Imprint (2006)

the audience applauded

Simply Perfect

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Unique violence,disturbing,uncomfortable to watch at times--definetly horror---dont like the male lead--unconvincing--overacts--some Japanese overacting but that might be nitpicking----

If there's anything that holds Takashi Miike back, aside from being banned from American Television. Is that had they got a more competent Western actor, and the Japanese cast spoke Japanese. "Imprint" could have easily received a higher rating and set a new "benchmark" for TV horror.Sadly censorship from air has hindered it, but the fans can find it part of the "Masters of Horror" home release. Miike thought he was working well within the limits, but I do admit seeing foetuses being chucked down a river is pretty vivid stuff that we've come to expect from this director. All I really wanted to say is that Mr. Takashi gets his 60 minutes and doesn't waste a single one. Fans of his films can expect these ridiculous levels of violence, and though it somewhat lacks a moral statement or representing theme. A little more polish could have instantly made this all the more memorable.Final Verdict: If you're a fan definitely seek it out, it's pretty fun to gross people out when discussing it. 7/10.

To end season one they have waited in my belief for the best. This is a pure masterpiece that is gruesome and even gory at some points. The easily offended will surely turn it off because the scene's with the baby's will go too far for them.But let me say this, I have seen it in 2006 and immediately adored it but the problem in Europe was the fact that all episodes were cut somehow. I had to wait until they came out on zone 1 Blu Ray to find it uncut and even then you only can find it in Germany. So I picked the full uncut edition which clocks in at 63 minutes in stead of 56 minutes. This is as I said earlier one of Takashi Miiki's better work. Not only that, the acting of Billy Drago as Christopher is sublime. But it's really the beauty of the camera shots that delivers. It's also a slow builder but it stays that way even when the torturing of one of the girls comes in. And it's that part that so much people are talking about. It isn't gory and there's not that much of blood but it's the way they all looked and the kind of torturing that makes it uneasy to watch. There's even nudity involved but you are focused on the needles slowly going in the flesh. And the way she's tied up isn't comfortable too.But not only that. The abortion seen here is also gruesome. And the way they get rid of the cadavers will surely offend some. Imprint is the most spoken episode of the two seasons and is still considered as a masterpiece. I still love it after all those years and was glad finally have seen the full uncut version. It should have been a full feature. For people who liked Audition (1999) this is a must see. And okay, some won't understand the little sister coming out of a head, a bit like Basket Case (1982) but that is also so typical Japanese. You love or hate it.Gore 1/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 4/5 Story 4/5 Comedy 0/5

I saw a bit of Japanese cult director Miike at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, though I hated his own contribution to it i.e. IZO; for the record, this opinion is true of all that I've checked out so far from his incredibly vast (and mostly sick) body work and this latter venture into Miike's filmography certainly doesn't break the trend. It's easily the most extreme entry in the "Masters Of Horror" series, but also possibly the least; incidentally, the TV-film's planned screening was eventually banned on account of its disturbing imagery (not only graphic depictions of torture but the female protagonist is a "freak") and themes (involving such taboo material as incest and abortion). Even if, typical of Asian films, the attention to period detail and the color scheme are notable, what really stands out here (and this is not meant as a compliment) is leading man Billy Drago's rampant histrionics and, even more so, the presence of the heroine's unforgettably (indeed amusingly) vile, misshapen evil twin. At the end of the day, the episode strives too much for significance by dealing with too many issues and ends up going on too long for its own good.