Fish Story (2009) [Film Review]

Fish Story; or, An Exaggerated Tale
     How can solitude be a fish? This song will save the day.
Yoshihiro Nakamura’s Fish Story, based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka, is yet another example of a Japanese feel-good movie which is totally too cool for school. I nearly forgot how awesome this movie is, but I had a chance to revisit it because of a Third Window release. Let’s explore on a voyage through time, nostalgia, and determination.

Release Info

Directed by: Yoshihiro Nakamura Starring: Atsushi Ito, Mikako Tabe, Seiko Iwaido

Language: Japanese Original Title: フィッシュストーリー Runtime: 112 min

Synopsis
It’s the year 2012. A comet is about to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and inevitably annihilate the entire world. Three strangers meet up in a music store and they listen to a song called “Fish Story”. The store owner explains that the record is an obscure release made by a forgotten punk rock band Gekirin. In a series of flashbacks, we explore the origins of the song and how, throughout decades, it made an impact on certain individuals. According to a prophecy, the song is responsible for creating “a champion of justice” who will save mankind.

A Song of Salvation
In my opinion, Fish Story is a perfect embodiment of the concept of delayed gratification. During the first two acts of the film, you just can’t help but feel confused as a viewer. Multiple plotlines and characters are thrown at you. We travel back in time from 2012 up to 1953 and get to see such quirky characters as a literary translator, a music producer, a singer, a waiter, and many others who were, in one way or another, influenced by the titular “Fish Story”.

When all of the vignettes suddenly start converging together into one coherent whole, you can’t help but marvel at the insanity and ingenuity of the storyline. At the end of the day, it takes so little, yet so much, to provide people with motivation necessary enough to get things done in a good way.

Of course, I can’t forget about the marvellous soundtrack provided by Kazuyoshi Saito. The theme song is an outstanding banger and a core element of the film. Oh, and that clever reference to the first season of Super Sentai, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (1975), was pure icing on the cake.

With regard to performances, there are so many great actors in Fish Story, but I have particularly enjoyed seeing Atsushi Ito, Mikako Tabe, and Noriko Eguchi. I also adore the hilarious part of a false prophet played by Kenjiro Ishimaru. Interestingly, there are also cameo appearances from Jmovie veterans: Reiko Kusamura and Koichi Ueda.

Recommendations
If you are on the lookout for a joyful flick filled with positive energy, then give Fish Story a chance. The Blu-Ray release comes with a variety of bonus features, including making-of featurette, trailer, deleted scenes, Q&A with director and the cast, Gekirin various live shows, and Gekirin CD launch Q&A at HMV.Overall score: 9/10

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High Risk (1995) [Film Review]

High Risk; or, Die Hard, Jackie!
     A man should rely on himself.
I think I should acknowledge this right off the bat. I would not have penned this review had it not been for a great video essay by Accented Cinema called Someone Made a Movie to Diss Jackie Chan. Evidently, the subject of the analysis is Wong Jing’s 1995 action flick High Risk with none other than Jet Li in the leading role. I remember seeing this film like 8-9 years ago, not thinking much about it then, but in view of the YouTube video, I decided to rewatch it and provide my thoughts on it.

Release Info

Directed by: Wong Jing Starring: Jet Li, Jacky Cheung, Chingmy Yau, Valerie Chow

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 鼠膽龍威 Runtime: 100 min

Synopsis
Kit Li (Jet Li) was a cop working for the Hong Kong bomb squad a couple of years ago. While trying to prevent a terrorist attack, he lost his wife and a child in a school bus explosion. Nowadays, Kit works as a bodyguard for a famous movie star, Frankie Lone (Jacky Cheung). When Frankie attends a jewellery exhibition, Kit discovers that a man at a party, calling himself the Doctor (Kelvin Wong), is the same guy behind the school bus incident. Kit rushes to action to stop the bad guys.

