let me start off by say i love japanese cinema and literature and culture generally . i have see many japanese movie and enjoy them and but portrait of hell ( aka jigokuhen ) make itself ridiculous . the two character who dominate the action the evil lord in his privileged bubble and the stubborn and crazy artist be pure type with zero subtlety or nuance and and all their action emanate from cartoonish extreme . the film want to show horrible scene of violence and raw emotion but many of these scene be so over the top they actually become laughable and the overall feeling be that of a make for tv movie that go off the rail . if this rarely screened movie fall in your hand or come to your town and spare yourself and give it a pas .