TOKYO ZOMBIE (Sakichi Sato, 2005, Japan) Tokyo finally spits its toxic sins upon the earth to consume Japan, while two slackers must wrestle their way towards survival. Fujio and the cranium denuded Mitsuo are used to putting out fires…or at least manufacturing instruments that suppress infernal conflagrations. But this apocalypse of the living dead cannot be suppressed, and the two men must use their (limited) wits and Jujitsu training to escape North towards salvation: instead, Fujio accidentally drives South towards oblivion. Director Sakichi Sato has all the elements of a deadly satire to expose the decomposing virtues of a democratic oligarchy (not entirely limited to Japan), with two fine lead actors who imbue their characters with humor and pulsing humanity, but the narrative becomes dead with the introduction of an annoying femme fatale love interest…and never rises to the level of a living (or insightful) allegory. Fujio tries to live up to his mentor’s expectations and become a black belt, but he is empty of talent and always falls victim to Mitsuo’s superiority. When the story jumps ahead five years to the gladiatorial pits of the wealthy survivors, again what could have spoofed Japanese hierarchy is just plain obnoxious, filling the screen with noxious epithets and poor special effects. The plot becomes misogynistic and ripe with homophobia, debasing women and gay men with startlingly inane dialogue and exploitive caricatures: there just isn’t anything funny about that! If you were expecting the choreography of Bruce Lee matched with the satire of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, then you’ve rented the wrong film. This udder failure is like Calpis…think phonetically. (F)
It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
TOKYO ZOMBIE (Sakichi Sato, 2005, Japan) Tokyo finally spits its toxic sins upon the earth to consume Japan, while two slackers must wrestle their way towards survival. Fujio and the cranium denuded Mitsuo are used to putting out fires…or at least manufacturing instruments that suppress infernal conflagrations. But this apocalypse of the living dead cannot be suppressed, and the two men must use their (limited) wits and Jujitsu training to escape North towards salvation: instead, Fujio accidentally drives South towards oblivion. Director Sakichi Sato has all the elements of a deadly satire to expose the decomposing virtues of a democratic oligarchy (not entirely limited to Japan), with two fine lead actors who imbue their characters with humor and pulsing humanity, but the narrative becomes dead with the introduction of an annoying femme fatale love interest…and never rises to the level of a living (or insightful) allegory. Fujio tries to live up to his mentor’s expectations and become a black belt, but he is empty of talent and always falls victim to Mitsuo’s superiority. When the story jumps ahead five years to the gladiatorial pits of the wealthy survivors, again what could have spoofed Japanese hierarchy is just plain obnoxious, filling the screen with noxious epithets and poor special effects. The plot becomes misogynistic and ripe with homophobia, debasing women and gay men with startlingly inane dialogue and exploitive caricatures: there just isn’t anything funny about that! If you were expecting the choreography of Bruce Lee matched with the satire of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, then you’ve rented the wrong film. This udder failure is like Calpis…think phonetically. (F)