Stunt Meltdown
I really do not want to repeat the main points of the Accented Cinema video, so I simply encourage you to watch it. Let me just say that, in my opinion, Wong Jing wanted to make High Risk not just to diss Jackie, but out of the general bitterness over working on City Hunter (1993). The director really wanted to make a faithful anime adaptation, but production problems forced him to change the script on a daily basis. What is more, Jackie’s unfavourable comments about the project and about Wong Jing himself certainly did not alleviate the situation.

Consequently, Wong Jing was determined to make a proper action flick from start to finish, but without Jackie as the main lead. That’s why we get High Risk. It is a very entertaining movie indeed, especially in view of the fact that the plot was heavily inspired by the classic Die Hard (1988) film with Bruce Willis.

Die Hard influences are indeed visible in many sequences and exposition scenes (for instance, helicopter crash or bad guy using high-tech to get the booty), but Wong Jing manages to put his personal spin on the entire thing by throwing a whole array of toilet jokes (which do take place in toilets) and, of course, the aforementioned parody of Jackie Chan played by Jacky Cheung.

In his video, Accented Cinema states the following: “First, how do we know he's supposed to be Jackie Chan? The film seems to have trouble deciding if he's Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee. So it makes fun of both” (source). I beg to disagree on this matter. I believe Wong Jing knew perfectly what he was doing from the start. He wanted to parody Jackie, but a) the director wanted to avoid probable lawsuit for spreading bad PR about the actor, and b) Bruce Lee reference is in itself an additional diss on Jackie! One has to remember that at the very beginning of his career, Jackie used to work as a stuntman on the set of Bruce Lee movies (for instance, please refer to this short clip). Interestingly, after the untimely passing of Bruce, Jackie himself jumped on the Bruceploitation bandwagon by starring in New Fists of Fury (1976) directed by Lo Wei.

All in all, I think it is quite funny actually that Wong Jing decided to throw shade at Jackie Chan and gently highlight the fact that even such an action legend resorts to using stunt doubles. Jacky Cheung pulls off this comedic role really well, and I can’t help but express my words of appreciation for the final fight between him and Billy Chow.

Obviously, we cannot forget about the leading man, Jet Li himself. It is always so good to see this man in action, especially when the film blends kung fu showdowns with bullet ballet spectacle. His commanding presence is enough to make even a weak motion picture watchable. As of today, Jet Li is not battling onscreen baddies but health issues. I wish him all the best and I hope he is feeling better.

Last but not least, I have to compliment Wong Jing for one more thing. He may have done many schlock productions, but he always had an eye for casting beauties. In High Risk, we get to see the director’s regular- the always-great Chingmy Yau (this time playing a pesky TV reporter), the wonderful Valerie Chow as the hot-headed villainess, and Charlie Yeung as a damsel in distress. What is more, I have to give a big shout out to supporting actors: Wu Ma as the witty dad of Jacky Cheung and the late Kelvin Wong as the suave bad guy.

Recommendations
If you want to see a remix of Die Hard and have a few laughs, then I recommend High Risk. The movie is available on Amazon, Vudu, and Tubi. I hope that in the future either Eureka! or 88 Films will give this movie a proper Blu-Ray release.Overall score: 7/10

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Rising Sun over Hollywood: American Imaginings of the Japanese Setting in Cinema- Part 1 [the 1950s-1960s]

Disclaimer: The article is filled with spoilers for such movies as Sayonara, The Teahouse of the August Moon, My Geisha, You Only Live Twice, and The Crimson Kimono. Please refer to endnotes whenever these are indicated in the article by parenthesis.

