Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (Japan, 2014) [Aircraft] - 2/5
When I saw the previous film, Kyoto Inferno, I said it felt like a bloated teen opera version of something that has been done before with real actors. The same could be said about this slightly superior closing instalment. The highlight of the film comes during the last 45 minutes which feature some terrific action and wirework shot in relatively long takes (minus the burning sword, which was just a dumb idea). Unfortunately it is preceded by 90 minutes of pretty plastic idol action melodrama (with admittedly fine production values). Fans of the series should be pleased; 1960's and 1970's swordplay aficionados probably less so.
What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5
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HungFist
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Boss in Jail (Gokuchu no kaoyaku) (Japan, 1968) [DVD] – 2.5/5
Ken Takakura plays a gangster who is sent to prison not once, not twice but three times during the course of the film. Subsequently, most of the film takes place in the slammer. This is a rather mediocre modern day yakuza film by talented filmmakers. There are some stylish drama scenes set in the 1960s Japan, especially those with Junko Fuji as the boss' daughter, and of course a theme song by Takakura, most of the film consists or humoristic and unoriginal prison scenes.
Cash Calls Hell (Japan, 1966) [35mm] - 4/5
Hideo Gosha took a small break from directing samurai films to make this excellent noir. Tatsuya Nakadai stars as an inmate with no future. As he's about to be released he accepts a job to find and kill three men, with no questions asked. He tracks down the first man, but then someone takes the target out before him. A small gem featuring some truly beautiful shots and magnificent ending.
Ken Takakura plays a gangster who is sent to prison not once, not twice but three times during the course of the film. Subsequently, most of the film takes place in the slammer. This is a rather mediocre modern day yakuza film by talented filmmakers. There are some stylish drama scenes set in the 1960s Japan, especially those with Junko Fuji as the boss' daughter, and of course a theme song by Takakura, most of the film consists or humoristic and unoriginal prison scenes.
Cash Calls Hell (Japan, 1966) [35mm] - 4/5
Hideo Gosha took a small break from directing samurai films to make this excellent noir. Tatsuya Nakadai stars as an inmate with no future. As he's about to be released he accepts a job to find and kill three men, with no questions asked. He tracks down the first man, but then someone takes the target out before him. A small gem featuring some truly beautiful shots and magnificent ending.
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Abashiri Prison 2 (Japan, 1965) [DVD] - 1.5/5
An uninspired routine sequel only made to cash in on the success of the original. The first film was an entertaining action flick set in the snowy Hokkaido winter; this sequel misses the cool for being filmed during summer. There are no prison scenes either; the shabby storyline follows Takakura and others ex-cons as free men. They soon get involved a with diamond theft. The series theme song by Takakura is the film's only highlight.
Lupin III (Japan, 2014) [Flight] - 2.5/5
Ryuhei Kitamura's live action Lupin the Third had all signs of a train wreck around it; oddly enough it turned out a rather passable movie. The cast is alright, the anime esque acting is fit for the context, the action is passable if instantly forgettable, and for once I found Meisa Kuroki pretty hot. Most of the film is spoken in Engrish, which only makes it more stupid/amusing. Hardly a good movie, but better than was to be expected.
An uninspired routine sequel only made to cash in on the success of the original. The first film was an entertaining action flick set in the snowy Hokkaido winter; this sequel misses the cool for being filmed during summer. There are no prison scenes either; the shabby storyline follows Takakura and others ex-cons as free men. They soon get involved a with diamond theft. The series theme song by Takakura is the film's only highlight.
Lupin III (Japan, 2014) [Flight] - 2.5/5
Ryuhei Kitamura's live action Lupin the Third had all signs of a train wreck around it; oddly enough it turned out a rather passable movie. The cast is alright, the anime esque acting is fit for the context, the action is passable if instantly forgettable, and for once I found Meisa Kuroki pretty hot. Most of the film is spoken in Engrish, which only makes it more stupid/amusing. Hardly a good movie, but better than was to be expected.
