So, here we are, Ley Lines, the end of the Black Society Trilogy. I must say, I felt life was pretty good during that stretch of one or two weeks when I could count on having a 'Miike experience' almost every night, but I suppose I knew all along that it couldn't last forever. Still, if the trilogy has to come to an end, Ley Lines is certainly a fine finish. Following the old show business adage, it ends things on a high note, standing out as a particularly stunning achievement in a career full of fantastic movies.

The story follows three Sino-Japanese youths in Japan who are trying to escape the country: Ryuichi (Kazuki Kitamura, whom you may remember sitting to the left to Lucy Liu in the 'crime council' scene of Kill Bill), the tough, handsome leader; Shunrei, his quiet younger brother; and Chan (the reliably and wonderfully manic Tomorowo Taguchi), Ryuichi's crazy best friend. After a failed attempt at legally gaining passports, these three country boys head into Tokyo's Shinjuku district in hopes of obtaining them illegally. Not long after they've arrived, they meet Anita (Dan Li), a prostitute who ends up stealing their money. Needing some source of income in order to survive in Shinjuku, the three eventually end up joining the gang of Chinese mafia boss Wong, for whom they sell drugs on the street for a cut of the profits.

As time passes, the group eventually comes into contact with Anita a second time, finding her after she's been brutally abused by a john. Joining together, the four re-commit to leaving Japan (for Brazil, of all places), and decide to rob Wong in order to get the money to leave. Of course, it's never a good idea to anger the mafia (particularly in a Miike film), and so the four soon find themselves on the run, hoping to reach the port where their boat awaits before Wong and his cohorts catch up with them.

If this conclusion sounds a little like that of Rainy Dog, or perhaps even City of Lost Souls, it is, but fear not: Miike always has a few tricks up his sleeve. As the film neared its end I felt a crushing depression as I began to feel that I knew where all this was going (which should never happen in a Miike film), but, as usual, good olâ Takashi pulls one over on us and serves up an ending that, while not outright refuting our expectations, certainly plays off them cleverly, providing a surprising, powerful, and perfectly faithful conclusion to a beautiful story.

Indeed, Ley Lines seems to be a film about surprises and audience manipulation (which, admittedly, most of Miike's films are, though this one is more so). The character of Anita is particularly interesting as, in the beginning, she is made out to be simply a villain: a cruel servant of a cruel fate that robs these poor boys of what little they have. We the audience are left wanting vengeance against this woman, but when it comes it ends up being so brutal that we regret our wishes.

In the end, Ley Lines is basically the quintessential Takashi Miike film: it mixes the brooding meditation of movies like Rainy Dog and Audition with the manic violence and brutality of Dead or Alive and the sexual sordidness of Fudoh: The New Generation (not quite Visitor Q, though), all the while keeping things creative in a typically-Miike manner and touching on all of the director's usual obsessions - race and belonging in modern Japan, prostitution, loneliness, sordid sex, playful self-censorship, etc. I never would have thought it possible to sum up the essence of a 'Takashi movie,' but it seems the man himself has managed to, and it proves a fantastic piece of work. Bravo, Miike-san!

Like always, Artsmagic has faithfully represented Miike's work in yet another fine package. The film itself, presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 image, is simply gorgeous in places, capturing Miike's bold color schemes perfectly. A few indoor scenes still seem a little dark, though again I think this may be intentional on Miike's part. As for audio, everything comes through clearly and nicely, and the accompanying subtitles are easy-to-read and free of errors.

As for extras, things are the same as on the other Black Society Trilogy disks. We get biographies and filmographies for Miike and the actors, ads for the Black Society releases, and the film's theatrical trailer (with removable subtitles).

The same participants from the past two releases are back for the interviews, which are particularly interesting on this disk. There's a 9-minute interview with Miike's editor, Yasushi Shimamura, who gives interesting insight into how to cut an engaging action sequence (among other things); a 15-minute interview with Miike in which he talks about his films in general; and another 15-minute interview with Miike in which he talks more specifically about Ley Lines. As usual, all the interview segments are interesting, professionally-done, and well worth your time. The only gripe I had was that the Yasushi Shimamura interview is impossible to fast-forward or rewind through, meaning that if you miss a subtitle or something, you're pretty much SOL. Still, as long as you remain focused, you should be able to read everything in time, so in the end this minor snafu is just that - a minor snafu, which, while a little bothersome, doesn't ruin things in the end.

Finally, as on the other disks, we are given an informative commentary by Tom Mes, who helps illustrate the film's connection to the others in the trilogy, explains the importance of color as a method of symbolism, and just generally provides interesting conversation for the film's 105 minute duration.

So, here we are. We've reached the end of the road, it seems, and have gone all the way through the Black Society Trilogy. Both Takashi Miike and Artsmagic should rightfully be proud of the fine product they've produced. Ley Lines is a wonderful finish to a wonderful series, and I urge you to head out and pick up not just this movie, but the entire Black Society Trilogy boxset when it becomes available August 31st. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Each of the films in the Black Society Trilogy are available individually or in a nifty digi-pak box set, click the links below for more info

Black Society Trilogy Boxset
Shinjuku Triad Society
Rainy Dog
Ley Lines