 

Everybody wants to talk about themselves, and everybody wants to hear everybody else's story, so we take turns playing reporter and celebrity. ~ Ryū Murakami

 
In the world of today when globalization takes precedence over everything else, it is hard to find a movie enthusiast who has not heard about the giants of Japanese Cinema, such as Akira Kurosawa, Nagisa Oshima, Hirokazu Koreeda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and many others. Indeed, we live in the age of immediacy, which (thanks to physical media, festivals, and online services) allows Western consumers to gain access to a wide variety of Asian productions. However, this was not always the case. Before the advent of Television and the universal format of VHS, the phenomenon of importing foreign movies and presenting them to a wider audience was not a common practice. If it did happen, the movie was either significantly altered to accommodate the “supposed” needs of an audience unfamiliar with the piece[1] or remade altogether, which happens nowadays as well (for instance, the upcoming remake of Parasite).
     Evidently, production companies and distributors know best. Like an overprotective father, they look after spectators who are (according to them) consumed by idle, child-like stupidity which renders them unable to read subtitles or appropriately understand cultural intricacies of a given theatrical piece. Oftentimes, it is much easier to take viewers by a hand and transport them away to Oriental frontiers in a special safety harness which does away with the language barrier and enables to face cultural differences between the East and the West head on, turning this aspect into a main axis which drives the story. Of course, I refer to Hollywood-made pictures set in Japan. The purpose of this article is to examine how the Japanese setting and its central protagonists were (and continue to be) reflected in American productions.

     Apart from numerous bullet-point lists outlining the many foreign movies set in Japan, it is hard to find academic information on the subject. The only interesting article I was able to find was “Speaking in Images: Japan in Hollywood Films” (2005) penned by Charles Fox, a researcher from Ritsumeikan University. It is a bit challenging read indeed and the 30-page-long text does not exhaust the topic completely, but it makes a few valid arguments which may serve as points of departure for further discussion.
     “It should be noted that Japan made its first entry into the American film consciousness all the way back in the silent film era, and that entry was both as a subject and as a member of the company creating the illusion that is popular film,” Fox states on page 268 of his article and gives an example of Sessue Hayakawa who made in it big in Hollywood during the pre-war era and beyond[2]. With regard to the early days of Hollywood representations of Japan, Fox focuses in great detail on a detective movie called Mr. Moto’s Last Warning (1939); however, the researcher largely omits the period of the 1960s in his analysis, the time of America’s renewed interest in Japan after the occupation.
     In my opinion, this period is the most crucial one for understanding the nature of cross-cultural encounter where the West met the East and the baggage of onscreen stereotypes that came with it. The reason is that the late 1950s/early 1960s marked a shift in public American consciousness. Japan was no longer an enemy, but a much-needed ally during the challenging phase of the Cold War. How did that shift transpire in Hollywood?

     Allow me to focus on a film called Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in the leading roles and based on a novel by James Michener. The movie presents us with an American Air Force fighter pilot Major Gruver (Brando) who is transferred from his outpost in Korea to Japan so he could reunite with his fiancée Eileen (Patricia Owens). Gruver is accompanied by his former subordinate Kelly (Red Buttons) who comes back to Japan to marry a local woman, Katsumi (Miyoshi Umeki). Gruver supports his friend in his marital endeavour but learns in the process that mixed relationships between American army men and Japanese women are frowned upon by generals in charge. The real problem for Gruver arises when he falls in love with the lead performer of a theatre company, Hana-ogi (Taka).
     Evidently, it has to be acknowledged that Sayonara touches upon the troubling issue of prejudice and racism against the people of Japan. The military personnel in the movie and their families (see Eileen and her mother) are present in as idyllic fashion as the inhabitants of the Tara household from Gone with the Wind (1939). They choose to stay amongst themselves and they have more than a questionable view of the Japanese citizens. Major Gruver initially shares this discriminatory mindset, but his outlook on things gradually changes with the help of Kelly and Captain Bailey, who is also romantically involved with a local dancer. After a confrontation with Eileen, Gruver realises that he is a prisoner of his own presuppositions, and his integration into a foreign land manifests itself when he meets the beautiful Hana-ogi.

