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

Bayside Shakedown 3: Set the Guys Loose (2010) [Film Review]

Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 3; or, Release the Prisoners!

     One thing I forgot to say... Your death won't be beautiful. You've got no pride, huh? No matter what, I'm going to arrest you. I take pride in that.

It’s been 7 years since the latest instalment of Bayside Shakedown until Yuji Oda proudly announced in 2010: "We’re back". Indeed, the Odoru Daisousasen team returned in this new and exciting reboot/sequel called Bayside Shakedown 3: Set the Guys Loose.

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 MOVIE3 Runtime: 141 min

 

Synopsis

Aoshima (Yuji Oda) was promoted to Section Chief and he is currently handling a difficult logistic operation of moving the Wangan Police Station to its new headquarters. In the meantime, strange crimes take place. A bus hijack without any hijackers on board or a bank robbery without any money being stolen. What is more, the WPS chiefs find out that three pistols were stolen from the station’s arsenal. An unknown group of high-tech terrorists send in the ultimatum: Release specific prisoners arrested by Detective Aoshima or people will be shot from the stolen guns, and the Wangan staff will be gassed by toxins. In the course of his investigation, Aoshima discovers that the terrorists are connected with one of the prisoners.

 

Running Scared

Well, Bayside Shakedown 3, what can I say? After The Suspect: Muroi Shinji (2005) and the long break between the second and the third movie, I gather that the series began to run out of steam. Thus, it needed a proper injection of novelty as well as referencing to the previous films. As a result, this sequel feels very much like a reboot. We have a change of location and some new characters like Waku’s nephew, Shinjiro Waku (Atsushi Ito), Chinese police officer Wang (Kenichi Takito), and Natsumi Shinohara (Yuki Uchida), returning from the 1998 special episode: Wangan Police Station Female Officers’ Story. Even the picture’s colour palette seems more lively and vivid in comparison to the other movies, which had more greyish overlay.

 

With regard to the story, thankfully the usual Odoru theme of bureaucracy is not brought into the spotlight. Instead, the drama is delivered with the subplot of Aoshima being misdiagnosed with cancer... (I did not make that up). This sounds so far-fetched outright that it becomes the main disadvantage of this movie. I realise that the makers wanted some emotional scenes between Aoshima and Sumire (Eri Fukatsu) as well as some big catharsis towards the end (that Aoshima is actually healthy and the x-ray was faulty), but it is really uninspiring to watch. Especially when the script tried to turn Aoshima into Dabney Coleman’s character from Short Time (1990), as he is unafraid of anything, because he knows that he is going to die. The movie could easily got away without this subplot, and thus, decrease its lengthy runtime (140 minutes).

 

When all was said about the downsides, some positives have to be mentioned. Well, Kyoko Koizumi returns as Manami Hyuga from the first movie and she is revealed to be the main villainess of this story. However, contrary to her performance in Movie 1, Koizumi gives a very distanced and frigid portrayal of a crazy psychopath, so do not expect to hear her hysterical laughter or see her running amok with a loaded gun.

 

When the action is there, it is entertaining, especially with Akihiko Matsumoto’s main theme. New characters serve as a good addition to Aoshima’s team, though they are not given much time in the movie. Oh! Susumu Terajima has a small cameo in one of the scenes as Detective Kijima. Also, Shun Oguri plays Torigai, a Harvey Dent-like character who appears to start off as a good guy but gradually transforms into a baddie by the fourth movie.

 

About the performances, the original cast shines as brightly as ever with Yuji Oda and Eri Fukatsu in the leading roles. Toshiro Yanagiba’s appearance as Muroi Shinji is slightly limited in this sequel, but it’s always great to see him. Yusuke Santamaria and Kotaro Koizumi also return from Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi (2005) and the WPS chiefs (Soichiro Kitmura, Satoru Saito, Takehiko Ono) are funny as always, though one can tell that the passage of time has taken a toll on them.

   

Recommendations

To sum up, Odoru Daisōsasen The Movie 3: Yatsura o Kaihō Seyo! is a fun and refreshing entry in the series. Though uneven at times, it’s a safe pick for Friday night. Unfortunately, it may not be suited for repetitive viewing. Probably that is the reason why it did well in the box office (over 7 billion yen), but not as good as the two previous films. However, it has the cast, it has the music, and it has the entertaining factor. This is a fully fledged Bayside Shakedown sequel.

Overall score: 8/10

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