Bayside Shakedown 4: The Final Movie (2012) [Film Review]

Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 4; or, A New Hope

     Don't mess with us cops...

Just in 2010, when the Odoru Daisousasen movie series was rebooted and two years later it was announced that it’s coming to an end! The Last TV special episode and Odoru Daisōsasen The Final: Arata Naru Kibō, filmed back-to-back, mark the very last entries in the 15-year-old franchise.

Release Info

Directed by: Katsuyuki Motohiro Starring: Yuji Oda, Eri Fukatsu, Toshiro Yanagiba, Yusuke Santamaria

Language: Japanese Original Title: 踊る大捜査線 THE FINAL 新たなる希望 Runtime: 126 min

 

Synopsis

A gun is stolen from the evidence archive in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Soon after, two people die from that gun in the jurisdiction of the Wangan Police Station. Aoshima’s team begins the investigation, but the HQ’s investigative unit led by Torigai (Shun Oguri) takes over. It turns out that a cop stole the gun so, to hush things up, Muroi (Toshiro Yanagiba) and Aoshima (Yuj Oda) are turned into scapegoats. In the meantime, Sumire (Eri Fukatsu) considers  quitting her job because of the inability to cope with pain from a gunshot wound. WPS police officers join their forces to discover an in-police conspiracy that has something to do with what Mashita (Yusuke Santamaria) did in his early days as the negotiator.

 

All the good things...

Well, to be honest, Bayside Shakedown 4: The Final is a decent, well-made conclusion to one of the most awesome franchises ever. However, I guess that my expectations for this movie were a bit too high. In a lot of ways, I enjoyed The Last TV special episode more, and it was only lead-in to this final film. The uneven pacing is probably the only issue of this movie as it starts right off the bat with the chase scene, crazy awesome intro (my favourite out of all movies) and then it slows down to present a lot of exposition intertwined with humor scenes.

 

Nevertheless, I also greatly enjoyed many things which this film had to offer. The development of the Aoshima/Sumire (only friends!) relationship was done way better than in the previous sequel. In addition, the running theme of the series: excessive police bureaucracy is quite interesting to watch as both Aoshima and Muroi become the victims of the corrupt system. In addition, the conspiracy involving Mashita was really gripping. At first, I thought that the creators were trying to be over-original with the plot, but eventually, I appreciated that the crime had a little bit of personal factor (with relation to the characters) conveyed in itself. All in all, this is the final movie.

 

Speaking about performances, as in the previous movies, the Odoru cast was remarkable. The highest praise goes to Eri Fukatsu as she did the best job with her character since Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 2. Yuji Oda is great as always as Aoshima and the same thing applies to Toshiro Yanagiba and his portrayal of Muroi. Though, I hoped to see a little bit more of Muroi Shinji in this movie. In addition, Ren Osugi reprises his cameo role from the first theatrical film as a cover-up expert, the man behind the scenes who brings down the top brass of the police force

 

Recommendations

If you liked the previous theatrical films of the series, then this movie will not let you down. It may be uneventful at times, but generally it manages to deliver the desired dosage of Bayside Shakedown glamour. There’s humour, action, entertainment, and Aoshima running to the pumped up "Rhythm and Police" theme song. What’s more important, the promise made by Muroi in the last episode of the show has finally been fulfilled.

 

Well, this is the end of my two-month adventure with Odoru Daisousasen. It was a wonderful and unforgettable ride. I can only hope that someday, just maybe, there will be a new movie released.

Overall score: 8/10

The Suspect: Muroi Shinji (2005) [Film Review]

The Suspect: Muroi Shinji; or, The Superintendent’s on the Loose!

     I'm a stubborn man. When I make a choice... all other choices disappear.

Superintendent Muroi Shinji is back (with a vengeance), and this time, in his own movie. Yougisha Muroi Shinji is the second of the two theatrical spin-off films, which, together with two other TV specials, comprise the Odoru Legend series. In the story centered around him, Muroi will have to fight against dirty office politics and corrupt-to-the-bone lawyers as he is arrested for conducting an allegedly-flawed investigation.