     Sayonara is both a light-hearted rom-com and a tragic drama. In the first half of the picture, we see Gruver’s clumsy attempts to win Hana-ogi’s heart. The problem is that Hana-ogi hates Americans because she lost her family during the air raids. However, Hana-ogi very quickly (and conveniently for the plot’s sake) changes her viewpoint: “I realised the hate was of my own making. That is why I came to ask you to forgive me for what I have been feeling,” says Hana-ogi. This is perhaps the most controversial line of the entire movie which nearly turns the woman into yet another reincarnation of, what Charles Fox calls, the Madame Butterfly archetype[3]. However, the disastrous consequences of that line are quickly quelled by Gruver’s response who tactfully asks Hana-ogi to forgive him for his own foolishness and prejudice.
     In consequence, a passionate relationship develops between Gruver and Hana-ogi, but I would not compare it to the shallow enchantment between Pinkerton and Butterfly from Puccini’s opera. Gruver treats Hana-ogi with respect and states numerous times that he truly loves her. This is the moment when the tragic aspect of Sayonara sets in because Kelly is ordered to go back to the States without his wife. Of course, Gruver intervenes but to no avail. As a result, his dear friend and Katsumi resolve to commit suicide, so they could at least be together in heaven. The scene in which Gruver finds their bodies in an embrace constitutes the tragic core of the story. This is a cautionary sign for Gruver; how he is going to end up if he keeps pursuing a Japanese woman’s heart. Hana-ogi realises that as well, so she bids him farewell from the distance and leaves.

     This would have been a perfect way to end the film, but no… The Hollywood machine has to conclude a film with a happy ending. Therefore, we get another 15 minutes in the course of which it turns out that a magical new law is passed which will allow American army men return home with their Japanese spouses. Needless to say, Gruver tracks down Hana-ogi in Tokyo and, in an extremely rushed ending, proposes to her. The damsel obviously accepts the proposal and expresses to pesky journalists her hope that someday the people of America will accept their relationship.
     On the whole, Sayonara is unevenly paced. The movie tries to tackle Japan-oriented racism while reinforcing some of the outdated stereotypes. By no means I refer to the Gruver/Hana-ogi relation but an affair between Eileen and a Japanese kabuki actor Nakamura… who is played by Ricardo Montalban in a heavy make-up. Apart from the fact that this relationship goes absolutely nowhere in the story (because the audiences can’t see a Western woman marrying a Japanese man), it is unforgivable in my opinion that a Mexican actor was given the Japanese-specific part. Talk about the height of white-washing. This aspect and the over-idealised ending render Sayonara just an interesting take on Japan, which may serve as a land of cross-cultural encounter and mutual reconciliation, but the filmmakers themselves remain prisoners of cultural presuppositions. This forces them to create double standards in a story that is supposed to break such.

     Speaking of Marlon Brando, we cannot omit in this discussion yet another Japan-centered production with him in the leading role. To be specific, I refer to The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956). Evidently, the movie was released just a year before Sayonara, but it also serves as a pitiful example of yellowface casting.
     In the film, we follow Captain Fisby (Glenn Ford) who, as punishment for his past blunders in the army, is ordered to turn a small village of Tobiki on Okinawa into a glowing example of American democracy and capitalism. The Captain ardently proceeds to fulfil his superiors’ wishes, but cultural differences get in the way. These are especially aggravated by a local, happy-go-lucky translator Sakini (played by Brando himself).

     Nowadays, The Teahouse of the August Moon is frequently cited as the first American movie which openly discussed the issue of interracial marriage. To me, this particular motion picture feels like an extended episode of M*A*S*H sitcom because it has the same witty ambience and, just like that TV show, strives to educate the viewers. That is to say, the message is intercultural exchange should not be overtaken by the process of Americanization. Rather than that, both parties should acknowledge their respective differences. Captain Fisby realises that when the villagers build a teahouse for the purpose of making brandy for the army. Initially, his orders were to make them build a school in the shape of a pentagon…
     The Teahouse of the August Moon is a passable Hollywood production, but in my opinion, the casting of Marlon Brando as a Japanese native literally destroys the viewing experience. Allegedly, Marlon worked very hard on his role, trying to learn the dialect, and enduring two hours of make-up session each day before shooting. Still, the end result is off-putting and dated.

