"Adrenaline Drive" is no "Run Lola Run". Rather it is a Japanese version of a put-on, an "It Happened One Night" in slow motion which does finally have one car chase. The film's intent is telling us how polite Japanese mannerisms can interfere with human nature. A car rental clerk who can't talk down his boss (Suzuki) and a young demure nurse fast approaching old maid (Shizuko) meet under almost imagined circumstances. The local mafia group accidentally blow themselves away leaving one badly injured survivor (Kuroiwa) and a cache of blood-soaked cash. Enter these two woebegone fugitives from a genteel world who seize the cash, run away from their jobs, and even contemplate marriage. The story would end there except for a series of chases filled with pitfalls involving Kuroiwa and a bunch of incompetent hoodlums that personify 'the gang that couldn't shoot straight' who want the money back. "Adrenaline Drive" is fun to watch because it doesn't do anything out of character. The car rental 'boss' runs away leaving Suzuki holding the bag rather than confront Kuroiwa after a minor fender bender. Shizuko can't hide the blood seeping from her locker so she yells her friends away when they attempt to help her. The shy and love-smitten Suzuki buys a ring for Shizuko only to throw it away in a jealous fit. "Adrenaline Drive" is a film to enjoy for its delicate characters and how being delicate may be more trouble than it is worth.
