Takashi Miike's Masters Of Horror entry was the most famous episode of the first season not because of its merits but because it wasn't actually shown. Imprint, Miike's adaptation of Shimako Iwai's novel, was submitted to the powers that be over at Showtime where the series airs, and subsequently rejected. Thankfully, rather than release an edited version on TV, the producers instead opted to show the entry in its full strength version upon the DVD release through Anchor Bay. How does it hold up? Well, it's pretty strong stuff but there are a few flubs that keep this from being as good as it could have been.

A man named Christopher (Billy Drago) has returned to Japan after some years to retrieve Komomo (Michie Ito), the prostitute that he fell in love with the last time he was there. Unfortunately for him, shortly before he arrived to take her back to America with him, she killed herself. Christopher finds this out when he arrives at the brothel where he expected to find her and instead winds up spending the night with a disfigured prostitute (Youki Kudoh) who tells him the story of how and why Komomo died. As the two have some saki together and Christopher morns the loss of his beloved, her story becomes stranger and stranger and the line between the truth and some very devious lies fast becomes a very blurry one and soon it all spirals into madness.

Going into any more detail about the story would be a disservice to those who haven't seen it and it's tough to discuss the movie without revealing any major spoilers – let it suffice to say that Imprint is completely fucked up.

Those who were impressed by the visuals on display in Miike's entry for Three Extremes should enjoy the look of this film just as much. Like that short film, or like his better known Audition, this movie is very well shot with excellent camera work and set design. The color schemes are bright and even beautiful in spots and he truly makes the most out of the rural Japanese locations and settings that the story offers. In short, this film looks fantastic. Add to this the fact that there are some truly impressive (and depraved) set pieces in here such as Komomo's torture/interrogation scene wherein she has pins placed strategically into her skin albeit in places where she won't be damaged, and you've got a movie of fascinating contrast. Against all of this lovely scenery and beautiful color we see some truly horrific acts and there are very few taboos left untouched by the time the end credits start to crawl up the screen.

As interesting and well made as the movie is, however, it is definitely not without its flaws. First and foremost is the acting in the movie. Possibly because it was intended for an American cable audience the filmmaker's opted to shoot the movie in English despite the fact that, excepting Mr. Drago, the cast is pretty much entirely Japanese. There are times when the accents are pretty thick and difficult to understand and it would have made far more sense to simply shoot the movie in Japanese (obviously Drago's character would understand and speak it if he'd spent that much time there) and subtitle it. Speaking of Drago, unfortunately he's pretty awful here. He overacts throughout and while there are moments where he definitely looks the part, at times he's almost laughable – not a good quality for your male lead when you're trying to make a serious film and despite the injection of some very black humor throughout, this is a serious film.

Likewise, the decision to reveal the prostitutes condition the way it's unveiled in the film and the condition itself is definitely a stretch that blows whatever suspension of disbelief Miike's held over us for the first fifty minutes of the movie but it somehow suits the insanity of it all even if it does feel like something out of Henenlotter's Brain Damage. We've come to expect odd endings from Miike, one need only watch his Dead Or Alive trilogy for perfect examples of how he likes to throw it all back at us before finishing up.

Ultimately, however, Imprint is still very much worth your while if you're a fan of the series or a fan of Takashi Miike. There's no shortage of sadism or disturbing material in here, from the opening scenes where the men on the boat find a dead pregnant woman floating face down in the water to the ending where, well, it's not going to be spoiled here but let's just say the ending is pretty nuts. It sets out to shock us and it succeeds even managing to do so artistically and with some originality.

Video:

The 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer presents the movie in its original aspect ratio and for the most part, the image looks very good and the picture is quite sharp throughout. There is some edge enhancement present in a few scenes as well as some shimmering and aliasing in spots but there's very little to complain about otherwise. Black levels are strong and deep, there are no issues at all with print damage, dirt or debris on the picture and there's a very pleasing level of both foreground and background detail present throughout the picture (though some of the outdoor scenes, particularly those by the river, have some noticeable grain). Skin tones look lifelike and natural and the reds, particularly those used in the gore scenes and the scenes where the fetus' float in the water, are well defined without bleeding through.