Negotiator (2003) [Film Review]

Negotiator; or, Seeking Justice
     Selflessness. Killing the self, is the hardest thing to do.
I admit that I am not a massive fan of Takashi Miike, but I don’t mind checking out his earlier works from time to time. In fact, I think that his movies from the 1990s/early 2000s are more interesting than later endeavours (such as Ace Attorney (2012) Shield of Straw (2013)). As a result, I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon Negotiator from 2003 (not to be mistaken with Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi (2005) and The Negotiator: The Movie (2010)). This somewhat forgotten entry from Miike’s filmography serves as a proof that the director can craft an engaging drama with a touch of suspense.

Release Info

Directed by: Takashi Miike Starring: Hiroshi Mikami, Mayu Tsuruta, Shiro Sano, Kumi Nakamura

Language: Japanese Original Title: 交渉人 Runtime: 107 min

Synopsis
Inspector Ishida (Hiroshi Mikami) and Captain Tohno (Mayu Tsuruta) are two professional negotiators who handle the most difficult stand-off situations. There are rumours circulating that they might have been in a relationship but nothing is confirmed, especially in view of the fact that Ishida takes care of his ailing wife (Kumi Nakamura). All of a sudden, a group of masked men robs a convenience store, only to leave and barricade themselves in a hospital and take 27 patients as well as 3 doctors hostage. Tohno arrives at the scene and begins the negotiations, but she is relieved from her duties by Ishida who takes over the case. It turns out that Ishida’s wife is one of the captives. Although the negotiations go smoothly and the patients are quickly released, the criminals vanish without a trace, together with the physicians...

In the Line of Duty
One could think on the basis of the title that Negotiator is yet another police procedural endowed with standard cliches and plot twists of the genre. Indeed, this seems to be the first impression at the very beginning when we are presented with Ishida’s inconsequential actions towards the mysterious criminals (who basically have no motive for taking over a hospital). However, as the story progresses, more and more backstory is revealed through extensive flashbacks (the perspectives of Ishida and Tohno are especially essential). Evidently, I am not going to spoil anything (although the film is 17 years old already), so let me just express words of appreciation for Kota Yamada and his thoughtful screenplay.

Apart from focusing on the themes of crime and (in)proper punishment, Negotiator also excels at building a very grim and dark tone. This is what I regard to be the film’s only disadvantage because even though the third act is extremely powerful and provides a social commentary on the modern judiciary system, it is also very harrowing as well as depressing. As a result, the rewatch value of the film is brought down to zero.

With regard to performances, I am not that familiar with other roles of Hiroshi Mikami and Mayu Tsuruta, but they did a great job as the leads. In addition, Kumi Nakamura was excellent as Mrs Ishida. Shiro Sano was also convincing as a police detective who is outwitted in the film’s finale. What is more, such awesome stars as Kenichi Endo, Masato Ibu, and Yoji Tanaka appear in small supporting parts.

Recommendations
If you would like to check out Takashi Miike who does not rely on a wacky screenplay, excessive gore, and special effects, then I recommend Negotiator. It is a very neat crime flick if you are in the mood for reflective dramas. Yet another Koshinin deserves to occupy a place next to Yusuke Santamaria’s film and Ryoko Yonekura’s franchise. Overall score: 7/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»

Mixed Doubles (2017) [Film Review]

Mixed Doubles; or, The Winner Takes It All
     Don't act spoiled! What you feel doesn't matter. You should shine! Don't run away! One step in front!
Tough days at work? Strained relations with other people? Don’t you just want to unwind yourself and forget about everything? Then, take that table tennis racket and join the ping pong competition together with the legendary Gakki and Eita in the movie Mixed Doubles.

Release Info

Directed by: Junichi Ishikawa Starring:Yui Aragaki, Eita, Ryoko Hirouse

Language: Japanese Original Title: ミックス。Runtime: 114 min

Synopsis
Tamako Tomita (Yui Aragaki) was forced by her mother (Yoko Maki) to practice table tennis and participate in many championships since childhood. After her mother’s passing, Tamako moves to a city and tries to live an ordinary life. She gets a job in a corporation and meets a nice boyfriend, Ejima (Koji Seto), who is a company’s representative at table tennis tournaments. It turns out that Ejima cheats on Tamako with a table tennis partner, Airi (Mei Nagano). Tamako quits the job and returns heartbroken to her hometown. Her father (Fumiyo Kohinata) encourages her to start giving lessons at a table tennis club which was run by her late mother. Tamako gives it a try and she meets Hisashi Hagiwara (Eita), a former boxer who tries to win back the favours of his family. In order to help promote the club and settle the score with her ex-boyfriend, Tamako decides to take part in a mixed doubles table tennis tournament.

Never Giving Up

Mixed Doubles (original title Mikkusu) is a 2017 Japanese production directed by Junichi Ishikawa (who is perhaps best known for his work Legal High drama). I had completely no idea about the existence of this movie until I accidentally saw a poster online featuring Yui Aragaki and Eita! I was all the more surprised when it turned out that apart from the great leads there is also an ensemble cast composed out of many recognisable J-movie/drama actors and actresses.

The movie is a well made mixture of light-hearted rom-com and sports drama. Thankfully, the script is not too cheesy and clichéd (however, who in the right state of mind would cheat on Gakki?). In addition, the overall tone of the film is very earnest and warm. It is a sweet story about finding self-confidence and love akin to Shinobu Yaguchi’s Wood Job! (2014).

