Smuggler

Aroview: An entertainingly schizophrenic black comedy by way of cult Japanese dir. Katsuhito Ishii, whose penchant for the wacky and surreal drives this underworld tale of a failed actor whose gambling debts are exploited by contraband-smuggling gangsters.

Although darkened by some fairly gruesome torture sequences reminiscent of ICHI THE KILLER, Ishii's endlessly imaginative direction is nothing if not fun to watch. As far as live-action anime goes, about as bleached and cartoonishly exhilarating as it gets.