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The Last Supper (Saigo no bansan)

Reminds you of the first time you ate human flesh!
Starring: Masaya Kato, Hitomi Miwa, Fumina Hara
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Osamu Fukutani
Runtime: 92 minutes

One of the pleasures of being a movie geek is stumbling on a movie that delivers even more than you hoped for. In that respect, The Last Supper was amazing. You should definitely put this on your list of movies to see . . . although it's probably a rent, not an own.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, other than something weird and cannibalism. I didn't give it much thought, hadn't really heard anything about it, but Netflix saw Japanese and cannibal and pointed it out to me (some days it knows me so well), I was feeling adventurous, and I put it in the queue.


It's not the gorefest you might expect, in fact there is actually very little gore in the movie, mostly limited to scenes of blood pooling on a tile floor and running down a drain while the action occurs off screen. Instead, it's more of a psychological look into the mind of a serial killer/cannibal, but rather than the sociopath character we've grown used to, this cannibal is a gourmand for whom the eating of flesh is a near spiritual experience, and the experience turns him from a weak underdog to a charismatic superstar in his chosen field (conveniently enough, cosmetic surgery). He doesn't just eat human flesh, he gets to know the person, he kills the person, and then he eats the first meal with the person (or at least part of them). The story, in fact, comes off as almost pro-cannibalism, and in a twisted way almost gets you on board (I guarantee the thought will cross your mind). The movie is told in a disjointed fashion, so it can be a little tricky to follow at first, but that's part of the fun.

It's not all serious art and drama, though . . . because it's still Japanese. So, as you're starting to get comfortable in the depth of the film, along comes the detective doing a parody of Peter Falk in Columbo with a really bad skin disease. A tense standoff is resolved by beating one guy about the head and shoulders . . . with someone else's head!

And finally, there's the ending that isn't an ending. I usually hate that, but this film makes it work. Good story, fine acting, well shot, funny at times . . . and a guy gets beat to death with a chick's head! What more could you want?