Tokyo Decadence (1992) is based on the novel Topaz by the critically praised author Ryu Murakami, who also served as the films director. There is little doubt that Murakami is a fine author with esteemed novels like Almost Transparent Blue and Coin Locker Babies. Decadence was the fourth film he directed. All of his previous films were also adapted from his novels so he was in familiar territory. Unfortunately I think he may have a more literary mind than a cinematic one.

While Murakami's compositions are really good, his storytelling, at least here, relies heavily on some symbolism and simply constructed scenes that are unwieldy and flat. We follow Ai, our cinematic cipher, in sequences where her expression ranges from one demure sad face to the other. In a novel we might have some sort of interior monologue, perhaps a bit of backstory, those general kinds of elaboration, however, in the film, we get no insight whatsoever. Ai's life is puzzling, and as a viewer we are left to wonder just why such a slight, shy, and clearly ashamed young girl would engage in such a seedy life. The film becomes as aimless as Ai herself. Is she crazy? Is she stupid? Is she the product of some wounded past or a degrading culture? You never know. I guess it is supposed to be carried on the wave of metaphor, that she is symbolic of some cultural malaise. But, whatever the case, it is a pretty dull exercise because you get the point pretty quickly- Boy, this sex business is pretty gritty and those involved must be in some emotionally vacuous, haunted state in order to endure it.

So, Murakami was clearly aiming for a look into the darker corners of Japanese society, but the end result is a bit of a dud. The film has garnished a deserved reputation for its seediness, from the S&M, to the drugs, and the explicit nature in its sexual (though not very erotic, more disturbing) hijinks. Still, Decadence is probably too vulgar and shallow for the cerebral art house crowd and too plodding, unsexy, and not graphic enough for S&M freaks. For those with more offbeat tastes, (admittedly, I'm one of them), it is wierd and extreme enough for a night of guilty entertianment, but beyond that it has little to offer in terms of insight. It is like coming across a car wreck- you'll either pass it by or be a gawker.

The DVD: First Run Features. Well, the film was already released once on DVD by Image Entertainment, but Image releases the trounced US cut. Unfortunately First Run misses the opportunity to distinguish themselves from the previous release by releasing the full, uncut version of Decadence which is a whopping 23 mins longer. Nope, once again, with this release Tokyo Decadence is still only the heavily butchered version.

Picture: Full-screen. Well, the film was shot with a purposefully warm and somewhat soft image. That said, the colors are still not quite as deep as they should be and the image could be sharper. The print is a little rough, while not as grainy as a video, it is barely much better than a good vhs copy.

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Japanese language with default yellow English subtitles. Pretty basic. Not dynamic but it gets the job done with no real glitches or troublesome errors on the soundtrack. Subtitle translation is quite good.

Extras: Chapter Selections--- Trailer Gallery for other First Run releases- Merci Pour Le Chocolat, Cleopatra's Second Husband, and The Fluffer--- First Run Features Text info.

Conclusion: Technically in the audio/visual/extras department it is mediocre- not as mediocre as the film itself, but mediocre. But, the big downer is the fact that, once again, the film is released in a censored form. Think what you will of its debauchery, I figure if you are any sort of fan of the film, the full uncut version is what you want. Therefore, the most I can give this release is the suggestion of a rental. Even it was uncut, since it is not the sort of thing for all tastes, I'd suggest the unfamiliar definitely give the film a rent before purchasing it.