Movie Review Bad City (2022)
Bad city 2022.
Directed by Kensuke Sonomura.
With Mitsu Dan, Hitoshi Ozawa and Lily Frankie.
SYNOPSIS:
When a corrupt businessman takes over as mayor to continue his criminal activities and launch a crackdown on rival mafia gangs, the police form a special squad to take him and his gang down.
Bad City, a love letter to V-Cinema's violent thrillers of the 1980s, follows a team of honest cops from the Violent Crime Squad who take over a city full of fear and corruption. The main culprit behind all this bad behavior is Gojo (Lily Franki), a businessman/criminal who aims to become mayor to make millions redeveloping the rundown areas of Caico. When Gojo reveals his political ambitions to a local TV station, a sauna full of tattooed yakuza boys are killed by a highly skilled assassin with a carving knife.
Naturally, the bodies of Gojo's other rivals, members of the Korean mafia, and just about anyone who looked at Gojo the wrong way, follow, and so a new police force, led by ex-cop Torada (Hitoshi Ozawa), is brought in. inside. action. he is also serving time in prison for the alleged murder of a member of the Korean mob, but is on parole until then. It features the inevitable carnage of dozens of faceless villains and a handful of lovable characters en route to a fiery climax.
Yes, Bad City is both very stylish and extremely violent, with good evidence, but it is let down by its simple yet convoluted plot, which tends to slow the film down considerably between the many fight scenes. Part of the problem is that too many characters come in and out of the picture at any given moment to know who is who and what role they play in the story.
Much of deciphering who's doing it is pointless, though, because once the movie hits its final scene, all bets are off because it's cops vs. thugs and there are no guns involved. Our stripped down old school fighters go fists, knives and gravity and it equals one heck of a fight. It's worth the wait, and the show itself is beautifully directed by Kensuke Sonomura, a former stunt coordinator, and legendary actor Hitoshi Ozawa's portrayal of the naked cop Torada is a masterpiece, as every time he's on screen, both the action and him. the plot are easier to follow
As with most Japanese action films, the running time is actually quite long for a cops-and-robbers movie, and the filmmakers try not to miss anything when it comes to detail, but sometimes less is better. and the pace gets pretty tight, especially in the first act. But it's all in store, and if you go along with it, you'll be rewarded for just that: expertly crafted, brilliantly lit, and a reminder that Asian cinema is still rewarding when it comes to extreme and subtle violence. standard bearer
Shining Myth Rating - Movie: ★★★ / Movie: ★★★
About Chris
