Why Don't You Play in Hell?

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Why Don't You Play in Hell?

2014

2h 9m

Action

Comedy

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.

Critics Consensus

Deliriously manic and gleefully tasteless, Why Don't You Play in Hell? delivers infectious genre fun.

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Samuel B. Prime

Slant Magazine

09/24/2019

A minor character at one point buoyantly asks, "What's 35mm?" Sono's mission is to create a film that answers this vacant, if innocent, question.

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

08/25/2018

Why Don't You Play in Hell is a frenzy of joy and colour, held together by an unrelenting disinterest in narrative logic.

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Scott Tobias

The Dissolve

11/10/2014

3/5

Alternately exhilarating and tedious, Why Don't You Play In Hell? is Sono's tribute to moviemaking.

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Justine Smith

Vague Visages

06/06/2024

The director, at the expense of his sanity, has completely transcended these needs and wants, attaining a higher power by way of cinema.

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C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

06/27/2019

7.3/10

Once the two plots merge, it leads to a massive sequence that's hilarious in its gleeful bloodlust and self-awareness.

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Pat Padua

Spectrum Culture

08/28/2018

2/5

As much as the film overflows with blood, the movie's other major problem is that it overflows with contrived plot and incident.

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Landon J

@Minxsykitty Jul 29

Reallllly didn't like this. Soooo boring throughout, and the payoff is such a nothing burger. Really felt like a huge waste of time. Nothing really makes this worth a watch.

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Andrew S

@Malasita Jul 6

Very fun action film. Yakuza battles and young filmmakers collab in this over the top comedy action film.

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William D

@acsdoug 04/02/2023

This movie is so far over the top it makes for one helluva ride. Hiroki Hasegawa is superb as the obsessed director wannabe, he was cracking me up constantly.

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10/28/2020

全员嗑药，没有一个脑子正常的角色，非常欢乐。

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01/14/2019

I'm a fan of every Sion Sono film I've seen except for this one. Found it to be pretty stupid which puts me in the minority group who didn't get the humour. It was funny in the start but then just got irritating after a while.

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09/26/2018

Can't stop yourself from liking this.

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Sion Sono

Director

Jun Kunimura

Muto

Shinichi Tsutsumi

Jun Ikegama

Hiroki Hasegawa

Don Hirata

Gen Hoshino

Koji Hashimoto

Fumi Nikaidô

Mitsuko

Critics Consensus: Interstellar and Big Hero 6 are Certified Fresh

15 Must-See Films from Venice 2013

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Synopsis

In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.

Director: Sion Sono
Producer: Takeshi Suzuki, Takuyuki Matsuno
Screenwriter: Sion Sono
Distributor: Drafthouse Films
Production Co: King Records
Genre: Action, Comedy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 7, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.5K
Runtime: 2h 9m

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