The Plot:
For detective Kogoro Akechi, the last few days have been rather eventful. A showgirl has gone missing from a famous local nightspot, and now the stepdaughter of a young bride and her older husband has been murdered. With the help of a novelist pal and a pack of clues, he must try to figure out who is behind both cases. At first, Akechi suspects a mysterious dwarf in the murder of the young lady. His buddy followed the small man one night and saw him drop a human arm along the way. As Akechi continues his investigation, he learns that the showgirl has a rich boyfriend that she kept secret. Seems his chauffer may have some connection to BOTH crimes as well. Then there is the "blind beast", a seedy masseuse who services the rich women at the baths. His interest in the female body is practically a fetish, and we soon discover that he craves "models' for his "tactile art". How he achieves those necessary biological elements may have something to do with the dwarf, the various body parts being found around the city, and the mysterious disappearances of many young women. As he draws closer to a conclusion, Akechi discovers something dark and sinister. All the death surrounding these situations may actually be part of a perverted competition. In some ways, this killing spree is a kind of contest. In essence, it's Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf for ultimate murderous bragging rights.

The DVD:
With a title that any genre fan could easily sink his or her teeth into, and a pedigree that's both perverted and pedestrian, a viewer goes into Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf expecting a lot of things. After all this last motion picture in the obtuse oeuvre of Japanese filmmaker Teruo Ishii is heralded all over the Internet (and the DVD cover art) as the 81 year old's "final disturbing masterpiece". Called "the Godfather of Pinky Violence" (films that combine softcore eroticism and extreme brutality) and a visionary artist determined to make movies outside the mainstream, we absorb all the accolades, taking them in considered stride. Then we read about his previous efforts – his Abashri Prison films and the Line or Chitai series - and his frustration and semi-retirement from the industry in the late '70s and, once again, our interest is peaked. With a reputation for disgusting grotesquery and the creepy combination of sex and slaughter, we find ourselves waiting for an experience along the lines of Tetsuo: The Iron Man or Rubber's Lover. While an Asian twist on the glorified Geek show is nothing new, we start to sense that Ishii was an artist hobbled by his surrounding circumstances, and that the new technology of the late '90s would obviously allow him the freedom to fully flesh out his nauseating, noxious ideals.

So imagine one's surprise when they expect Entrails of a Beautiful Woman, and end up with warmed over Edgar Alan Poe. Instead of a splatter fest with lots of Asian atrocities, we get a weird whodunit that unsuccessfully combines two short stories from Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo (get the reference?) into one exercise in procedural deduction. Ishii adored this author's work, and longed to bring his narratives to the screen. The Blind Beast had even been the subject of cinematic interpretation before (In a 1969 film from Yasuzo Masumura). But by placing two of Rampo's most famous freaks alongside his seminal sleuth, Ishii had what he felt was a crackerjack combination. Sadly, budget and production limitations conspired to undermine his vision. The result is a scattered, sometimes startling, sometimes stupid experiment in excess, a film that's tone is so fragmented and flummoxing that you hardly understand what is happening most of the time. It is clear that Ishii believed in the power of Rampo's legend. Fans of his fiction probably scoff at the notion of narrative confusion. But for newcomers to the writer, and to Ishii himself, the arcane approach, with its period costumes, comic set pieces and non-linear plot designs will be a completely baffling experience.

Thankfully, Ishii is enough of a visual artist that we are never bored by his confusing compositions. When the Blind Beast first confronts the showgirl at a local museum, the odd angles and attention to disgusting detail (actor Hisayoshi Hirayama looks appropriately hideous) really sells the sense of dread. Later, when our victim finds herself in the maniac's mannequin strewn "art project", the multilevel look, combining elements of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange with a standard House of Wax situation makes for a sly, sinister set piece. But then there are sequences that don't make a lick of sense, scenes that stand out as illogical or purely indulgent. When a family finds a lady's arm in their entranceway, they call the cops. Soon, the limb is taunting them, wrestling with the policeman and making a slapstick style mockery of the clan. Our novelist protagonist (perhaps a stand-in for Rampo) does a little snooping himself, following the accused stepmother as she sets up a rendezvous with the demented dwarf. We get right to the moment of clarity, as close to a concept of heroism as we will find in the film, and then Ishii pulls back on the reigns of rationality. An attempted rescue is written off without any explanation, and even less purpose to the overall plot. Indeed, when Akechi steps forward for the final formulaic denouement that ends every murder mystery, he fills in gaps in storyline that we never knew existed, and draws in characters barely introduced before. As a result, the conclusion is clunky, like an attempt to fashion a finish around the clues, versus the other way around.

