Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Shun Oguri, Kyôsuke Yabe, Takayuki Yamada, Shunsuke Daito, Meisa Kuroki ... see more see more... , Tsutomu Takahashi , Goro Kishitani , Sansei Shiomi , Kenichi Endo

Idiosyncratic Japanese auteur Takashi Miike offers another meditation on a violent culture in this teen-themed thriller. Genji Takaya (Shun Oguri) is a teenage troublemaker whose father, Hideo (Goro K... read more read more...ishitani), is a high-ranking member of the yakuza. Genji is a new student at Suzuran Boys' High, a educational facility for juvenile delinquents nicknamed "The School for Crows," and he's determined to make a name for himself as someone who doesn't back down from a challenge in order to impress both his father and his new classmates. Not long after arriving on campus, Genji comes to blows with Ken Katagiri (Kyosuke Yabe), who thinks at first that the new kid is someone else. Genji beats Ken into submission and wins his grudging respect, but when word gets out about the fight, Genji finds every tough guy in the school is waiting for his turn to show Genji who's boss, with the leader of the school underground empire, Tamao Serizawa (Takayuki Yamada), waiting at the end of the line. Kurozu Zero (aka Crows: Episode 0) was the third feature released in 2007 by the prolific Takashi Miike. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

80% liked it

2,020 ratings

Unrated, 2 hr. 9 min.

Directed by: Takashi Miike

Release Date: October 1, 2007

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 31, 2009

Stats: 280 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Crows Zero
Upload a Photo | View All Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (280)

  • lewiskendell
    September 8, 2011
    lewiskendell
    Crows Zero is a manga adaptation about factions of students fighting for control of a Japanese high school. Not exactly a new idea, as every other anime and manga is about that very subject. But that's not what made Crows so uninteresting to me, I've previously enjoyed many movie... read mores and shows with similar plots. My issues with the movie were that I never felt any connection to the characters, and couldn't care less about what happened to them. Add that to the unremarkable fight scenes, and you've got a recipe for "meh". I did appreciate the sporadic humor, but that quickly (and unfortunately) faded away as the movie progressed.

    Die-hard fans of the manga may want to check this out, but I can't recommend that anyone else go out of their way to see it. If you want to see high school students beating each other to a pulp, there are much better (and more exciting) options.
  • skactopus
    December 4, 2009
    skactopus
    Crows Zero is an all out violent brawl, in which director Takashi Miike tones down his wackiness. Is that a good thing?

    What this film comes down to is a group of students beating the crap out of each other to become the top dog of the school. Doesn't this sound li

    ... read moreke the sort of story Miike can go off on? Actually, Miike finds himself balancing out the seriousness and the absurdness of this picture, which turns out to be a little bit of a letdown. This film runs a few minutes past 2 hours, and watching young adults acting like punks and messing up each other's faces manages to lose its interest factor after awhile. That's not to say that this is a bad film, but it is one that has the time for some Miike abstractness. Not too much though.

    The violence is a plenty and it is bloody; however it isn't close to anything that will gross people out. The fights aren't anything spectacular either.

    As far as the acting goes, all the guys successfully act and look like punks. Amongst the dozens of males, Meisa Kuroki finds herself as the lone female. She really is a breath of fresh air. It's just too bad she doesn't do much for the story.

    After all the punches are thrown and the bodies drop, Crows Zero is a Takashi Miike movie for those who want to see guys beat the crap out of other guys.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    February 20, 2009
    DragonEyeMorrison
    What could have been a dumb cliche mess made to attract clueless teens ends up being a mature and well told story. Miike applies his sensibility and creates a perfect balance between the serious and the absurd. I found myself quite surprised at how engaged i was with the story an... read mored the characters. Of course, everyone is suppose to look "cool" and "badass" and what not, but the characters actually have well defined personalities and are more than just tiredsome cartoons of "coolness". The cast is great and the soundtrack a blast.
  • notofthisworld
    April 8, 2012
    notofthisworld
    Japanese high school for delinquents. The kids are constantly fighting each other to get the title of the toughest in Suzuran high without interference of teachers. Kids have a J-Rock punk look to them straight out of the manga. Genji is a newcomer that wants to prove himself ... read moreto his father and slowly works his way to the top.
  • mudbuddha
    October 14, 2009
    mudbuddha
    I got movie as a gift from mi family. . . and i've gotten it to it. The big fighting scene near end was the best out of all the other scenes.
  • kingmob6
    April 11, 2009
    kingmob6
    Engaging manga adaptation from Takashi Miike that surprisingly doesn't get into his normal depths of sexual depravity or violence, which can be viewed as a good thing or a bad one, depending on your opinion of his directorial strengths.

    I enjoyed it, though the 2 hours + running... read more time did feel a tad overlong towards the end, some of the stylish bits could be shaved down to keep things moving along at more of a brisk pace.

    Worth a look, even if the story is a very simple one.
  • vvvplat
    June 21, 2008
    vvvplat
    the most visual intense fight scenes i have seen in ages, and i am just talking about fist fighting but overall beautifully done

View All Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Anton Bitel
April 5, 2012
Anton Bitel, Little White Lies

the conflicts depicted with such flamboyant relish here neither can, nor will, ever end, which makes the film's two-hours-plus duration feel rather stretched, especially when spent in the company of c... Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Battle Royale 3D
    Battle Royale 3D (67%)
  • GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka
    GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (0%)
  • WaSanGo (Volcano High)
    WaSanGo (Volcano High) (100%)
  • Fudoh: The New Generation
    Fudoh: The New Generation (100%)

More Movies like Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0)

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Kurôzu Zero (Crow... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0). Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0) Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Kurôzu Zero (Crows: Episode 0) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?