Goodbye Cruel World

Ohmori tackles the crime genre. It's a pretty good match for his grim style and the result is as good as expected. It's just that I know Ohmori can do better and Goodbye Cruel World sticks to the conventions a little too closely. Where it differs, it tries to mimic classic American gangster conventions, not something I really care for.

Five people, not knowing who they are, come together for a heist. They rob some gangsters who are holed up in a love hotel, stealing a large sum of cash. They get away with it initially, but the Yakuza want their money back and a detective is brought in to figure out who planned the heist.

The cast is pretty cool, Ohmori mixes contemporary and classic gangster elements and the story has some solid twists and turns. It's all pretty damn good, but it never becomes great or outstanding. And there's no lack of gangster films in Japan, so this one simply didn't stand out enough for a higher score. Still, fans of the genre owe it to themselves to give it a whirl, they won't be disappointed.