Release Info

Directed by: Ryoichi Kimizuka Starring: Toshiro Yanagiba, Rena Tanaka, Norito Yashima

Language: Japanese Original Title: 容疑者　室井慎次 Runtime: 117 min

 

Synopsis

The movie begins with Muroi (Toshiro Yanagiba) imprisoned in a detention center. Although, currently working for a Federal Agency, he is arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department. The last case he was in charge of concerned the alleged stabbing of a man by a police officer. Chased by the Shinjuku locals, the officer attempts to escape and dies in an accident. However, in view of discovering new evidence, Muroi is not so sure of his quilt and reopens the investigation. Shinji does not know that the case has a second bottom and the top brass at the MPD and the Feds are not very keen on finding the real culprit. Instead, Muroi is charged with an accusation that he led to the officer’s unfortunate death. Now, the Superintendent will have to cooperate with a rookie defender called Obara (Rena Tanaka) in order to clear his name.

 

Unlike the previous spin-off Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi (2005), The Suspect does not rely on the formula of fast-paced action. What we get instead is something of a mash-up of police procedural and courtroom drama. In other words, it is almost as if The Fugitive (1993) meets Philadelphia (1993). Perhaps, that is the reason why this movie gets such a bad rap on imdb. Personally, I am totally fine with the way in which screenwriter and director Ryoichi Kimizuka went with this story. Nevertheless, the movie has several flaws.

 

First off, at the very beginning, we get a whole 20 minutes of exposition. I realise that exposition is important in order to understand what is going on in the story, but the film’s plot line is so convoluted that I barely managed to scratch the surface in the description above. The movie really demands a lot of attention from the viewer to figure out why Muroi has become the titular suspect and how he is going to rescue himself. In fact, halfway through the picture, I lost track of who are the good guys and the bad guys. Does the MPD want to end Muroi? The Feds? Or both at the same time?! Kimizuka clearly wanted to come up with an original crime plot, but the end result is only half-satisfying.

 

After discussing the downsides, it is necessary to talk about the advantages and there is a few of them. Toshiro Yanagiba is (obviously) the highlight of this picture as he plays the role of an honest cop effortlessly. What the script does really right is finally giving Muroi an interesting back-story: where he came from, what was his past. This, coupled with Yanagiba’s acting, enhances the quality of Muroi’s character.

 

Another advantage are the supporting characters. Rena Tanaka plays Obara, Muroi’s attorney, who hates cops because they disregarded an assault on her in the past. Norito Yashima, on the other hand, portrays Haijima Hideki, a ruthless and spoiled lawyer who is after Muroi. An interesting character indeed, but I don’t think that he had enough potential to be given his own TV movie. Also, Akira Emoto has a minor role in the picture as Obara’s mentor, but he doesn’t do much apart from uttering a few Obi-Wan Kenobi-like quotes. In addition, some familiar faces come back. Miki Maya and Toshio Kakei return as Okita and Shinjo respectively. The two officers taught by Muroi do not trust each other, but they work independently towards saving the Superintendent.

What is more, the final showdown at Shinjuku North Precinct is a rewarding watch. Maybe it is hard to get there with all those twists and conspiracies along the way, but the payoff of Muroi’s last day on the job is definitely outstanding. The mystery behind everything was quite trivial, yet it made perfect sense in the end. In a way, the solution reminded me a lot about the Odoru Daisousasen show’s third episode where Sumire and Aoshima are after a purse snatcher whose father is a high rank official.

 

Recommendations

The movie completely contradicts the tone of Bayside Shakedown movies, but I highly recommend it to the fans of Muroi Shinji (if there are some out there). It is a nice crime drama (though with a bit overcomplicated plot), but it certainly has a few strong merits. However, what do I know? I could easily watch Muroi in an endless loop as he walks wearing his black coat, in slow motion, with his usual swag, to Akihiko Matsumoto’s epic guitar riff...

 

Overall score: 7/10

Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 2 (2003) [Film Review]

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