In the tradition of “Taxi Driver” and “American Gigolo”, Paul Schrader’s understanding of Yukio Mishima is that of an expressive artist burdened by a troubled past and a conflicted psychology, where egotism and a sense of self satisfaction run counterbalance with the lyrical poet of such masterworks as “Temple of the Golden Pavilion” and “After the Banquet”. Schrader presents Mishima’s life in three distinct variations; real life flashbacks shot in black and white, which show us Mishima’s sheltered childhood through to his days as an obsessed bodybuilder, present day cinema verite on the last day of his life, prepping his independent army of followers for a suicidal attack on a government institution, and most impressively, with three amazingly detailed book selections (‘Golden Pavilion’, “Kyoko’s House”, “Runaway Horses”), each one representing a differing Mishima personality, from shy student to outspoken militarist. This is by far the best film Paul Schrader has made as a director, and he had some talented hands helping him, from the complex script co-written by his brother Leonard, which neither criticizes nor glorifies Mishima’s life choices (a decision not kindly accepted in Japan, where Mishima is still scandalous), to Philip Glass’ sweeping, famous score, and the artistic, theater-like production designs of Eiko Ishioka, which turn Mishima’s novels into lurid color drenched dreamscapes, the nearly entirely Japanese production is a marvel to behold. Criterion’s DVD is receptive to that fact, presenting not only an informative feature BBC doc on Mishima’s life (a good primer for the film), and new interviews with Eiko and cinematographer John Baily, but a terrific Schrader commentary track, helping us to understand why the film has never been screened publicly in Japan, and why Mishima, arguably Japan’s greatest modern author, who was so celebrated in his day, is still so taboo to the national consciousness today, nearly 40 years after his death.