In the same way that Takeshi Kitano crept on to the international stage in the 1990s with a series of distinctive thrillers, the western world is gradually waking up to Takashi Miike. There is a lot more catching up to do - he has directed more than 50 films in the past 10 years, many of them dealing with the more violent activities of Japan's gangster fraternities. But where Kitano takes an impassive, understated approach to his movies, Miike favours excess. Lots of it. He must be one of the most gifted directors ever to apply himself to the creation of thoroughly tasteless movies, and he regularly goes too far.
source: the guardian