Of course, Mixed Doubles would not be so enjoyable without stellar performances. Gakki and Eita have perfect chemistry on the screen and I wish we could get more movies with them. Furthermore, I loved Ryoko Hirouse’s appearance as a rebel hillbilly, Yayoi. Nevertheless, I completely lost it when I saw Kenichi Endo, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Aoi, and Mei Nagano in supporting roles (plus cameos from Kotaro Yoshida, Anne Nakamura, and Katsuhisa Namase). Also, am I the only one who thinks that the appearance of Yoko Maki was an in-joke reference to Saikou no Rikon fans? Yoko appeared in only two scenes, but she totally rocked as a crazy mom obsessed with table tennis. The cast of this movie is so perfect!

Recommendations
To conclude, Mixed Doubles may not be a zany comedy like Fumihiko Sori’s Ping Pong (2002), but it is a heart-warming flick which will definitely make you feel good. Go ahead and watch it with your family if you can. Even though I suck at table tennis, I wholeheartedly recommend Mixed Doubles.Overall score: 8/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»

Fuben na Benriya (2015) [Drama Review]

Fuben na Benriya; or, Handymen to the Rescue!

     When the coal mine was closed, a lot of people left this town. It’s easy to say that it was the flow of the time. But it was brutal. Our life became convenient and ambiguity was gone. But that means that the world of fantasy is invaded. I’m worrying that people may stop dreaming before very long

I remember trying to check out Fuben na Benriya drama (literally Inconvenient Handymen) about two years ago, but I had to drop it because of technical difficulties. Finally, I managed to find all 13 episodes and I binge-watched them from beginning to the end. Having expected a peaceful asadora-type of show, I was pleasantly surprised that Fuben na Benriya is so much more than that!

Release Info

Directed by: Takayuki Suzui Starring: Masaki Okada, Kenichi Endo, Kosuke Suzuki

Language: Japanese Original Title: 不便な便利屋 No. of eps.: 12 + SP

 

Synopsis

Jun Takeyama (Masaki Okada) is a young scriptwriter from Tokyo who travels to the city of Furano (located in Hokkaido Prefecture). However, the bus stops in a nameless village because of a snow storm. Jun tries to find a place to wait out the storm, but the local hotel is closed. He walks into a bar and, surprisingly, all attendees ask him his name. When Jun confirms his name, everyone becomes ecstatic. It turns out that a man called Batsu (Kenichi Endo) has been searching for his missing son who is called Jun for 23 years. Jun the screenwriter denies any kind of blood relation, but he gladly joins the party and, consequently, wakes up the other day without his down jacket and cell phone. On top of that, he can’t leave the village because of the storm. He is forced to stay with two men who run the handyman business, the aforementioned Batsu and Matsui (Kosuke Suzuki).

 

In the middle of nowhere

To be honest, the reason why I picked this drama was because of Kenichi Endo and Kosuke Suzuki in the leading roles (Doctor X, people!). Nevertheless, Masaki Okada totally won me over with his exaggerated expressions! From the synopsis, you may think that Fuben na Benriya is boring drama, but it’s nothing like that. It is a touching comedy about three guys who try to do something positive for a small town.

 

Each episode begins with Jun writing a letter to his mom. Then, some kind of a conflict or misunderstanding happens (be it the arrival of a stranger or unconfirmed rumour). Jun, due to his wild imagination of a scriptwriter, is the first to jump to conclusions, which leads to disastrous (and hilarious!) consequences. At the very end of each story, Jun almost always ends up being in some kind of uncomfortable indisposition.

 

I particularly liked the subplots of Jun, Batsu, and Matsui, but the drama is riddled with many side stories focusing on the citizens of a small town. One may feel that this is slice of life, but these stories always end in a quirky way (for example, Yuki-onna episode!).

 

On top of that, I feel in love with the location. I have no idea where the crew shot the drama but it must have been somewhere in Hokkaido (actually, Hokkaido’s famous landmarks are featured in one of the episodes). In addition, the winter atmosphere is simply irreplaceable! The house of Matsui and Batsu is also outstanding! In my opinion, it resembles Tigger’s tree house from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

 

I do not want to get into the spoilers area, but let me just say the ending was bittersweet rather than happy. The last episode tackled some really serious issues, but also moved me incredibly. There was also a SP released in 2016, but it has not been translated to date. From my rudimentary knowledge of Japanese, I gathered that Jun came back to the village in order to help out Matsui shot a short feature film for Sapporo Film Festival, but, as always, things got a bit out of control.

 

With regard to performances, Masaki Okada literally steals the show. He’s really good at comedy (Legal High!) and I think that he should portray mature Detective Conan in the live-action version of the anime. Endo Kenichi and Kosuke Suzuki are also wonderful. Due to Doctor X, I always associate these actors with this medical drama whenever I see them, but as handymen they are nothing like the doctor characters. Both of them give very heart-warming performances.

 

Recommendations

If you want a soothing drama with great visuals and off-the-wall comedy elements, then Fuben na Benriya is the choice for you. Oh, did I mention that during the making of this drama the real Guinness record was set for the highest number of snowmen made in one hour (episode 11)?! To conclude, Fuben na Benriya is a light and enjoyable drama. When you are in need, the handymen will always help you out.

Overall score: 9/10