Simckes Kimie Shingyouji is amazing as is Tadanobu Asano and Shie Kohinata. Brilliant film, great performances. A quirky classic and a precursor to films such as Kill Bill, though the film was surely inspired by Pulp Fiction first.Sharkskin Man... makes me want to go back to the French New Wave again. It is cinematic ally liberating, fresh yet retro, new and exciting.Seijun Suzuki is another filmmaker that has accomplished something similar I think, with Pistol Opera, the re-make of his own "Branded to Kill," made 35 years prior.Kohinata's performance is nothing short of perfect. She is a true star and I love her work. This film should be mandatory viewing.I give Sharkshin Man and Peachhip Girl the highest rating possible for originality and entertainment value as well as a great ensemble cast and innovative script.

ETCmodel02 Like a Japanese answer to Snatch, this film is EXCELLENT! Well crafted, shot, acted and developed, simply a delight of a ride to be on. The development from sequence to sequence is a model of solid storytelling without cheese gimmicks or overt style. The reveals, character turns and incident occasions are masterfully handled. Simply delightful!

Infofreak I honestly can't see anything worthwhile about 'Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl'. This is another one of those Tarantino rip-offs that has none of the wit or substance of the originals. Basically it's a lovers on the run movie, a genre as old as the hills, but only a fool would deny the strong influence of QT's 'True Romance'. 'True Romance' had witty dialogue, some tense and funny moments, a couple of protagonists you cared about, and a gallery of genuinely scary mobsters and colorful supporting characters. 'Shark Skin Man..' has none of these. It's tries oh so hard to be quirky and cool but misses the mark. I was just bored. From this mediocre effort I would say Katsuhito Ishii is the Japanese equivalent of Guy Ritchie, rather than an exciting ORIGINAL talent like his fellow countrymen Shinya Tsukamoto and Takashi Miike. If you're considering watching this one try and find some of their movies instead.

sharptongue After reading the other comments, then actually seeing the film, it simply doesn't measure up.The first 1/3 of the film is quite a blast, with nearly everything the reviews mention - fast editing and sassy dialogue, wacky characters and, for good measure, perhaps cinema history's shortest explicit sex scene (about four seconds).But after this part, it loses most of its puff and all of its potential originality. A bit like getting on a rollercoaster, having a ripper ride, but the machine slowing to a crawl just before the first big dip, and crawling home slowly.In conclusion, it does have good stuff, mostly at the beginning. Looks like it wanted to be a weird take on Pulp Fiction but got seriously lost.