'Why Don't You Play in Hell?' is a loopy love letter to violent movies: Indie & art house films

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Director Hirata (Hiroki Hasegawa) has all his filmmaking dreams come true when he gets to film two warring gangster families taking their last stand in the crazy action movie "Why Don't You Play in Hell?"

(Drafthouse Films)

Friday-Sunday, Dec. 19-21; Hollywood Theatre

The provocatively titled "Why Don't You Play in Hell?" is the latest hip Japanese import from director Sion Sono ("Suicide Club").

The anything-goes actioner puts a group of would-be Quentin Tarantinoes between rival yakuza families.

Hirata (Hiroki Hasegawa) prays daily to the cinema gods to let him make one masterpiece. His chance comes when a spoiled gangster brat (Fumi Nikaidô) convinces her daddy to bankroll her starring vehicle. Hirata's quest for realism goes overboard, though, when the two factions have a showdown for real.

"Why Don't You Play in Hell" is violent and irreverent, packed full with crazy ideas, and about as much bloody fun as you can have in a theater right now.

-- Jamie S. Rich, Special to the Oregonian

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