Survive Style 5+ (2004) [Film Review]

Survive Style 5+; or, Staying Alive

     What’s your function in life?

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to comedies. Some people like slapstick, whereas others are more keen on situational stuff. I’m quite open to many kinds of comedies, but when we are talking about Japanese super weird take on the genre, then I’m full on board with that. Gen Sekiguchi’s Survive Style 5+ is such a movie and it is just awesome.

Release Info

Directed by: Gen Sekiguchi Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Kyoko Koizumi, Ittoku Kishibe, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa

Language: Japanese Original Title: SURVIVE STYLE5+ Runtime: 120 min

 

Synopsis

The movie follows five stories that are loosely connected with each other. Ishigaki (Tadanobu Asano) is a guy who repeatedly kills his wife (Reika Hashimoto) only to find her waiting for him, furious, at their home. Yoko (Kyoko Koizumi) is a commercial executive who tries to come up with ideas for TV ads. Tatsuya (Ittoku Kishibe) is a salaryman who gets hypnotised on stage by a performer (Hiroshi Abe) who is killed in the middle of the act. There are also three burglars (Yoshiyuki Morishita, Jai West, Kanji Tsuda) who aimlessly wander through the city. In addition, all of the characters encounter a British assassin-for-hire (Vinnie Jones) and his frightened interpreter (Yoshiyoshi Arakawa).

 

You Can’t Unsee It!

While looking for Japanese comedies a few years ago, Survive Style 5+ was the number 1 recommendation on many movie sites. However, if you expect the type of a conventional and linear story with funny elements, then you are wrong. This movie feels more like a collection of a few shorts, each dealing with a different matter, which come together only at the very end. All in all, the film was directed by a guy specialising in making short films.

 

What made me like Survive Style 5+ is the freewheeling quirkiness that ultimately forms into morality tales. We have a guy who, for some reason, kills his wife and then she magically reappears at their home only to physically attack him in an epic way. There’s a lady with some really weird ideas for commercials which always get rejected. Not to mention a salaryman who acts as if he were a bird and a homosexual burglar who is afraid of admitting his love to a friend. As a result, we get lots of craziness thrown at us and this leads to the only inevitable outcome: hysterical laughter.

 

I was also surprised by a number of great actors and actresses who appear in this flick. We get to see Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Kyoko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe, Ittoku Kishibe, and Yoshiyoshi Arakawa in one picture! Vinnie Jones and his overdone Brit accent also have to be mentioned. I loved their performances but my heart was stolen by Hiroshi Abe’s small part as the crazy, womanising hypnotist. You always rock, Hiroshi(!) In addition, I also liked the cameos made by Sonny Chiba, Tae Kimura, and Kotaro Shiga.

 

The additional plus of Survive Style 5+ is the soundtrack. Apart from James Shimoji’s wonderful compositions like the main theme or Angel Air, we get to hear a variety of recognisable tracks, such as Rob Laufer’s Go, Go, Go, Yasuyuki Okamura and Takkyu Isino's Come Baby, and Cake’s version of I Will Survive. The soundtrack is so good that it can be listened to on its own.

 

Recommendations

To sum up, if you are trying to get a taste of Japanese comedies, then Survive Style 5+ is the best starter. It has quirkiness, dynamic vibes, and (possibly) one of the greatest endings in film history. Apart from making you laugh, it will also heighten your emotions with a bit of touching messages. In short, Survive Style 5+ is an amazing film and you need to watch it ASAP if you have not done so already.

Overall score: 9/10

Jail Breakers (1976) [Film Review]

Jail Breakers; or, Sonny Chiba the Escape Coordinator!

Have you committed a serious offence and landed in a high-security prison? Even though you tried to break free numerous times, it’s still too darn hard? Well, in that case, it’s high time to call the professionals. Special team of the so-called “Escape Coordinators” will get you out in no time, but for substantial remuneration.

Release Info

Directed by: Kôsaku Yamashita Starring: Sonny Chiba, Haruko Wanibuchi, Eitarô Ozawa
Language: Japanese Original Title: Dassou Yuugi Runtime: 93 min

Plot

Kamiki (larger-than-life Sonny Chiba) is a petty criminal and a notorious prison escapee. After his 32nd(!) attempt, fortunate coincidence gives him another opportunity. When one of the prisoners fails to reach the rendezvous point, Kamiki takes his place in spur of the moment. The escape succeeds, but Kamiki’s unexpected presence instead of the other prisoner, greatly angers the gangsters who organised the whole thing. As a result, he becomes entangled in a series of scams and hustles in which he and the gang are constantly trying to deceive each other. In the end, Kamiki joins forces with “the escape coordinators” when they get an assignment worth approximately 3 billion yen. All it takes is to get out of prison a certain young lady and her father…

Feel the might of Chiba!

This forgotten, yet highly enjoyable, film starts right off the bat as our protagonist outruns masses of prison wardens and catches the helicopter ladder just to change his clothes while hanging hundreds of feet above the ground (genius opening sequence!). All in all, we’re talking about Sonny Chiba himself. Things have to be epic!

