs of Ringu to the lows of The Eye and Versus. Audition kind of falls in the middle. It's certainly and interesting movie, and at times quite vile, so while satisfying on those levels, it still leaves something to be desired. Perhaps it's the cultural and language differences that do it, but there's always something in these films that confuses me. In Audition it wasn't so much a plot point, but rather the odd editing and out of place scenes. With nothing to tell you (other than a healthy dose of paying close attention) what is a dream sequence and what is reality, the last 40 minutes or so will confuse you to no end.

That said, the idea itself is quite good (though more than a little old). The story involves a widower and his director friend holding an audition for his future wife - little do the potential actresses know the movie is a cunning ruse. Eventually he meets and immediatly falls for the strange but beautiful Asami (Shiina). His friends and his own son seem to have the down-low on this bird, but he won't listen, and ends up something of a pawn in her sick game. She's a nut and he's in love, been done before, but now it has needles.

I'd expect fans of Japanese cinema to enjoy this, and certainly the last third of it is perfect for those that enjoy the more extreme side of horror, but for the majority of genre fans this doesn't cut it. Miike is quite popular (as far as Asian horror directors go), but if all his stuff is edited and filmed like this I can't see why.

I also want to warn those of you who would pick this up just for those final gory moments, the first two thirds have nothing horror related at all, so you may find it quite slow. For anyone else, I'd not recommend Audition. (Red, 5/13/04)

Directed By: Takashi Miike.
Written By: Daisuke Tengan.

Starring: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura.

Picture Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: This is a new digital transfer of the film, so it's as close to flawless as you can get. Certainly no complaints on this end.

Extras: We get a number of theatrical trailers for both Audition and other Asian films, an interview with Miike, a commentary track by Miike which runs only a portion of the film, a Miike filmography, photo galleries, and a tour of the Egyptian Theatre.