Tokyo Gore Police

Well, it's finally here. After watching the 5-minute trailer (quite possibly the best trailer ever made, IMO) in early spring of this year, "Tokyo Gore Police" ("TGP") became one of the most highly anticipated films of 2008 for me personally. This anticipation was accentuated even more after these same filmmakers treated us to the wildly entertaining piece of bloody insanity known as "The Machine Girl" (2008), which convincingly showed that these guys give the viewer exactly what they want.In TGP, Eihi Shiina (of "Audition" fame) is a special division of a privatized Tokyo police force who is called into action when her comrades run into "engineers" - genetically modified supercriminals who can transform open wounds into flesh-metal weaponry. Needless to say, there's much here that mirrors Shinya Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (1989) and the weaving of flesh and metal has been cited as prominent in David Cronenberg's earlier works (of which I am not personally familiar). There are also references to "Robocop" (1987) by way of blackly comic commercial advertisements that are peppered into the film at various times.Comparisons with "The Machine Girl" are inescapable. We get a similarly impressive opening fight scene in TGP, as well as an ocean full of blood and gore, but what impressed me the most about TGP is the pacing, which is no less than fantastic from start to finish. This is no doubt attributable to the greater presence of horror in this entry. The events in between the action are nearly as engaging as the action itself, with boatloads of cool gore effects all over the place. The character designs of the engineers is so delightfully over-the-top and perverted that it's a joy to simply watch them exist. Despite a 110 minute running time, this feels like an 80 minute film, which is a good thing.Neither the characters nor the storyline are particularly well developed, but the goodies are more than enough to compensate. As I've mentioned in my previous user comments on movies like "Tom Yum Goong" (2005), applying formulaic "standards" to a film such as this would prove detrimental in that they would undoubtedly smother the inventive visuals that could only exist when the scriptwriter says to himself, "Okay, let's pack as many wild, weird, grotesque combinations of flesh and weaponry as humanly possible into one feature length film." The makers of TGP do exact that. Much of the film follows the lead antagonist as he assimilates various individuals into engineers and unleashes them against the police force. More character/storyline development in TGP would have demanded a cut in the quantity of visual insanity. Trust me when I say that such orthodox methods would prove disadvantageous indeed.The action is directed by Tak Sakaguchi - made famous by his leading role in "Versus" (2000) - and he does an admirable job. The choreography isn't as good as a Hong Kong martial arts flick, but it piggybacks off of the character designs to provide fights that have never been seen before. It's difficult to get into the specifics without spoiling the fun, so I'll just point out that the good stuff appears *after* someone has been dismembered.This is quite simply a very cool film that should be seen by anyone who likes mutant-style insanity and ultra stylish film-making. I find that gore films are so much more fun when they're mixed with over-the-top action. I simply cannot wait to see what these guys come up with next. A resounding success.

There are many reasons to appreciate Tokyo Gore Police. There is, of course, the incredibly talented and exquisitely gorgeous Eihi Shiina, who portrays Ruka, the katana-wielding heroine. There are many scenes in which Shiina's talent and beauty are highlighted, but there are none better than her character's battle with her arch nemesis, Key Man, in an abandoned tunnel. I have watched the battle dozens of times and will continue to do so. It's that amazing! I also want to say kudos to Mr. Itsuji for his portrayal of Key Man -- not just in the fight sequence with the heroine -- but in the entire movie. Well done, Sir.TGP is a bloodbath to the nth degree that succeeds because the special effects, costumes, and make-up are excellent. For example, it seems that no time, effort, or expense was spared in creating the visuals for the sequences depicting the police lockdown and its horrific consequences. I don't consider these scenes to be dark comedy, but rather grim reminders of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Hitler's Gestapo and Stalin's NKVD. The movie also includes some of the most outlandish characters that you will ever see. For example, a strip club consists of an assortment of bizarre performers, all of whom are the products of bioengineering. Another example pertains to Shiina's character, who undergoes a strange transformation as TGP reaches its climax. At the mind-blowing conclusion of the movie, the heroine stands ready to protect the city along with her new ally, who is the resultant of some unholy medical procedure.Tokyo Gore Police is also indicative of the best and / or worst of avant-gardism. The murder of Ruka's father -- that is to say, the explosion at the back of his head and the large flap of scalp waving about afterward -- seems to be based on the autopsy photographs of the JFK assassination. TGP also includes satirical commercials that constitute pertinent social commentary about suicide and self-mutilation. Yoshihiro Nishimura is truly clever for having inserted such avant-gardism and satirical content into the production.The film score is yet another highlight as it has a certain KIng Crimson feel to it -- circa Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II. Magnificent!!! It is one of my favorite film scores -- from any genre. Tokyo Gore Police is my favorite movie from the splatter genre, and is one of my favorite movies -- from any genre. TGP is a masterpiece, there aren't enough superlatives to describe it.

