Mermaid Legend

1984 [JAPANESE]

Crime / Drama / Horror

13
IMDb Rating 7.0/10 10 746 746

rape widow married couple fisherman nuclear power plant revenge

Plot summary

A couple of abalone divers has to confront brutal investors setting foot in their coastline.

Director

Toshiharu Ikeda Photo
Toshiharu Ikeda

Top cast

Hiroshi Shimizu Photo
Hiroshi Shimizu
Yoshirô Aoki Photo
Yoshirô Aoki as Terumasa Miyamoto
Kentarô Shimizu Photo
Kentarô Shimizu as Miyamoto Shouhei
Takashi Kanda Photo
Takashi Kanda as Lawyer Hanaoka
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1006.47 MB
988*720
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds ...
1.82 GB
1472*1072
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 49 min
Seeds 9

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by DanTheMan2150AD 8 / 10

A cautionary parable for man's true acquiescence to the natural world

Toshiharu Ikeda's elemental and mythical adaptation of Takashi Ishii's Angel Guts manga, Mermaid Legend, evokes a lyrical sadness for the fading way of life of seafaring fishermen and ama divers. One that starts as a relatively tender study of grief but shifts dramatically in the latter half to become an absolutely brutal exploitation blood-drenched angel of vengeance and yet, despite those exploitation tendencies, it also channels the intense anti-nuclear sentiment of the decade. An eco-thriller that finds the incursive grasp of industrialisation and corporate greed encroaching on natural realms. Ikeda directs a film that begins a presentation lingering somewhere between the realistic and the idyllic, almost artful in several scenes but it's not long before the film shows its true colours, which are essentially bathed in the red of blood. Mari Shirato gives an astonishing performance as Migiwa, managing to capture everything from sorrowful and vulnerable as much as vengeful and unstoppable, a real shame she wasn't in more. Combined with a truly haunting piano score by Toshiyuki Honda, Mermaid Legend remains a brooding requiem for loss, a cautionary parable for man's true acquiescence to the natural world.
Reviewed by kosmasp 6 / 10

Lame legend

No pun intended - this had quite the buzz around it. But it surely can't be called a classic ... which I don't think too many people are doing. Still and because I do like Japanese movies and this felt or could have been a case of something outrageous (in only the best sense) ... it really drags on for too long. At 110 minutes length ... this could have easily cut at least 30 minutes and still work ... actually work better.We understand the beginning, we understand the trouble in earning money ... we get the dreadful state ... and we get the message about making money and all the other corrupt stuff ... actually if the movie did not have that over the top ending (must be gazillions of gallons of blood), I might have gone lower with my vote.Not just because of the slow pace ... but the logic issues ... after coming up and on to land ... the main character (woman) is accused of something ... with the lack of any evidence ... later instead of letting the police handle the situation ... they try to do something incredibly ... not smart. Not to mention the assaults ... some way over the top and I am certain people will have issues with them (especially the lack at first of fighting back) ... the version we watched had nudity, but had certain moments blurred ... when it came to the area downstairs bodily speaking ... I don't think there is anything explicit ... or too much of it, but if there is (was) we did not get to see it ... just for your information, in case you care. Not saving anything - and no pun intended once more.
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