Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

mevmijaumau Nagisa Oshima's Pleasures of the Flesh is the first film produced by his first studio, Sozosha, after he parted ways with Shochiku in order to make provocative films, even though there's nothing in this movie that's more radical than his earlier works, which were equally as aggressive. Similarly, this film is often classified as a pinku movie, but it really isn't (for starters, there is no nudity), so I think that classification comes strictly based on its title. Also, for some reason it's listed as a comedy on several sites, despite being anything but.The movie presents a line-up of low-lives, immoral characters and all- around unpleasant people typical for Oshima's social realist dramas. It's a dark tale of lost love, obsession, cruel ironic twists, aimless lives and a shallow, materialistic society whose members are doomed from the start. The main character is a major douche-bag, but it's not like the people around him are any better. There's a jazzy undertone reminiscent of the films of Seijun Suzuki and Kiju Yoshida, and Mariko Kaga, one of the best '60s Japanese actresses, appears as the female lead. All in all, pretty good, but the story's potential is greater than its realization. Also, the colors are really washed up, which particularly ruins the night scenes.

Cosmoeticadotcom There are too many flaws, and Dumbest Possible Action tropes, for Pleasures Of The Flesh to broach greatness, but there are superb moments right next to bad. As example, while the forthrightness of the admission by Hayami is not believable, character-wise, it is one of the bleakest and most searing indictments of the human character ever put on film; and part of that burn comes from the fact that its ascription of human flaws is dead on. And in this it has a far more realistic take on human evil than Crime And Punishment. While a good portion of the film has dated, in terms of conventions of dress and sexual mores, at the gut, human level, the film is till searingly accurate, much like the best episodes of The Twilight Zone. That, plus its many positive qualities, makes this an important film, if not a great one. And that's more than enough to recommend its being watched and, hopefully, understood.

zetes A school teacher is blackmailed by a corrupt politician after he is seen committing a murder. The corrupt politician demands that the teacher watch his suitcase stuffed with 30 million yen while he spends a year in prison. Probably not a good idea on the politician's part. You see, the teacher committed the murder to protect a former student with whom he was deeply smitten. But afterward, she got married and vanished from his life. Now he has nothing to live for and decides that he'll spend every penny of that suitcase money on sex and debauchery, and then kill himself afterward. While the DVD box and insert claim this to be a pinku film, it's not at all. It's not in the least bit erotic. It may be sleazy, but not in any fun way. It's a depressing art-house drama, really. I thought the set-up of the plot was kind of ridiculous (the teacher and politician are complete strangers; the teacher could have easily used the money to run away and start a new life. And even if the politician could convince the cops that the teacher committed the murder, it'd be pretty much impossible to prove one year later, wouldn't it? It's just not a good set up for blackmail), but the main plot is definitely interesting. The film is well made and looks gorgeous. The colors on the Eclipse DVD are really beautiful.

christopher-underwood Despite the misleading title, unless it is meant to be ironic, this is still an excellent and most eventful movie. Our hero rescues his love object from the almost unbelievable audacity of a rapist returning to blackmail her parents as she prepares to marry another, and longs for her ever more. We get a mysterious bag of money, an appearance by the yakuza, a deaf girl who prefers life on the street to life with him and much nocturnal activities. Unfortunately the 60s colour seems to have faded over the years and, particularly in the night scenes, makes for strained viewing. Even so well worth a view because this is a very well told tale that could only be set in Japan.