Cast: Masanobu Ando, Hikari Ishida, Kazue Matsugae, Yutaka Matsushige
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi
Producer: Kiyoshi Mizokami
Screenplay: Shinobu Yaguchi
Cinematography: Takeshi Hamada
Music: Seiichi Yamamoto
U.S. Distributor: The Shooting Gallery
In Japanese with subtitles
Adrenaline Drive isn't really an art film, but it is being marketed as such. Yet those going into this picture expecting something in the tradition of Kurosawa or Ozu are in for a rude awakening. Adrenaline Drive is mainstream fare, designed to appeal to Japanese viewers who have been weaned on big-budget American features. Internationally, current Japanese cinema is best known for monster movies and anime. Occasionally, something like Adrenaline Drive makes it into the world marketplace and surprises audiences around the globe.
One of the most difficult tasks for any filmmaker is the dual approach of satirizing a genre while producing an effective entry into it. Those directors who embark upon such an ambitious endeavor often stray too far in one direction or another, resulting in either a campy finished product that can't be taken seriously or a motion picture where the humor is ineffective and forced. On those rare occasions when a project like this works, however, it can be an eye-opening surprise (Scream is a good example) - and that's just what has happened with Shinobu Yaguchi's Adrenaline Drive, which blends action and humor into a pleasing mixture.
To say that the "take the money and run" motion picture has been overdone is to understate the obvious. Countless movies have used the basic premise of lovers on the run from gangsters whose money they have appropriated. The conceit probably worked the first few times, but, after having been twisted, regurgitated, and redone umpteen times, all promise and flair has been drained out of it. Improbably, however, Yaguchi has rejuvenated the idea by coming at it from a different direction. Recognizing that the concept has become one big cliché, that's exactly how he treats it. Adrenaline Drive becomes a delightful exercise in spotting the many ways in which clichés and formulas are employed, and enjoying the times when the director gleefully sets us up for one particular outcome, then pulls the rug out from under us by giving us something unexpected.
For those who aren't in the mood to "study" the film in search of its thinly concealed secrets, Adrenaline Drive can be viewed as a more conventional action/comedy effort. Plenty of the humor is obvious, and there's nothing remotely subtle about the action scenes - although they don't generate the kind of pulse-pounding excitement one might expect from a movie with the word "adrenaline" in the title, they are exuberant nonetheless. We come to care about the characters, but the villains are so fatuous that it's difficult to accept them as a serious threat, even considering how inept and inexperienced the protagonists are.
Those heroes are Suzuki (Masanobu Ando) and Shizuko (Hikari Ishida), two meek individuals who are thrown together by a whim of fate. When Suzuki is involved in an automobile accident with a gangster, the ominous Kuroiwa (Yutaka Matsushige), he is taken to the local yakuza headquarters to discuss reparations. While Suzuki is there, a gas explosion levels the building, killing everyone except Suzuki and Kuroiwa, who is badly injured. Shizuko, an off-duty nurse who is nearby, hears the explosion and rushes to help. Thinking there's no one to stop them, she and Suzuki take a case full of money from the gangsters' ruined headquarters. But Kuroiwa knows their identities and sends a gang of "junior" yakuza after them. Thus begins a bizarre and often-comic series of misadventures.
I'm not familiar with either Masanobu Ando or Hikari Ishida (TV stars in Japan), but both are solid in roles that require transformations. Ishida's is more obvious, since her character undergoes a makeover that not only emphasizes the evolution of her personality but completely changes her appearance (shorter hair, a new dress, and contact lenses do wonders). Ando's work is less obvious, but no less effective. Suzuki starts the film as a repressed wimp; by the end, while he's not Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger, he has developed a backbone. Meanwhile, Yutaka Matsushige's interpretation of Kuroiwa is by turns frightening and darkly funny. Comparisons to Christopher Walken are warranted.
The reason Adrenaline Drive works on one level is because Yaguchi forms a bond between Suzuki & Shizuko and the audience. Their romantic relationship is nicely developed, but not to the point where it becomes cloying. The film is effective on a second level because the director enjoys crafting things with his tongue in his cheek, subtly winking and nodding at those who are paying attention. When big budget Hollywood directors adhere to formulas, they do so because they're afraid to try something different. When Yaguchi does the same thing, it is to gently mock the conventions. The difference is in tone and intent, and it will be apparent to anyone who is watching for it.
It's possible to come up with dozens of examples of how Yaguchi does this, but I'll limit myself to discussing a few. The manner in which the yakuza headquarters is destroyed is one. There are no gun fights, drug wars, earthquakes, or attacks by Godzilla. Instead, a gas line is leaking and when someone tries to light the stove to make tea...kapow! A whole den of criminals wiped out because of a pot of tea. Slightly earlier, when Suzuki is brought before the yakuza leader, the man rises to his feet, undoes his belt, and unzips his fly. All sorts of grotesque and unpleasant images fly through our minds about what's going to happen to poor Suzuki, but it turns out that the man is just tucking in his shirt. Later, there's a scene in which Suzuki and Shizuko literally launder the money in a public laundromat, making use of all the washers and dryers (Japanese currency must be made of sterner stuff than its American counterpart - any time I accidentally send a dollar bill through the washer and dryer, it becomes unusable). In another scene, when Suzuki is being chased by a group of thugs, his injured leg makes a remarkable recovery. Despite having limped through several previous scenes, he outruns everyone, managing to catch up to a slowly moving vehicle. At another time, during that wonderfully romantic moment when Suzuki and Shizuko are about to enjoy their first kiss, they are rudely interrupted - something that happens all the time in movies. But it's not by the yakuza gang or Kuroiwa; it's by Suzuki's stomach, which growls for something to eat. Sheepishly, they back away from each other and decide to go out to dinner. Finally, there's a delightfully twisted scene in which a thief steals Shizuko's backpack, which contains her half of the money. When Suzuki attempts to retrieve it from the thief, he is arrested. However, after running barefoot for three miles, Shizuko catches up with her offender, who promptly has a heart attack. So she gives him CPR, saving his life, and becomes a hero.
There's a quote by Yaguchi in the production notes that illustrates his mindset (not to mention how far his tongue was in his cheek) when making Adrenaline Drive. The following question is posed by an interviewer: "People who've seen all your films might draw the following conclusions: a) gas burners regularly blow up in Japan, and b) women can only change if they cut their hair off. Are these true?" Yaguchi's response is, "Absolutely. Japanese gas is uniquely dense and prone to explosions. And there is an ancient Japanese tradition that requires women to cut their hair at times of dramatic personal transition. Whenever you spot a Japanese woman with extremely short hair, you can be sure she's led a dramatic life!"
Adrenaline Drive is the sixth and final entry into The Shooting Galley's Spring film series, a dessert to Croupier's main course. In some ways, this movie almost seems like a guilty pleasure. While Yaguchi's craft is evident, there's not a lot of depth, so Adrenaline Drive is best experienced as the cinematic equivalent of candy - something to be enjoyed for its transitory explosion of flavor and sweetness, but lacking the staying power to be savored for a long time afterwards.
© 2000 James Berardinelli