     My Geisha from 1962 is, in turn, a classic comedy of mistakes. In this story, the viewers are presented with a “film-within-a-film” structure as an experienced and successful director Paul Robaix (Yves Montand) desires to shoot a movie adaptation of Madame Butterfly. The director is married to a popular actress, Lucy Dell (Shirley MacLane) who was always the leading lady of her husband’s picture; however, this time Robaix (in pursuit of his artistic aspirations) wants to make an entire movie in Japan, and with a Japanese actress in the lead! Nevertheless, Lucy is determined to show that she is the perfect choice to play the legendary Madame Butterfly.
     As Charles Fox describes in his article, “Lucy does not intend in the beginning to crash Paul’s picture; rather, on a bet with the film’s producer she dresses as a geisha at a party in Tokyo for Paul and the film’s leading man, Bob (played by Robert Cummings), just to see if she can fool Paul. She succeeds only too well. Almost immediately afterward, Paul announces that he is tired of the endless string of would-be Americans he is seeing at his auditions, that the geisha he met at the party (Lucy, in other words) is the only person for the part of that essence of Japanese womanhood, Butterfly” (2005: 275).

     On the basis of this elaborate description, it may seem that My Geisha is yet another example of whitewashing in motion next to Sayonara and The Teahouse of the August Moon. However, there is much more to this story. Lucy pretends to be a Japanese girl, not just to win a role, but to save her husband’s production from budget cuts. If anything, her own ignorance of the oriental culture is reflected back at her on numerous occasions: When she offends a geisha master, or when she pretends to speak Japanese. In the moment when Paul discovers the whole affair and intends to break up with Lucy on the premiere night, Lucy realises the vanity of her actions when the real, proper geisha Kazumi (Yoko Tani) presents her with a special gift.
     In other words, My Geisha focuses on marital problems which are exposed and alleviated by a foreign setting. Had it not been for Japan itself, Paul and Lucy would have never reached an understanding in the film’s finale because the husband had to set aside his pride, whereas the wife had to renounce her fake Japanese identity. In my opinion, Fox is too harsh towards the movie when remarking that “Lucy’s version of the Madame Butterfly geisha construes the Japanese woman as offering sex freely as comfort to any man with whom she shares what she mysteriously calls ‘sympathy’” (2005: 276). In the context of My Geisha, Fox over-interprets a scene in which Lucy (disguised as a Japanese woman) rejects the marriage proposal of her co-star, and in doing so, she says simple mumbo-jumbo about geishas always willing to offer themselves to men but only physically. If anything, this scene once again underlines Lucy’s ignorance of Japan.

     Interestingly, James Bond himself is also a part of a large pantheon of gaijins who visited Japan. In You Only Live Twice we see him having (mis)adventures in Tokyo, Kobe, and in the region of Kagoshima.
     The movie itself is an intriguing entry from a historical point of view. Sean Connery was done and dusted with the role because he felt cheated by the producers and could not handle the popularity that was propelled by the media. What is more, he was frequently mobbed by the paparazzi during the shooting in Japan. As a result, what we get to see most of the time is Sean being constantly bitter on camera. Consequently, the editing, especially of conversation scenes, is quite shoddy when compared to earlier (and subsequent) Bond films.

     Nevertheless, the locations are amazing. I dare to think that this is the first Bond film that used outdoor shooting to the fullest. Hotel New Otani in Tokyo is appropriated as "Osato Chemicals and Engineering Company," which Bond investigates. In addition, we see Bond running from the bad guys at docks in Kobe, and there is even a training scene near the famous Himeji Castle (which also appears in Kurosawa's Kagemusha). Blofeld's base is located in a volcano, which can be found in Kirishima National Park.
     There is also a whole slew of Asian actors who appear in the film. We get the wonderful Tetsuro Tamba as Bond's ally and the Bond girls are played by Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama. In brief roles, we can also spot Teru Shimada and Burt Kwok (the immortal Kato from the Pink Panther movies).
     From the technical side, You Only Live Twice is a solid motion picture, but the screenplay is its Achilles’ heel. For instance, halfway through the movie Bond has to "turn Japanese" in order to stay undercover. They just paint his eye line a bit which looks downright silly... Alas! The disguise does not work as Blofeld's henchmen try to kill the spy at least on two occasions.

