Drive is the story of a Japanese salaryman (Tsutsumi Shinichi) who is unexpectedly hijacked while out driving to work one day. Beginning as a fairly uninteresting dirge, this film soon winds up the tempo and ends as an exploration of the effects of fate and karma. The main characters in this film are all outside the boundaries of acceptable society, and all of them have their stories told and lives resolved by the end of the film. As for our salaryman Kenichi, despite some pretty frightening encounters, he lives to fight another day and is even rewarded for bringing peace to his troubled ancestors.
Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka, also known as Sabu, this is a real gem of a film although at times it can be a little heavy going. Great for those who like to analyse and interpret, but may be a bit of a shock for those expecting a light-weight gangster action-comedy. Tsutsumi Shinichi is perfect in the role of oppressed and dominated Kenichi and Ren Osugi at home in his portrayal of the old-hand gangster who's seen everything and has formed his own unique view of life.
A different and surprisingly meaningful viewing experience.
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5 comments:
Have you done any Asian movie catching-up over the summer break? Finally found the Japanese Shall we dance at the dvd shop in the Village Arcade - for $7!! Haven't got around to watching it yet though. Would love to see Linda, Linda but I can't find one with English subtitles.
That plot sounds a bit like a Korean horror film I saw years ago called "Say Yes" - where a vacationing couple are stalked and terrorised by a hitchhiker. Such a tense movie - one of the few films to ever give me nightmares!
I think I saw Linda, Linda, Linda (or maybe it was Swing Girls)at Video Collection near JB Hi Fi in Elizabeth Street. It was an import so they wanted close to $50 for it though.
Doodlebug
I've seen Swing Girls... wonderful, wonderful movie. You can usually pick it up cheap, and with English subtitles.
Finally got around to watching Shall we dansu Have you seen it?
"Shall we Dansu" was screened on World Movies in December and I still have it on tape somewhere (I hope). I had seen the Hollywood version in Feb 2006 and I think the original is much better. I actually thought I had completed a Blog post for it, but perhaps it was only in my mind's blog! As a big fan of Shoji Yakusho, I was impressed by his portrayal of a repressed and depressed salary man who finds another dimension to life through ballroom dancing.
I've seen a number of asian films over the last month so be prepared for more blog posts soon. Happy viewing!
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