Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: TOKYO BURST - CRIME CITY [Fantasia Film Festival - Montreal, Quebec - Virtual]
The essence of crime and comedy without overcoming the tone is put to the test in "Tokyo Burst: Crime City" (Cheval Noir). The line between criminal and cop, politician and vigilante are made indistinct. The lead cop, raised in the yakuza but now a lieutenant in the police force, plays this one area as entirely his turf in Tokyo despite a conflict between three gangs (including the Yakuza) stealing from each other. He teams up with a Korean cop tracking a team taking out these gangs and stealing their money. The style of fighting is not king fu. It is more brutal than most with one character using swords and pitchforks. The story speaks to a breakdown in society in trying to find balance. A figure called Rabbit in the underworld wants to push through a new casino in this part of the city but it comes at the risk of a political upheaval. Our two cops, one playing by the rules, the other not, is a little akin to the characterization in "Lethal Weapon". The fight scenes are sporadic but well created with a cinematic flair from a bike chase to a club meant or emulate the one in "Scarface" to the inside of an embassy.
The overarching theme of untouchability and operating outside the law is not completely clear but for this story to work it doesn’t need to be. It works in context of its pace. The lieutenant smiles like a banshee and likes to headbutt everyone. That said he still loves his mom who runs a noodle shop of sorts. While a little hefty at 2hrs it does tells its story with a bit of flavor without losing itself in its cultural stylings. It feels lived in but also universal. Obviously this is part of a series but it works enough as a stand-alone with its revolving door of characters that the intent is not lost. Ultimately the irony works well especially when the boys are, for example, singing karaoke at his mom’s hangout for escorts when he gets the call to save the day. That kind of humor with the more direct brutality of the violence is always a hard balance to maintain but "Crime City" does it. B+
By Tim Wassberg