     As for the Bond girls, Akiko Wakabayashi has a great onscreen chemistry with Sean, so it is all the more surprising to see her suddenly killed off at the end of the second act. Her death serves no purpose in the story apart from introducing Mie Hama. Had the producers curbed their enthusiasm to cram as many beauties as possible, the story itself would have been more compelling. The audience was already familiar with Akiko Wakabayashi’s character for two thirds of the film, so she could have provided a greater emotional anchor during the film’s finale.
     Bond movies always try to go with the latest trends, so when ninja movies were popular in the 1960s, we get a squad of ninjas storming Blofeld's base (because ninjas are cool!) Well, at least lavish production design by Ken Adam adds an entertaining factor to the finale.
     Summing up, You Only Live Twice marks the first time when the Bond franchise started going off the rails. Japan is yet another exotic land functioning as a background for explosive action, yet another chapter in Bond’s life filled with expendable women and more-than-reliable allies who save his skin at the right moment. On the whole, You Only Live Twice is an okay action movie, but I like to revisit other Bond’s adventures centering on Asian themes (The Man with the Golden Gun and Tomorrow Never Dies).

     Last but not least, the notable exception from Hollywood’s shortcomings in portraying Japanese people on the screen is a black-and-white noir film The Crimson Kimono (1959) directed by Samuel Fuller. In this movie, we follow two LAPD detectives: Joe Kojaku (James Shigeta) and Charlie Bancroft (Glenn Corbett) who are trying to solve a murder of a stripper. The problem arises when the two officers fall for a damsel in distress, Christine (Victoria Shaw).
     Indeed, The Crimson Kimono does not take place in Japan, but still, it manages to obliterate every single faux pas committed by the previously discussed movies. By analogy, one would think that Detective Bancroft is the romantic hero of the story whereas Detective Kojaku functions as his clumsy sidekick. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is Kojaku who is the main protagonist. He is an able and determined policeman who always jumps into action. He is no way inferior to his American friend. What is more, it is Kojaku who wins the girl in the chilling finale.

     The Crimson Kimono is not so much a whodunit but an examination of a bromance between Kojaku and Bancroft. The exposition halfway through the film tells us that the two men go way back together. They fought in the Korean War and now they are living together as roommates: “But what those two had together in the war, no one can touch. It was Joe's blood that kept Charlie alive in Korea, and now it's Charlie's friendship that's keeping Joe alive. It's like... Well, it's like mixing two dabs of paint together. You can never separate them.”
     The core of the conflict arises when Kojaku and Bancroft fall in love with a woman whom they are supposed to protect. Christine reciprocates the advances of Kojaku, which ultimately makes him question his own identity: “I was born here. I'm American. I feel it and live it and love it, but down deep, what am I? Japanese-American? American-Japanese? Nisei? What label do I live under, Chris? You tell me.” In addition Kojaku does not want to be unfair towards Bancroft and tells him about his feelings towards Christine but the confrontation ultimately leads to a misunderstanding in the course of which Kojaku accuses Bancroft of racism.