Still, we can't take our eyes off Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf, and a great deal of our fascination stems from Ishii's stellar eye. Akechi and his sidekick have a conversation about the cases while, in the background, a gorgeous group of gold leafed trees blow lazily in the breeze. When following the Killer Dwarf during his nefarious nightly activities, the road leading to a hidden temple lair is buttressed by several architecturally entrancing bright red gateways. As mentioned before, the Blind Beast's art room in like a Salvador Dali painting rendered in all whites, while the chorus line of cabaret girls look like a collection of pulchritudinous Pokemon. Thanks to the images, and the way he frames them, Ishii frequently saves this otherwise sloppy film. We never really care about the resolution to the cases, and wish there was more gore in conjunction with the killings. In fact, Ishii restrains himself for so long during the movie's running time, avoiding anything remotely gratuitous or exploitative, that when we get to a bathhouse vivisection, and the resulting implication of cannibalism (it's a pretty funny scene, come to think of it) the sudden hyper-overkill is jarring, not frightening. Indeed, Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf is not really a horror film, and barely compares to the cyberpunk cinema that seems directly inspired by Ishii's earlier efforts. In fact, it often feels like a dopey dark comedy. If you can get beyond the baffling approach to storytelling and the lack of crisp characterization, you'll be rewarded with a visually interesting if otherwise inert entertainment experience.

The Video:
Using what appears to be a first generation DAT camera, and a limited amount of professional lighting, the 1.33:1 full screen transfer of Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf is decent, if not completely artistically acceptable. The cinematography is grainy and flat, lacking any real dimension or detail. Video usually dampens the clarity and contrast of an image, and that is clearly the case here. Even close-ups have a slightly soft look. While the print provided is by no means terrible, it's highly reminiscent of the first few VHS movies to come out in the '80s. And since this is 2001 production, such technical limits seem cheap and chintzy.

The Audio:
Presented in Japanese with decent, if often absent, subtitles (there are more than a few moments where dialogue goes without translation), the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix has a few problematic particulars as well. First up, the entire film appears to be dubbed. Perhaps the technology used did not provide the proper crystal clear sound reproduction, especially during many of the windy exterior shots, but it does look like Ishii did some post-production ADR for most of the dialogue here. The conversations sound heavy and muddy. Also, the musical score is kind of cheesy. Instead of accenting the mood of the movie, it plays as kitschy and tacky. Finally, there is very little spatial ambience here. All the effects are muted, and the background is basically washed out and flat. While it's hard to gauge the effect a limited budget had on a movie's stock elements, in this instance Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf was obviously undermined by a lack of funds.

The Extras:
Panik House really tries to sell its supplemental material here, overplaying their importance on the back of the DVD cover. The Behind the Scenes Making-Of Documentary is really nothing more than 13 minutes of off-the-cuff camcorder footage presented without narration or context. The rest of the bonus features are standard digital operating procedure (read: trailers and galleries). The filmmaker and star bios are nicely detailed and the production notes provide nominal insight into the film. Panik House even highlights its "bi-lingual" menus and "commemorative sticker", along with a personal 'stamp' from Dwarf actor Little Frankie (now apparently deceased). It's an odd selection of added content. None of it really defines Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf, nor do they explain Ishii's approach or apprehensions about making a no budget effort. Indeed, these bells and whistles look pretty, but they lack the real punch film fans demand.

Final Thoughts:
Since it can occasionally be a feast for the eyes, overcoming its narrative misgivings with expertly realized visuals, Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf earns an easy score of Recommended. It is not the lost masterpiece the cover art proclaims, nor is it a test of filmic fortitude the way other examples of pinky violence or cyberpunk can be. No, this film is the work of a vital old man who wanted to give life to his favorite fictional detective before time and the eventuality of death or disease prevented him from doing so. It has moments of unqualified brilliance. It also has sequences of purposefully perplexing bullspit. Yet because of Ishii's artistry, his inherent ability to use cinema as both a sketchpad and a sieve, this battle between motion picture pros and cons is not a wash. Instead, we find ourselves drawn into this weird, wicked world, and experiencing a bit of the brazenness this director hoped to highlight. As an introduction to Ishii and his mythic moviemaking, Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf may not represent the best possible preamble. But it does make one curious about his past efforts, and for that reason alone, this filmmaker's legacy remains secure. When even your lesser efforts illustrate your apparent acumen, you will live on longer than any last gasp at low budget relevance.

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