FLOWER AND SNAKE

Alternate Title: Hana to Hebi
Country: Japan
Release Year: 2003
Genre: Erotic / Thriller / Drama
Language Format: Japanese
Running Time: 115 minutes


[Cast]
Aya Sugimoto
Hironobu Nomura
Renji Ishibashi
Kenichi Endo
Misaki Yozaburo Ito
Susumu Terajima

[Director]
Takashi Ishii

There's no mistake, FLOWER & SNAKE (2003) is without a doubt an erotic exploitation film, with substance!

Exploitation films are not all horrid. Swedish exploitation film THRILLER:THEY CALL HER ONE EYE (1974)is how an exploitation film should be! It has the three very important elements;

Sex, Violence, and a decent storyline!

It's safe to say FLOWER & SNAKE, has all three elements.

Hana to Hebi, it's original title in Japanese written in romaji is a very intriguing japanese erotica. The fact that most of erotic films only concentrate on the sex scenes, and the sexual premise.

FLOWER & SNAKE actually pays close attention to its storyline, watching this flick you'll realize Takashi Ishii developed the plot first, and foremost. He develops all of the characters both the antagonists, and the protagonists.

In a way Takashi-san nurtures these characters in our minds making us understand why each of the characters act the way they do. It's almost as if he's giving each character a pseudo-justification for their actions.

This element works to perfection, because by the time the movie gets down to business as far as the sexual exploitation theme as concerned.....you'll find yourself caring for what happens to each character, either positively or negatively.

Takashi Ishii has a unique directing style. As of late anyway.
A few of his latest movies featured 'FIVE MAIN CHARACTERS' or leads if you will.

His past movie projects like FREEZE ME(200) a story about an (1)innocent woman getting gangraped by (3)three men, as she moves on with her life she goes to Tokyo, and there she starts a serious relationship with (1)a man while she plots her revenge against the three men who raped her. That totals (5) Main Characters.

GONIN (1995)is by far the movie of his career. This explosive flick featured (5) five men that devices a plot to steal a very large sum of money from the Yakuza, of all people!!! Things don't go as planned, to say the least and all hell breaks loose!Takashi-san is at his best with GONIN. Of course, having Takeshi Kitano in the cast of characters is indeed a very huge plus!

So FLOWER & SNAKE is no different. It features five main characters. (1)is the 95 year old perverted Yakuza leader played by the always spectacular Renji Ishibashi, (2)the Yakuza leader's right hand man played the very cool Kenichi Endo, (3)CEO, and Husband of Shizuko played by Hironobu Nomura, (4)Shizuko's cute bodyguard played by Misaki Mori, and of course (5) the main lead character Shizuko played by one of Japan's finest, Aya Sugimoto. That totals FIVE MAIN CHARACTERS.

Now, would you say that it's all coincedence that these particular movies all have five main characters? Perhaps. But isn't that the beauty of watching these awesome flicks? to be able to notice uniquely different filmaking styles, and to be able to decipher what they mean, or at least try to anyway??? I personally thinks so!!!

While I don't know why Takashi-san would specifically choose to direct a movie with five main characters, I do know that he focuses his directing attention to the superb storyline of his movies, past and present. FLOWER & SNAKE is no exception.

The movie's plot is very simple and easy to follow, which is why it is so easy to be able to actually care about the characters especially Shizuko, the professional tango dancer, the beautiful trophy wife of one of Tokyo's youngest sucessful CEO's.

Unfortunately for Shizuko, she manages to catch the desires of Ippei the aging 95 year old perverted Yakuza leader who orders his right hand man Endo to do whatever it takes to get her to be his private sex slave in order to quench his perverted sexual desires.

Endo goes about it by blackmailing Takayoshi, Shizuko's selfish, and somewhat caring husband. Endo demands Takayoshi to pay his debt to the Yakuza by giving his wife Shizuko to them...and so the plot thickens!!!

You can pretty much foretell what happens to Shizuko at this point!
Let's just say she gets subjected to some of the most perverted sexual exploitations ever filmed!!! It's almost porn-like, but done with taste! If that makes any sense!

Aya Sugimoto, has to be credited for this film because she endures painful bondage scenes. Not to mention many scenes that has her in a rather very precarious, and compromising position. There are scenes where she is completely suspended in mid-air while both her hands, feet, and mouth are bounded, and gagged. Other scenes where she is both tied up on a large bamboo stick while she gets gang-raped by 20-30 Japanese men, absolutely dreadful, and disheartning.

There are various scenes of golden showers, sexual tortures, as well as lesbianism. The movie really explores all the deep human sexual desires, and manages to show the viewer these very erotic scenes executed with a tasteful manner.

Shizuko, coming from a very well brought-up background, who gets subjected into the very raw nature of human sexual psyche. You'll see the change that happens within each of the five main characters. It's really well thought out, and Takashi-san has done a superb job in the execution of this Japanese re-make.

The original Japanese movie, adapted by Oniroku Dan's novel was released in 1974.
Takashi Ishii does the original movie justice, in fact he surpasses the original with his unique vision, and flare. The casting of FLOWER & SNAKE is excellent. Aya Sugimoto is the perfect actress to play Shizuko, because she has a very innocent appearance while deep inside she has a very reserved rage waiting to be unleashed.

FLOWER & SNAKE packs a serious wallop. While it's not for everyone, anyone who has appreciation for character, and plot development. As well as a very solid storyline, and superb acting, not to mention sexual scenes done in a tasteful manner, will definitely enjoy this Japanese Exploitation Film for sexual, and sensual senses.