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Masterofoneinchpunch
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
OK this is getting close to a full length review (which I might make it later after some more research and/or comments):
The Young Dragons (1974: John Woo)
This is not a bad film by any means though it is probably of more importance for what it means for the future career of the participants than for the actual quality of the film. This is the first directed full-length film from Woo. Originally Woo was co-director of this production, under the title of Farewell Buddy, with Peter Wong Hoi Yi* who had just created an independent movie company with Liu Chi-ho’s money. This was originally done in 1973 but had run afoul by the censors because of violence. It actually had to do mainly with some gloves that had needles in them worn by Fung Hak-on’s character in which you can still see in the film and some of the results of those gloves on Lau Kong (though in the last scene you may wonder where those marks went to on his face and you will notice he never shows that side as well) and Ng Ming-choi. You may wonder why they got such marks when you watch this film. The reason for this was that they had to be cut or the film would not have been allowed to shown. This really hurts the continuity of that particular fight scene. Fortuitously the film was sold to Golden Harvest, Leonard Ho liked it and gave Woo a three year contract.
The story takes place during the Republican era with Henry Yu Yung (The Bloody Fists) as an opportunist Kin who is the leader of small gang of efficient thugs, but is a small cog compared to the smuggling operation of Boss Lung (Chiang Nan) and his hired thug Wang Fai (Funk Hak-on.) Kin steals a load of Japanese firearms and uses them as bait to get even more money (still not sure why he gets rid of most of them.) As he is trying to make money off of this racket in the meantime a government agent Fan Ming (Lau Kong) is trying to stop these smuggler/racketeers.
The fight scenes are decent-to-good. This is one of Jackie’s earliest action director roles (a few of the films he did in 1973 including The Cub Tiger from Kwantung would be reedited and released in a later year.) I was surprised by how agile Ng Ming-choi was given his corpulent nature. Almost like a mini-Sammo Hung (I probably should not have been surprised since he is also known as Yuen Ting as he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes and he is not the only “Yuen” in the movie.)
One good reason to watch this if you are a Woo fan is the early trademarks and influences you can already see taking shape here. The slow-motion reminds me of Chang Cheh in which he apprenticed. He also has a nice habit of experimenting with interesting angles and movement. However, he completely overuses the zoom to the point of extreme annoyance. You can see the friendship and Doppelganger motif between the two main characters reminiscent of Hard Boiled with one good-hearted “bad guy” character and one character on the side of the law and the importance of personal code. Also included is the completely ruthless henchman character Wan Fai and corrupt Boss Lung which parallels both Mad Dog and Johnny Wong in Hard Boiled. While the male relationships seem to work well, the love quadrangle seems somewhat haphazard. Chang Cheh would have ignored it completely. But the ending definitely feels Woo-like.
I had a “hey that’s Dean Shek” moment in the film. The scene seemed compositionally somewhat out-of-place with Shek’s comic shtick and urine. That was one nasty streak. Wouldn’t you worry about slipping on that? Shek would work with John Woo in later films such as Laughing Times (ugh) and A Better Tomorrow II with one being much better than the other.
If you watch the trailer you will notice a nude scene that is not in the main film. I have no idea why that particular scene was cut out. It is not uncommon for trailers to have cut scenes by the director, but given the history of this movie I am curious on when it was cut out (director, distribution, other?)
* Golden Harvest took Peter Wong’s name off of the screen because it was determined he did not direct any of the movie. They also changed the title, added and took away scenes as well. Try to figure out which scenes were filmed years later.
Sources:
Book: John Woo Interviews (2005) Edited by Robert K. Elder
Book: John Woo: The Films (1999) by Kenneth E. Hall
The Young Dragons (1974: John Woo)
This is not a bad film by any means though it is probably of more importance for what it means for the future career of the participants than for the actual quality of the film. This is the first directed full-length film from Woo. Originally Woo was co-director of this production, under the title of Farewell Buddy, with Peter Wong Hoi Yi* who had just created an independent movie company with Liu Chi-ho’s money. This was originally done in 1973 but had run afoul by the censors because of violence. It actually had to do mainly with some gloves that had needles in them worn by Fung Hak-on’s character in which you can still see in the film and some of the results of those gloves on Lau Kong (though in the last scene you may wonder where those marks went to on his face and you will notice he never shows that side as well) and Ng Ming-choi. You may wonder why they got such marks when you watch this film. The reason for this was that they had to be cut or the film would not have been allowed to shown. This really hurts the continuity of that particular fight scene. Fortuitously the film was sold to Golden Harvest, Leonard Ho liked it and gave Woo a three year contract.