The title of the film says it all, and the film perfectly delivers it’s topic. Thankfully, the picture does not attempt to fall back on the tone of an exploitation flick (so popular in Japan of the 1970s), but instead, it imitates the style of a heist movie. However, there's still some room for humour. In my opinion, the most hilarious part of the film is when, during a mission at women's prison, female convincts suddenly wake up in their cell and jump with wild lust at one of the gangsters!

Yet, instead of the break-ins, we are served with the break-outs. On top of that, we also get to see gunfights, car chases, and Sonny kicking lots of butts in hand-to-hand combat. What can be considered a letdown are definitely the quarrels between Kamiki and the gang. Firstly, they want him to pay 30 million yen and throw him into the river. Then, Kamiki fools them during the break out job, by stealing the prisoner’s payment. Next, the boss of the gang, Reverend Tadokoro (Eitarô Ozawa), wants him dead, but boss’ girlfriend, Yoko (Haruko Wanibuchi), saves Kamiki just in time and orders him to kill the boss. During a confrontation between Kamiki and Tadokoro, the boss talks about a gig involving diamonds, which ultimately makes them join forces. Unfortunately, all these shifting alliances are very hard to follow.

Nevertheless, where there’s Chiba there’s action. As mentioned previously, the movie offers a great deal of action sequences and every single one was made flawlessly, especially the final escape, which deserves an honourable mention. In terms of acting, Sonny Chiba is basically himself at the top of his prime, which is always a great pleasure to watch, Eitaro Ozawa convincingly portrays a double-faced gang leader, and Haruko Wanibuchi shines with her beauty as Tadokoro’s manipulative girlfriend.

Recommendations

I recommend this film primarily to Sonny Chiba fans. Unfortunately, it’s quite a rare film and it’s not included in The Ten Faces of Sonny Chiba- 10 Movie Pack, but after a careful search on the internet you should be able to find it. In addition, if you want to introduce your child to Sonny Chiba, it’s best to start either with Jail Breakers or The Bullet Train (1975), because, contrary to Street Fighter Trilogy, these do not splash the screen with graphic violence. To sum up, Jail Breakers is a cool and entertaining flick for Saturday afternoon.

Overall score: 7/10

Samurai Reincarnation (1981) [Film Review]

Samurai Reincarnation; or, Sonny Chiba vs. Evil Samurai Spirits from Hell!

      Master Jubei, if you encounter God, God will be cut. If you encounter an evil spirit then it will be cut. This... this is the greatest sword ever made by Muramasa.

When the leader of a group of slaughtered Japanese Catholics comes back to life as a demon and assembles the team of the most badass dead samurai in order to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate and plunge Japan into raging chaos, you know there is nobody else to call than Sonny Chiba himself.

Release Info

Directed by: Kinji Fukasaku Starring: Sonny Chiba, Kenji Sawada, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Ken Ogata
Language: Japanese Original Title: 魔界転生 Runtime: 120 min

Synopsis

The movie starts with the crush of the real Shimabara Rebellion in the 17th century, during the Edo Period. Thirty-seven thousand peasant Catholics rebelled in the name of religious freedom but the Shogunate army quickly besieged and massacred them at Hara Caste. The Christian leader Amakusa Shiro (Kenji Sawada) was beheaded and his severed head was put on public display outside the castle. However, due to evil forces, he comes back to life in order to avenge his people. He renounces God and embraces Satan as his true deity instead; which gives him supernatural powers. In this way, Shiro travels through Japan recruiting the most powerful samurai at their deathbeds, so they could help him kill the shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna (Noboru Matsuhashi). In order to stop the vicious demons, an honourable samurai with an eyepatch, Jubei Yagyu (Sonny Chiba) sets off on a journey to hunt them down and kill once and for all.

Resurrection from Hell

The movie is based on a novel by Futaro Yamada called Makai Tensho and the author devised probably one of the finest pieces of historical fiction. Yes, the story of samurai demons trying to take over Japan sounds interesting in itself (most especially for those who played the game Throne of Darkness fifteen years ago), but the real awesome thing in this movie is that there are only real historical figures in it. The Demonic team consists of: Amakusa Shiro (a Christian leader), Lady Hosokawa (a female samurai), Inshun Hozoin (a priest and a master of spearmanship), Musashi Miyamoto (obviously, the best samurai who ever lived), and Munenori Yagyu (a retainer of the Tokugawa house). Whereas “Team Salvation” includes Jubei Yagyu (son of Munenori and one of the most recognisable samurai in popular culture), Muramasa (a famous swordsmith who was allegedly able to make “wicked swords” that could defeat demons), and Otsu (daughter of Musashi’s wife).

