Kiyoshi Kurosawa has established himself as an accomplished and prolific director, though maybe he's always going to be in the shadow of Akira Kurosawa. Even though they're not related. But idiots like me thought they were, and there'd have to be some other people that had that same misconception, right? Maybe subconsciously, people are going to link two Japanese Kurosawas who direct movies anyway.
Anyway, based on this film and 1997's Cure, I feel like he's been talented enough to be taken on his own terms. And any similarities between his films and Akira's are minor-maybe some plot stuff and themes, but the presentation has seemed different in each. Therefore, even if they were related, I still don't think it would be fair to connect them too heavily.
Serpent's Pass is a revenge film, but it doesn't provide much catharsis or excitement. The gritty, low budget look enhances the emptiness and hollowness of the revenge. It's just all very dark and despairing, and while it sapped me of the little energy I had tonight, I do also appreciate it for that.
It's another one of those feel-bad movies, but it's good at making you feel bad, so I guess that goes ahead and makes it a good movie. I therefore would find it hard to recommend to most people, but at the same time, it is engaging and nice and short, too, at 85 minutes. For those looking for a dark, short thriller, I'd say it's a good pick.