     In the end, when the culprit is caught, Kojaku learns that he made a mistake. He became a victim of his own presupposition. The Japanese character emerges triumphant with a lady by his side, but at a cost of losing his dear friend. In my opinion, it is absolutely criminal that in the modern age of questionable blockbusters where Japanese actors are featured as supporting characters (see numerous productions with Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada) nobody talks about The Crimson Kimono. It is almost as if Hollywood wants you to forget about the film which was ahead of its time.
     All things considered, Hollywood movies made in the 1950s and the 1960s explore an array of interesting themes concerning American-Japanese relations, but many of these pictures are unable to go outside the constraints propelled by cultural ignorance. Oftentimes, the character of a Japanese local is played by a Westerner, whereas the heroine sometimes serves as a reflection of the Madame Butterfly archetype. The Land of the Rising Sun in these productions functions as a site of cross-cultural encounter, the outcomes of which are frequently positive, although a bit idealistic. How does the image of Japan in American movies progress further in subsequent decades? Please stay tuned for the second part of the article in which I will discuss the period of the 1970s and the 1980s. In the meantime, thank you for reading.

Endnotes
[1] For instance, please refer to the American cut of Godzilla (1954) released as Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 1956.
[2] See the actor’s brilliant performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1953).
[3] The Madame Butterfly archetype: In the context of Puccini’s opera, the Japanese woman is regarded by a Western lover as a romanticised boon from the Orient. The woman really loves her husband, but it is a one-sided dependency. In the end, Butterfly has to give up her life to fulfil the needs of her ungrateful lover (Yoshinara 2002 in Fox 2005: 269). Basically, this archetype symbolises an enchantment of a Westerner with the East.

 
Sources and images used: Speaking in Images: Japan in Hollywood Films (2005) by Charles Fox * The American Occupation of Japan * Yellowface Casting * Americanization * Sessue Hayakawa photo * My Geisha promo photo * The Teahouse of the August Moon promo photo * Pictures used are screenshots taken from the movies.

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Extreme Job (2019) [Film Review]

Extreme Job; or, Fry Hard
     What’s the point of working so hard if we can’t even eat properly?
This time, I decided to watch an action comedy flick Extreme Job, directed by Lee Byeong Hun. As of 2019, the movie holds the record of the second most viewed production in the history of South Korean cinema. It was inspired by a Chinese production Lobster Cop from 2018.

Release Info

Directed by: Lee Byung Hun Starring: Ryu Seung Ryong, Lee Ha Nee, Jin Seon Kyu

Language: Korean Original Title: 극한직업 Runtime: 110 min

Synopsis
Captain Ko (Ryu Seung Ryong) is the leader of a narcotics team composed of skilled, yet hot-headed police officers. After committing a major blunder during the arrest, the team is given the last chance to save their faces by conducting an undercover surveillance of an international drug gang. For their stakeout base, they choose a chicken restaurant that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Convinced that there won’t be lots of customers, the policemen buy the restaurant. Unexpectedly, their recipe for a rib marinade becomes a hit and hungry customers begin to storm the restaurant...

Cook up the Police
Well, Extreme Job is a pleasant, happy-go-lucky comedy of mistakes that thrives on character chemistry and situational gags. The best way to describe the film is to call it a mix between John Badham’s Stakeout (1987) and Michael Hui’s Chicken and Duck Talk (1988). I am pleasantly surprised that South Korean filmmakers are warming up to such classic styles of comedy.

In my opinion, the only disadvantage of the film is the confusing second act which directs the heroes by mere coincidence onto the bad guys and their schemes. Apart from that, it is hilarious to watch Captain Ko and his men struggling to do their job while keeping the crowds of customers happy.

As expected from a Korean production, the action aspect does not disappoint as welll because we get some great fight sequences, especially in the film’s great finale. (I got that A Better Tomorrow reference!)

With regard to performances, Ryu Seung Ryong does a great job as the team’s leader. I think that he could easily play Golgo 13 in the live-action adaptation (he looks totally like this comic book character). My praise also goes to Lee Hanee as Detective Jang. She kicked ass the female member of the team. In addition, it was great to see Shin Ha Kyun as the villain yet again (*The Villainess flashbacks*).

Recommendations
I highly recommend Extreme Job if you want to lighten up your mood. It is a decent comedy with action elements. As of 2022, apart from a Region A Blu-ray, the movie is also available on Amazon Prime. I thought that it is on Netflix as well, but I could not track it down there.

Overall score: 8/10

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