Now that is a lot of characters for one story, but the movie tends to focus predominantly on the demons rather than on the good guys. The whole process of recruiting the fallen samurai and getting to know their back stories consumes the first half of the picture. The second half, on the other hand, centres on the demons' attempts to destroy the Shogunate and Jubei’s preparations to confront them. Nevertheless, it is still highly interesting to watch this film, mostly due to the fact that the only true villain in the story is Amakusa Shiro who deceived the restless souls of fellow samurai. Due to the leader’s sick manipulations we get to know that the rest of the baddies simply want to fulfill their hidden desires which they did not manage to do during their lifetimes.

Needless to say, all of the fights starting from Shiro’s slaughter of the troops and finishing on the final epic confrontation in the burning Edo Castle are awesome and Sonny Chiba definitely displays some kick-ass sword skills. The only disappointing thing may be the score. It is really bland and does not fit into the dark tone of the film. Apart from this issue, the ending seems a bit rushed, as if the makers for some reason decided to cut out the concluding scene. Nevertheless, these things do not really disrupt the reception of the movie.

Recommendations

If you want to enjoy this film, I suggest you watch it with zero expectations. Samurai Reincarnation may not be one of the chanbara classics with Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai, but it is certainly one of the highlights from the period in which this particular genre started losing popularity in Japanese cinema. Plus, if you like Sonny Chiba, the film is definitely worth watching.

Overall score: 7/10

The Bullet Train (1975) [Film Review]

The Bullet Train; or, The Bombastic Shinkansen Express!

Disaster films are a wonderful genre. You get “race against time” plot line, one dimensional heroes, damsels (and children!) in distress, a pretentious and a bit too loud score, but also massive destruction of biblical proportions (providing that the budget was sufficient). Needless to say, The Bullet Train delivers all of these things and yet manages to surprise...

Release Info

Directed by: Jun'ya Satō Starring: Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, Ken Utsui
Language: Japanese Original Title: Shinkansen Daibakuha Runtime: 152 min

Synopsis

It is just another day on the grand Tokyo Railway Station. Passengers take their seats and Shinkansen Express Hikari 109 to Hakata begins its swift and comfortable journey. However, shortly after the train’s departure, the security office receives a phone call. A mysterious caller tells them that a bomb has been placed on board Hikari 109 and it will go off as soon as the train slows down to 80 km/h. In consequence, Shinkansen is riding through Japan without the ability to stop, whereas the authorities rush to catch the bomber.

A superior version of Speed

Yes, believe it or not, but The Bullet Train served as an inspiration for the famous Speed (1994) with Keanu Reeves. In addition, I can bet that it also triggered off the production of The Cassandra Crossing (1976) and The Burning Train (1980). Nevertheless, the Japanese original surpasses all of its foreign imitators.

The story is happening on two layers. The first takes place on board of Hikari 109, with its drivers, frightened passengers, and engineers from Shinkansen HQ who are desperately trying to ensure a safe passage of the train and locate the bomb. The second story, much greatly elaborated, is about the bombers. Three ordinary men who became victims of the economic changes in Japan of the 1970s decided to carry out the perfect crime and blackmail the National Railway. The two storylines intertwine with each other, making the motion picture a highly exciting experience.

Playing with conventions

Contrary to other disaster movies, the conspirators are not downright evil. They are anti-heroes who are forced to commit a misdeed, but they do not want to hurt anyone. In fact, due to flashbacks depicting their relationship, the viewers pity them; especially the leader Tetsuo Okita (played by the unforgettable Ken Takakura) who devised the whole scam. At some point, I even caught myself cheering for him and the successful accomplishment of the mission. However, the real wrongdoers in the movie seem to be the authorities.

The deal with the bombers is simple. Pay up the money and in exchange, they will tell the authorities where the bomb on the train is located and how to disarm it, but the police officers are too short-sighted to understand this. They screw up the first handover of cash because they are too busy trying to hunt down and arrest the culprits. Meanwhile, Hikari 109 is rushing at a wild pace to Hakata where the tracks end!

However, the situation on the train is being worked out by two infallible heroes, Commander Kuramochi (Ken Utsui) and a train driver Aoki (epic Sonny Chiba). Whereas Okita is the emotional drive of the film, Kuramochi and Aoki deliver action as Hikari 109 rides through Japan. The real stuff occurs in Shinkansen HQ and the train’s cockpit, with occasional cuts to the passengers who lose their grip.

A Unique Disaster Flick

To sum up, there is a lot of stuff going on, but everything ties in neatly together and is presented in a coherent manner. In addition, the music score sounds quite experimental and very 70's, but it perfectly fits the tone of the picture. Also, the movie is proof that in order to have action you do not need destruction, for there are only two explosions in the whole 150 minutes running time! Just take a look at this breathtaking scene below. You won’t see anything like that in The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) or Unstoppable (2010)!

Recommendations

I recommend The Bullet Train to anyone who likes disaster films (although not many of these were made in Japan apart from the Kaiju genre). Anyways, it is an awesome classic which will most certainly keep you entertained for two and a half hours. I have to admit that I enjoyed the film so much that I watched it two times in a row.

Overall score: 10/10