The Perfect Game

Kanzen na asobî is also known as the Perfect Game , or Imperfect Game, it is an excellent crime action film, with as the headline title suggests a story that points to some serious undercurrents of social malaise among Japanese youth. Four academic college students come up with a scheme to make some big money fast. They hatch an elaborate plan to scam an illegal bookie by placing a bet on a bike race knowing the winner in advance of the closing bets... no spoilers here ! Opening with a typically mod Nikkatsu jazz fuelled introduction, a deceptively frivolous beginning soon unfolds spirals into a compelling dark & bitter tale. Director Toshio Masuda a master of his craft, is aided with a superb cast and crew, this absorbing beautifully composed drama has a surprising and unpredictable dimension switching as the rhythm changes tone...

No votes here at IMDb ? , no photo (sorted) No review (done) Highly Recommended !! Classic Japanese Cinema.

I caught this on Criterion's channel on Hulu without knowing anything about it. A group of five morally-challenged college students come up with a "perfect" plot to rip off an illegal bookie. Of course, as always happens in movies like this, something goes wrong and things quickly spin out of control. During the 1950's Japan made a number of movies in the "sun tribe" genre. (The most famous is Crazed Fruit which is also available from Criterion.) Sun Tribe movies are different from regular delinquent movies in that the delinquents were from affluent families. These movies gave audiences a chance to cluck their tongues at the excesses of the rich and the general worthlessness of the young generation. This movie is a solid example of the genre as the characters cut class, drink, sponge money off of people and generally drift toward a life of crime. The performances are good as is the story. It may not be as exciting as contemporary crime movies, but it had a couple moments of genuine suspense and it kept my interest all of the way through.

Four college students spend all of their time playing games instead of tending to their classwork. Then they realize they have no money and despite the family connections of ringleader Akira Kobayashi, no prospects. So they come up with a scheme, a variation of the 'The Wire' confidence game, to take some bookies for a huge sum of money. It works, but the bookie won't pay, and they find themselves caught up in a bigger and deadlier game than they had imagined.

Toshio Masuda is a Japanese director who is not particularly familiar to me, although I have seen the sections of TORA! TORA! TORA! he directed after Kurosawa was fired off the project. Here he has directed a very good "busted caper" movie, with some actors who perform very well. Mari Shiraki, as the sister of the welshing bookie, is very good. The disapproval of the post-war prosperity, whern money seemed to be the only standard, is nicely skewered.