Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 2; or, Close The Rainbow
Bridge!
If the leader is good then the group is strong.
It has been a lot wait for Odoru Daisousasen fans back in
1998. After 5 years, Odoru Daisōsasen Za Mūbī Tsū Reinbōburizzi o
Fūsaseyo!, a sequel to the first movie, arrived on the Japanese screens and
proved to be the biggest, the most explosive, and the most daring entry of the
whole franchise. Needless to say, it was a box office hit for nine consecutive
weeks and it dominates the chart of the highest grossing films in Japan (over
17 billion yen) as the most successful live-action Japanese film to date. It’s
time to talk about Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 2.
Release Info
Directed by: Katsuyuki Motohiro Starring: Yuji Oda, Toshiro Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Chosuke Ikariya
Original title: 踊る大捜査線 THE MOVIE２ レインボーブリッジを封鎖せよ！
Language: Japanese Runtime: 138 min
Synopsis
A series of strange and brutal murders of company executives
takes place on the Odaiba island. Even though it is within the jurisdiction of
the Wangan Station, the HQ takes over the investigation. Meanwhile, Aoshima
(Yuji Oda) and Sumire (Eri Fukatsu) are preoccupied with their own cases of a
mugging family and a vampire on the loose. Superintendent Muroi (Toshiro
Yanagiba) asks them to put these on hold and assist in the murder
investigation. Wangan detectives have no idea that they are about to deal with
the most devious and clever villains so far. When head of the investigative
team, Okita (Miki Maya), makes a failure after a failure, it is up to Aoshima
and Muroi to join forces and catch the killers.
This is Odoru Daisousasen alright but on steroids! Right
from the start we are served with an action-packed opening as Aoshima and his
friends take down the SAT team during a counter-terrorism exercise.
Nevertheless, the movie quickly shifts gears to a standard police drama with
meticulous investigation of serial murders, yet a fast-pace and high doses of
humour are maintained throughout the picture.
Similarly to the first theatrical film, this one also relies
on the issues of hierarchy and bureaucracy. In fact, these are the driving
themes of the picture as we watch Okita (brilliantly played by Miki Maya) not
giving a damn about everything except for her own promotion. In consequence of
such an approach, Yukino is kidnapped and Sumire gets injured in the line of duty. Only when Muroi
steps in does the chase after the killers become the real deal. However,
nobody is able to close the Rainbow Bridge. From the downsides, I think that
probably the criminals themselves were a bit of a disappointment.
About performances, Yuji Oda and Toshiro Yanagiba played
their hearts out in this sequel. You can literally feel the anguish of their
characters with regard to their “promise” of making a difference in the police
force. This conflict, on the other hand, is transposed onto the relation
between Detective Waku (Chosuke Ikariya) and the Commissioner (Shigeru Koyama).
Even though Chosuke Ikariya was not given much of a screen time again, in my
opinion, he did a better job than in the first film (and he was great there!).
It is really sad that shortly after the movie’s release, he passed away.
We cannot forget about Eri Fukatsu whose role was
significantly extended in this story. She was simply outstanding, especially in
the (usually stereotypical) hospital scenes. The rest of the original cast: Yusuke
Santamaria, Miki Mizuno, Kenta Satoi, and the actors playing the chiefs were wonderful as well.
The music score by Akihiko Matsumoto was expanded by the
remix of “Rhythm and Police” theme and some new, more choral, material. A word of
caution! Please make sure to watch the full, uncut, 138-minute version of the
movie. There’s the so-called “International Cut” existing (a dvd cover labelled
with a THX sound system), which lacks 20 minutes of footage (mostly comedy scenes).
Recommendations
Hailed by many as the best of the theatrical movies.
Personally, I like the first film and this one equally. It has lots of action,
yet still manages to hit the emotional side by reinforcing the theme of teamwork
vs. harsh bureaucracy. If you enjoyed the first movie and the original show,
you will most certainly like this sequel as well. Still again, as I mentioned
in the previous review, don’t check out this movie without having the knowledge
about the series. Otherwise, you’re in for lots of unknown characters and
continuity issues. However, if you have seen the previous entries, you definitely
won’t regret watching Odoru Daisōsasen Za Mūbī Tsū Reinbōburizzi o Fūsaseyo!
Overall score: 9/10
