Just a quick comment to say that I thought this was an excellent action film that feels more like a French film (e.g. Diva, Subway, Taxi) than a Japanese film... there are lots of nice comic touches and quirky characters... and the whole thing is highly stylized, but all the better for it...
3 Reviews
Boisterous and riotously anarchic actioner from a master
fertilecelluloid4 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
No stranger to blood, guts, gunfire and gore, Fukasaku demonstrated that he still had the golden touch with this anarchic actioner made prior to BATTLE ROYALE.
Three thieves approaching their twilight years team up with a reckless punk who screws them out of their winnings. Casualties result, but there are still enough men standing to exact bloody revenge.
Fukasaku directs in overdrive and brandishes his camera like a battering ram by salting every scene with boundless energy, wild angles, moody lighting and riveting performances, especially that of Kenichi Hagawara as Kanzaki. The "Streetfighter" himself, Sonny Chiba, also appears as one of the ageing trio, a youthful mobster who has shacked up with a crazy bimbo (Keiko Oginome) young enough to be his granddaughter and insane enough to be a problem.
By film's end, we get a wild Japanese variation on "The Great Race" as cops, loan sharks, assassins and shafted gangsters take part in a boisterous car chase cum shoot-out that shakes up the concrete jungles of Hokkaido.
The pacing is fast, the staging of the violent action is adroit and the music keeps everything pumping. Fukasaku's pseudo-documentary style brings a terrific rawness to the drama and the non-stop spectacle never becomes too heavy-handed or takes itself too seriously.
Great fun.
Three thieves approaching their twilight years team up with a reckless punk who screws them out of their winnings. Casualties result, but there are still enough men standing to exact bloody revenge.
Fukasaku directs in overdrive and brandishes his camera like a battering ram by salting every scene with boundless energy, wild angles, moody lighting and riveting performances, especially that of Kenichi Hagawara as Kanzaki. The "Streetfighter" himself, Sonny Chiba, also appears as one of the ageing trio, a youthful mobster who has shacked up with a crazy bimbo (Keiko Oginome) young enough to be his granddaughter and insane enough to be a problem.
By film's end, we get a wild Japanese variation on "The Great Race" as cops, loan sharks, assassins and shafted gangsters take part in a boisterous car chase cum shoot-out that shakes up the concrete jungles of Hokkaido.
The pacing is fast, the staging of the violent action is adroit and the music keeps everything pumping. Fukasaku's pseudo-documentary style brings a terrific rawness to the drama and the non-stop spectacle never becomes too heavy-handed or takes itself too seriously.
Great fun.
Buckle-Up & Hang On Tight...
magadogx1325 June 2005
...Cuz "TRIPLE CROSS" starts out movin' fast & it doesn't slow down 'til it ends! Nothing really original as for plot, but that wont matter much 'cuz Mr. Fukasaku's middle name is "Style" (or is it "Slick") & he knows how to make mediocre movies ROCK! This one literally
So far I've seen maybe half of Kinji's films that have been released in the US & I've enjoyed them all. "Triple Cross" however is one I'll be adding to my personal stash! Sonny Chiba's girlfriend "Mai" (Keiko Oginome) alone makes it worth owning, Her facial expressions as she's spraying bullets are great! Let alone the kick-ass stunt drivin' chase scenes throughout!
By no means is this a "flawless" flick, but it works so well that the minor stuff goes by hardly noticed...and I notice! Had this been another American/Hollywood P.O.S. it wouldn't even be worth writing about, but Kinji Fukasaku knew how to make movies! May he forever rest in peace. If you like wonderful violence & splendid action without having your intelligence insulted...LOOK NO FURTHER!!!
So far I've seen maybe half of Kinji's films that have been released in the US & I've enjoyed them all. "Triple Cross" however is one I'll be adding to my personal stash! Sonny Chiba's girlfriend "Mai" (Keiko Oginome) alone makes it worth owning, Her facial expressions as she's spraying bullets are great! Let alone the kick-ass stunt drivin' chase scenes throughout!
By no means is this a "flawless" flick, but it works so well that the minor stuff goes by hardly noticed...and I notice! Had this been another American/Hollywood P.O.S. it wouldn't even be worth writing about, but Kinji Fukasaku knew how to make movies! May he forever rest in peace. If you like wonderful violence & splendid action without having your intelligence insulted...LOOK NO FURTHER!!!
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