The story takes place during the Republican era with Henry Yu Yung (The Bloody Fists) as an opportunist Kin who is the leader of small gang of efficient thugs, but is a small cog compared to the smuggling operation of Boss Lung (Chiang Nan) and his hired thug Wang Fai (Funk Hak-on.) Kin steals a load of Japanese firearms and uses them as bait to get even more money (still not sure why he gets rid of most of them.) As he is trying to make money off of this racket in the meantime a government agent Fan Ming (Lau Kong) is trying to stop these smuggler/racketeers.
The fight scenes are decent-to-good. This is one of Jackie’s earliest action director roles (a few of the films he did in 1973 including The Cub Tiger from Kwantung would be reedited and released in a later year.) I was surprised by how agile Ng Ming-choi was given his corpulent nature. Almost like a mini-Sammo Hung (I probably should not have been surprised since he is also known as Yuen Ting as he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes and he is not the only “Yuen” in the movie.)
One good reason to watch this if you are a Woo fan is the early trademarks and influences you can already see taking shape here. The slow-motion reminds me of Chang Cheh in which he apprenticed. He also has a nice habit of experimenting with interesting angles and movement. However, he completely overuses the zoom to the point of extreme annoyance. You can see the friendship and Doppelganger motif between the two main characters reminiscent of Hard Boiled with one good-hearted “bad guy” character and one character on the side of the law and the importance of personal code. Also included is the completely ruthless henchman character Wan Fai and corrupt Boss Lung which parallels both Mad Dog and Johnny Wong in Hard Boiled. While the male relationships seem to work well, the love quadrangle seems somewhat haphazard. Chang Cheh would have ignored it completely. But the ending definitely feels Woo-like.
I had a “hey that’s Dean Shek” moment in the film. The scene seemed compositionally somewhat out-of-place with Shek’s comic shtick and urine. That was one nasty streak. Wouldn’t you worry about slipping on that? Shek would work with John Woo in later films such as Laughing Times (ugh) and A Better Tomorrow II with one being much better than the other.
If you watch the trailer you will notice a nude scene that is not in the main film. I have no idea why that particular scene was cut out. It is not uncommon for trailers to have cut scenes by the director, but given the history of this movie I am curious on when it was cut out (director, distribution, other?)
* Golden Harvest took Peter Wong’s name off of the screen because it was determined he did not direct any of the movie. They also changed the title, added and took away scenes as well. Try to figure out which scenes were filmed years later.
Sources:
Book: John Woo Interviews (2005) Edited by Robert K. Elder
Book: John Woo: The Films (1999) by Kenneth E. Hall
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saltysam
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
A Man Called Tiger 2/5 run of the mill Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle enlivened by the standard GH Players of the time (Lee Quin,Paul Feng,Lo Wei,Han-Ying-Cheih,James Tien amongst others) Jimmy gives a rather flat,disinterested performance but the movie is short and has some reasonable fighting sequences.
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Masterofoneinchpunch
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Did you see this on the Shout! release four-set of Wang Yu? There are two films I like on that release, that film is not one of them.saltysam wrote:A Man Called Tiger 2/5 run of the mill Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle enlivened by the standard GH Players of the time (Lee Quin,Paul Feng,Lo Wei,Han-Ying-Cheih,James Tien amongst others) Jimmy gives a rather flat,disinterested performance but the movie is short and has some reasonable fighting sequences.
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grim_tales
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Sounds interesting, did you watch this on BD/DVD? The earliest Woo movie I've seen is Hand of Death (1976)Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:OK this is getting close to a full length review (which I might make it later after some more research and/or comments):
The Young Dragons (1974: John Woo)
This is not a bad film by any means though it is probably of more importance for what it means for the future career of the participants than for the actual quality of the film. This is the first directed full-length film from Woo. Originally Woo was co-director of this production, under the title of Farewell Buddy, with Peter Wong Hoi Yi* who had just created an independent movie company with Liu Chi-ho’s money. This was originally done in 1973 but had run afoul by the censors because of violence. It actually had to do mainly with some gloves that had needles in them worn by Fung Hak-on’s character in which you can still see in the film and some of the results of those gloves on Lau Kong (though in the last scene you may wonder where those marks went to on his face and you will notice he never shows that side as well) and Ng Ming-choi. You may wonder why they got such marks when you watch this film. The reason for this was that they had to be cut or the film would not have been allowed to shown. This really hurts the continuity of that particular fight scene. Fortuitously the film was sold to Golden Harvest, Leonard Ho liked it and gave Woo a three year contract.
