Shuto Kousoku Trial 3 (1991) [Film Review]

Shuto Kousoku Trial 3; or, Remember Me
     I'll race you anytime as long as it's on the track.
Shuto Kousoku Trial 3 is yet another entry in the popular racing series from Nikkatsu studio. Apart from being a sequel with the shortest runtime (barely 65 minutes), this movie is also known for being the debut flick of Reiko Takashima(!) Without further due, let’s buckle up and drive through the third movie about the legendary Shuto Expressway.

Release Info

Starring: Kazuhiko Nishimura, Reiko Takashima, Ikuo Fukada

Language: Japanese Original Title: 首都高速トライアル 3 Runtime: 65 min

Synopsis
Kyohei (Kazuhiko Nishimura) is a former holder of a record time run at Shuto Express. He retired from illegal racing and now works as a mechanic for Keiichi Tsuchiya’s racing team. Kyohei’s friend, Yusuke (Ikuo Fukada), still hits the street with his Nissan Silvia. One day, while practicing in the mountains, he is challenged by a mysterious driver in a Toyota Supra. Yusuke barely manages to survive the confrontation. Kyohei, on the other hand, witnesses a car accident while practicing in Skyline R32. This event makes him recollect a horrible accident from the past. He tries to persuade Yusuke to give up street racing; however, a friend takes up another challenge from Toyota Supra and dies during the race. Kyohei returns to Shuto Expressway in order to face off against the mysterious driver. It turns out that everything is connected to a tragic incident from the past...

Catch me, darling!
I have to say that Shuto Kousoku Trial 3 is by far the weakest entry in the series, but it is not by any means unwatchable. Evidently, the screenplay is just an excuse to get to car action, but the director interpreted this rule too literally. Consequently, what we have is a film with shoddy editing, only one City Pop song, and (potentially) the best storyline of the series that got lost in translation…

It feels as if well over 30 minutes of footage involving the characters ended up on a cutting room floor, so that there would be more space for decent racing sequences. Honestly, these are the only worthwhile aspects of the film. Interestingly, I could not understand the director’s decision to use only one (great) song: MAHARA’s Crying All Night; and then sync the rest or car action to random incidental music. This creative choice significantly tones down the viewing experience.

Still, I love the appearance of young Reiko Takashima as a journal writing about Keiichi Tsuchiya, and street racing in general. She provides the necessary charm and charisma, but her limited screen time is a big disadvantage. The screenplay constantly revolves around her character, and it is pretty obvious who she really is halfway through the film (no spoilers), yet Reiko is not given the chance to properly shine. All in all, it is a pleasure to see her in a non-drama role.

Additionally, maybe it is only my impression, but Keiichi Tsuchiya appears to be totally disinterested on the screen. He only shows up to repeat the message from the second film, do some cool drifting in R32, and that’s it. Personally, I think that he did much better as “the mentor figure” in Shuto Kousoku Trial 5 & 6.

Recommendations
I recommend Shuto Kousoku Trial 3 only for the cars and Reiko Takashima’s appearance. Subsequent entries in the series have learned a lesson from this sequel and tried to tell more compelling stories about the drivers chasing fortune and glory on the Shuto Expressway.

Overall score: 6/10

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