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Just at the time when the extravagant and talented director Takashi Miike was making a name for himself, after doing “Bodyguard Kiba” and having done in the same year “Shinjuku Triad Society” (his first theatrically distributed film), he opted for this adaptation of a comic written by Dôkuman, titled “Osaka Tough Guys”. Miike here bets on the most bizarre, extravagant and surreal atmosphere as possible, full of absurd humor and hilarious situations.

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The plot of the film revolves around Makoto Fukunaga and Eiji Yamada, two delinquents with nothing to do in life who have recently been expelled from their high school for their misconduct, and who hang out drinking or getting into fights. The future for these young people does not look very rosy, so by mistake, looking for a job, they end up enrolling in the Kinsu yakuza clan, perhaps the most pathetic and poor in the whole country; Following this,...

If something characterizes Takashi Miike’s cinema, is his visual delusions, his dark humor and his excessive extravagance. In recent years, Miike has approached a more serious and personal cinema with films like “13 Assassins” or “Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai”, but the truth is that already in 2006, Miike managed to make what is perhaps his most personal, most mature and least recognized film: “Scars of the Sun”, a true study of a society in decline and on the meaning of violence as it depicts the story of how a family man gets to lose everything in an instant.

After a hard day of work in the office, Mr. Katayama goes to his home to celebrate his birthday with his wife and his little daughter. However, halfway through, he notices a group of teenagers who are attacking a homeless person. Katayama decides not to sit idly by,...

'Beat Takeshi' goes rogue cop in his first self-directed feature, as Takeshi Kitano. It's excellent, a brutal tale with a fascinating lead character and a directorial style that compels one to watch -- it's never easy to know what will happen next. Violent Cop Blu-ray Film Movement 1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki / Street Date October 11, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Beat Takeshi, Maiko Kawakami, Makoto Ashikawa, Shiro Sano, Shigeru Hiraizumi, Mikiko Otonashi, Hakuryu. Cinematography Yasushi Sasakibara Film Editor Nobutake Kamiya Original Music Daisaku Kume Written by Hisashi Nozawa, Takeshi Kitano Produced by Shozo Ichiyama, Toshio Nabeshima, Takio Yoshida Directed by Takeshi Kitano

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

I'm always on the lookout for certain movies I've heard recommended, or that have descriptions that intrigue me. When I saw a reference to Takeshi Kitano's Violent Cop, I knew I'd want to take a look. As happens so often with Japanese pictures,...

Teppei Koike and Katsuhisa Namase are set to star in a film adaptation of the Nhk comedy show Salaryman Neo.

The Nhk series, which depicts a loose office atmosphere, has been a surprise hit with office workers across Japan since debuting as a 1-off special in 2004 and coming back as a regular show in 2006.

This will be Koike’s first appearance in the series, and the film version will feature an original story. Koike will play a new employee at a company while Namase plays his irrational section manager.

Turmoil erupts as a new product plan is revealed in an impromptu meeting, insuring a gloomy future for employees.

Ikki Sawamura and Sei Hiraizumi, who also appeared in the show, will play supporting roles.

Filming will begin in mid-April, with a national release planned for November.

Sources: Tokyograph, Cinema Today...