The story takes place during the Republican era with Henry Yu Yung (The Bloody Fists) as an opportunist Kin who is the leader of small gang of efficient thugs, but is a small cog compared to the smuggling operation of Boss Lung (Chiang Nan) and his hired thug Wang Fai (Funk Hak-on.) Kin steals a load of Japanese firearms and uses them as bait to get even more money (still not sure why he gets rid of most of them.) As he is trying to make money off of this racket in the meantime a government agent Fan Ming (Lau Kong) is trying to stop these smuggler/racketeers.
The fight scenes are decent-to-good. This is one of Jackie’s earliest action director roles (a few of the films he did in 1973 including The Cub Tiger from Kwantung would be reedited and released in a later year.) I was surprised by how agile Ng Ming-choi was given his corpulent nature. Almost like a mini-Sammo Hung (I probably should not have been surprised since he is also known as Yuen Ting as he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes and he is not the only “Yuen” in the movie.)
One good reason to watch this if you are a Woo fan is the early trademarks and influences you can already see taking shape here. The slow-motion reminds me of Chang Cheh in which he apprenticed. He also has a nice habit of experimenting with interesting angles and movement. However, he completely overuses the zoom to the point of extreme annoyance. You can see the friendship and Doppelganger motif between the two main characters reminiscent of Hard Boiled with one good-hearted “bad guy” character and one character on the side of the law and the importance of personal code. Also included is the completely ruthless henchman character Wan Fai and corrupt Boss Lung which parallels both Mad Dog and Johnny Wong in Hard Boiled. While the male relationships seem to work well, the love quadrangle seems somewhat haphazard. Chang Cheh would have ignored it completely. But the ending definitely feels Woo-like.
I had a “hey that’s Dean Shek” moment in the film. The scene seemed compositionally somewhat out-of-place with Shek’s comic shtick and urine. That was one nasty streak. Wouldn’t you worry about slipping on that? Shek would work with John Woo in later films such as Laughing Times (ugh) and A Better Tomorrow II with one being much better than the other.
If you watch the trailer you will notice a nude scene that is not in the main film. I have no idea why that particular scene was cut out. It is not uncommon for trailers to have cut scenes by the director, but given the history of this movie I am curious on when it was cut out (director, distribution, other?)
* Golden Harvest took Peter Wong’s name off of the screen because it was determined he did not direct any of the movie. They also changed the title, added and took away scenes as well. Try to figure out which scenes were filmed years later.
Sources:
Book: John Woo Interviews (2005) Edited by Robert K. Elder
Book: John Woo: The Films (1999) by Kenneth E. Hall
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Masterofoneinchpunch
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
I saw this on a Shout! four movie set DVD release Martial Arts Movie Marathon, Vol. 2 (The Fate Of Lee Khan, Shaolin Boxers, The Young Dragons, The Shaolin Plot.) I have seen all but The Shaolin Plot. Shaolin Boxers is so-so, but The Fate of Lee Khan is a good solid King Hu film (which means not a lot of action until the endgrim_tales wrote:....
Sounds interesting, did you watch this on BD/DVD? The earliest Woo movie I've seen is Hand of Death (1976)
.) But I am happy that this set came out. I've been meaning to improve my King Hu watches and all four of these were unseen by me before this set. I like Hand of Death. I ended up with the Fortune Star R1 release of that.
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Markgway
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
It wasn't too uncommon for producers to put their names on films as director or co-director when they did bugger on all on it. Back then Woo had just graduated from assistant director and was in no position to argue with the money men. I saw the movie some years ago but alas can't remember enough to comment on censored bits or reshoots. I do seem to remember reading somewhere that there are two versions of the film - one with additional violence (perhaps nudity?). But don't take my word for it.
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Do you know which version is on that disc? The HK dvd by Joy Sales is cut for the rape scene (including full frontal). The French dvd by HK Video has that scene uncut:
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... =19&t=5820
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... =19&t=5820
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Markgway
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Ha! It was on this forum. Thanks, Hung.I do seem to remember reading somewhere that there are two versions of the film
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saltysam
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
yes i didMasterofoneinchpunch wrote:
Did you see this on the Shout! release four-set of Wang Yu? There are two films I like on that release, that film is not one of them.