Tokyo Gore Police is a movie that is just too awesome not to see. Last I checked it had 100% on Rotten Tomatoes an honor few movies have. It is not a masterpiece of cinematic genies it is a bloody silly romp or ridiculous fights and monsters. When they say gore they mean gore. I think the first 5 minutes have more blood in them than all other movies combined, and the last fight has to have more blood in it than all other movies will ever have. The most standout feature of this movie though is the fake commercials that exist in the distopian world that the movie is set in. They are the most hilarious things on earth. Not since Starship Troopers and Robo Cop have there been such brilliant things in a movie.The plot of the movie is very basic. In a disstopian future Tokyo where a Private Police force maintains the law a new villain has emerged. They are called Engeniers, and their wounds turn into deadly weapon. The main character is the best Engenier hunter of the Police Force and is set upon investigating a serial killer that is somehow linked to the emergance of these monsters, and her own troubled past.The movie is a must see for any fan of violent, bloody, monster animes, comics, and movies. If you want rediculously over the top monsters and fights this is your movie. You will not be disapointed.

Original and gory Z-movie!!The makeup is always great, but it's impressive and adds a whole cheesy dimension to the film.A thumbs up!

Come specifica il titolo nella parte centrale "GORE"......ecco l ingrediente principale di questo folle film,Ennesima escursione nei territori della carne mutante.Ruka poliziotta di Tokyo si metterà a caccia del folle scienziato creatore dei mutanti, il misterioso "Key Man", mutanti che sono in grado di generare potentissime armi da qualsiasi ferita venga loro inflitta. Il solo modo di ucciderli è quello di estirpare un tumore a forma di chiave geneticamente impiantato all'interno dei loro corpi.Sangue e budella a fiumi,film divertentissimo..... è un film del 2008, diretto da Yoshihiro Nishimura. Ha vinto il premio come miglior film al Fant-Asia Film Festival 2008 ed è stato presentato in anteprima al Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2008, mentre in Italia è stato presentato al Future Film Festival 2009.

友人と一緒に観ました。面白かったと喜んでいました。

Ich habe mir diesen Film gekauft da ich den gesehen habe. Ich finde den Film einfach gut. Kann ihn nur empfehlen.

As I have TGP on the 2-disc Collector's Edition, I was interested in trying the Blu-ray. After a bit of research I found that the US Blu-ray is listed as Region A, but it is also Region B compatible, so I took a chance and ordered it - from All Your Music in the States - and after a quick delivery time of nine days (for trans-Atlantic post: ordered 29th Nov, delivered 8th Dec), I've just tried the disc out on my UK-bought Playstation 3 - no problems!One interesting thing, which was a bit of a shock, was the English dub - this is not on the DVD, and differs from the translation subtitles from the DVD, which may annoy some. When I get time this will be an interesting watch...!Picture quality. Well, after checking a few scenes, it's an improvement - in places; almost too much as the prosthetics are a bit obvious at times. Maybe because I sit closer to my monitor (PC/PS3 plugged in) than I do to my TV, I noticed some instances of not-entirely-HD-quality, but that may also just be the film and it's low budget origins. For example, some shots of the Crocodile Girl are soft focus and others are pin-sharp, but her attack/posing are pretty much sharper than the DVD.The extras disc is a DVD - probably Region 1 (from hints thrown up in my research), I haven't tried it - but it only contains the short insert films/adverts from the film, which for some reason are not on the Blu-ray. Odd, as a Blu-ray has quite a bit of space available...!So, to sum up. If you want TGP on Blu-ray and have been put off by Region A notices, fear not. Mine is UK-compatible, so yours almost certainly will be. Go on, get yourself your very own Crocodile Girl for Christmas!