Notable Cast: Hitoshi Ozawa, Mitsu Dan, Akane
Sakanoue, Katsuya, Masanori Mimoto, Taro Suwa, Kentaro Shimazu, Koji Kiryu,
Akira Hamada, Arisa Matsunaga, Huh Soo-cheol, Akihiko Kuwata, Hideo Nakano,
Kenji Fukuda, Kazuyoshi Ozawa, Daisuke Nagakura, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Kazuki
Namioka, Tak Sakaguchi, Tomokazu, Lily Franky, Rino Katase
With the recent boom of boutique labels releasing forgotten
classics and foreign films, it is fantastic that auteur directors like Kinji
Fukasaku are being discovered or rediscovered by legions of new fans. Although
his style and influence could be felt throughout the decades in Japanese
cinema, particularly around his work in the yakuza genre, it feels as though
there is growing stronger—or, at least, Westerners like myself are more aware
of seeing it in modern films.
Yet, watching Bad City, it becomes fairly obvious
that director Kensuke Sonomura has also been to the school of Fukasaku. In its
tale of political and police corruption, poisoned by a brewing war between a
yakuza outfit and a South Korean one, Sonomura delivers on the seething
socio-political ideas that powered classic films like Cops Vs Thugs or Yakuza
Graveyard. He then gives it the empowered V-Cinema DIY nature version of that while still polishing it with some impressive action
combat reminiscent of The Roundup (The Outlaws) films.
To say that Bad City is thoroughly enjoyable is an
understatement. Bad City is one of the best action flicks of the year,
energized by its screen-eating cast and brutal street-level beatdowns. Bad
City is a good time.