Beach Of The War Gods 3.5/5 one of Jimmy's best,epic tale of a small town going into battle against the invading japanese. Lung Fei makes for a great baddie and the last 40 minutes is just one long battle sequence. great stuff
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
No problem. I had the same feeling so I ran a forum search and discovered I had made a comparison for itMarkgway wrote:Ha! It was on this forum. Thanks, Hung.I do seem to remember reading somewhere that there are two versions of the film
I didn't even know I had seen the movie 
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Markgway
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
I've seen so many Hong Kong movies that it happens to me more often that I would like.HungFist wrote:No problem. I had the same feeling so I ran a forum search and discovered I had made a comparison for itMarkgway wrote:Ha! It was on this forum. Thanks, Hung.I do seem to remember reading somewhere that there are two versions of the film
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Masterofoneinchpunch
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Thanks Hung and Mark. That would be the scene that is in the trailer but not in the Joy Sales and the Shout! release.HungFist wrote:Do you know which version is on that disc? The HK dvd by Joy Sales is cut for the rape scene (including full frontal). The French dvd by HK Video has that scene uncut:
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... =19&t=5820
I'm pretty sure the original removed scenes for violence (really for the spiked gloves since the censors deemed that the youth might be influenced -- according to John Woo) are most likely gone never to be seen.
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Markgway
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
If the scenes were removed by Golden Harvest for the recut then we'll probably never see them.
At least "The Young Dragons" is available uncut.
At least "The Young Dragons" is available uncut.
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Masterofoneinchpunch
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
It's not that bad Mo. There are many, many, many worse martial art films you have seenMo wrote:Thanks for the review. Dragon Tamers was worth a watch, but I don't think I'll push my luck with Young Dragons.
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
I've been thinking I should watch Dragon Tamers. I saw the trailer and it looked cool. Supposedly a lot of Japanese actresses in it.
Also, is that the film with plenty of naked girls in it? I remember seeing such a trailer for some Woo film, probably on some HK Video disc, but the Dragon Tamers trailer in youtube doesn't have nude gals in it... maybe different trailer. Or different movie?
How is the Shout Factory disc? Seems like a standards conversion, but hopefully not cut this time.
Also, is that the film with plenty of naked girls in it? I remember seeing such a trailer for some Woo film, probably on some HK Video disc, but the Dragon Tamers trailer in youtube doesn't have nude gals in it... maybe different trailer. Or different movie?
How is the Shout Factory disc? Seems like a standards conversion, but hopefully not cut this time.
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saltysam
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
i watched Dragon Tamers in the last year or so....think i recall mentioning gratious nudity at some point....do a search
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Masterofoneinchpunch
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
I've seen two off of the first Martial Arts Marathon, but have not seen Dragon Tamers yet. I will try to rectify that soon. Funny thing was I was waiting to watch Woo's first film which I now have. I'll give information on the disc as well.
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Markgway
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
The Dragon Tamers is the better of the two.
A Korean co-production.
A Korean co-production.
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saltysam
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Drunken Master 4/5 Jackie Chan's classic never grows old,superb entertainment.Hwang Jang Lee, Sam Seed make for an enduring watch.This custom Blu-ray of the japanese release is excellent,the transfer has a slight green hue to it but is definitely true HD,Fortune Star take note. Cantonese audio is fine,movie has english opening credits, the added english subtitles are probably not particularly accurate but perfectly servicable.
Drunken Master 2 4/5 Jackie Chan returns as Wong-Fei-Hung in this classic of the genre,i never tire of watching this. The custom BD is simply an exemplary joob,syncing the cantonese PCM laserdisc audio with the excellent miramax transfer and editing in the blind boxing bit at the end.quite shocking that the best version of this classic out there is fan made.
Drunken Master 2 4/5 Jackie Chan returns as Wong-Fei-Hung in this classic of the genre,i never tire of watching this. The custom BD is simply an exemplary joob,syncing the cantonese PCM laserdisc audio with the excellent miramax transfer and editing in the blind boxing bit at the end.quite shocking that the best version of this classic out there is fan made.
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saltysam
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
One Armed Boxer 3/5 One of Jimmy's most entertaining efforts,lots of over the top,crazy action.nice to watch it in mandarin with english subs.
Tattooed Dragon 2/5 Wang Yu and Sam Hui take on a ruthless gang led by James Tien who've opened a gambling den in the local town causing everyone to lose their money and homes.Ok,not great,the best character is Lanni the alsatian
Tattooed Dragon 2/5 Wang Yu and Sam Hui take on a ruthless gang led by James Tien who've opened a gambling den in the local town causing everyone to lose their money and homes.Ok,not great,the best character is Lanni the alsatian
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market (Japan, 1972) [35mm] – 3.5/5
A mentally challenged girl who has no idea what “sex” is is sold to a brothel. Hilarity ensues. Despite the politically incorrect premise that would give feminists a heart attack, this is a harmless and frequently cute male fantasy. Yuko Katagiri is super-cute as an innocent girl whose virginity proves difficult to steal. She always manages to misunderstand the intentions of the customers, which results in hilarious slapstick. The best sequence involves a sumo wrestler trying to catch her – and destroying half of the brothel in the process before knocking himself out.
Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (Japan, 1974) [35mm] – 3.5/5
The final entry in the series, which was only linked by the prostitution theme, is an arthouse affair bound to bore typical pink audiences to death. The realistic slice of life film follows a prostitute who is proving services to her customers as well as her mentally challenged brother. The casting is excellent, the film is packed with interesting social context and the black and white cinematography truly striking. This was probably the only Roman Porno film ever to be filmed in black and white (as an artistic decision by director Noboru Tanaka).
A mentally challenged girl who has no idea what “sex” is is sold to a brothel. Hilarity ensues. Despite the politically incorrect premise that would give feminists a heart attack, this is a harmless and frequently cute male fantasy. Yuko Katagiri is super-cute as an innocent girl whose virginity proves difficult to steal. She always manages to misunderstand the intentions of the customers, which results in hilarious slapstick. The best sequence involves a sumo wrestler trying to catch her – and destroying half of the brothel in the process before knocking himself out.
Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (Japan, 1974) [35mm] – 3.5/5
The final entry in the series, which was only linked by the prostitution theme, is an arthouse affair bound to bore typical pink audiences to death. The realistic slice of life film follows a prostitute who is proving services to her customers as well as her mentally challenged brother. The casting is excellent, the film is packed with interesting social context and the black and white cinematography truly striking. This was probably the only Roman Porno film ever to be filmed in black and white (as an artistic decision by director Noboru Tanaka).
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HungFist
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Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of
Secret Honeymoon: Rape Train (Japan, 1977) [35mm] – 3.5/5
After causing a small scandal with Rape! 13th Hour Nikkatsu ordered director Yasuharu Hasebe to come up with something more romantic. Hasebe delivered this ridiculous but highly entertaining love story. It follows two robbers who take a newlywed woman as hostage and hide in a moving train. Luckily, the two man turn out very friendly fellows. One of them stops by in a shop and even pays for the stuff – and only returns to rape the cash register lady after the bitch tried to call the police. Add “stunts sequences” on the train top, utterly ridiculous Texas country music soundtrack, and very cute female lead, and you’ve got an utterly nonsensical, but fun romance with a crime film edge.
The Battle Cats (Japan, 2008) [DVD] - 1.5/5
An early straight to DVD feature by the director of the far superior Aru hi mori no naka (2014). It's about a school girl and man in catsuit who are fighting evil invaders from outer space, including a space kappa! There's plenty of old school special effects, including lots of miniature work, but the film is otherwise amateurish and suffers from the typical post-modern "let's do something intentionally stupid" syndrome.
After causing a small scandal with Rape! 13th Hour Nikkatsu ordered director Yasuharu Hasebe to come up with something more romantic. Hasebe delivered this ridiculous but highly entertaining love story. It follows two robbers who take a newlywed woman as hostage and hide in a moving train. Luckily, the two man turn out very friendly fellows. One of them stops by in a shop and even pays for the stuff – and only returns to rape the cash register lady after the bitch tried to call the police. Add “stunts sequences” on the train top, utterly ridiculous Texas country music soundtrack, and very cute female lead, and you’ve got an utterly nonsensical, but fun romance with a crime film edge.
The Battle Cats (Japan, 2008) [DVD] - 1.5/5
An early straight to DVD feature by the director of the far superior Aru hi mori no naka (2014). It's about a school girl and man in catsuit who are fighting evil invaders from outer space, including a space kappa! There's plenty of old school special effects, including lots of miniature work, but the film is otherwise amateurish and suffers from the typical post-modern "let's do something intentionally stupid" syndrome.