Tokyo Gore Police (2008)

TOKYO GORE POLICE is one of the earliest and most famous of the Japanese wave of independent, low budget, cheap, gore/bad taste movies of which other titles include MEATBALL MACHINE and MACHINE GIRL. Having just watched it, I thought it was mildly enjoyable but somehow lacking at the same time. The plotting is simplistic stuff indeed and just a bare skeleton on which to hang a handful of action sequences, none of which are particularly amazing.I'd seen other films in the same genre first, such as VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL and HARD REVENGE MILLY, and thought that they were more entertaining. Still, TOKYO GORE POLICE has its moments with some truly outlandish special effects work typically involving body modification and extreme blood sprays. The main character is an offbeat policewoman played by AUDITION's Eihi Shiina who goes around killing 'engineers', who are genetically modified killers.There are flying samurai killers, chainsaw deaths, a half woman/half crocodile, plus lots of sniggering, bad taste shots. The acting is over the top but not as frenzied as the directorial style. I can't help but think that the people who make this stuff try a little too hard with their limited resources; Ryuhei Kitamura handled low budget genre fare much better with the likes of VERSUS, which concentrated on style over cheesy effects. Still, it does remain enjoyable - albeit just about.

I've only seen a couple of Japanese "techno-horror" movies before this one, and have always found them a bit confusing, but I thought I'd give this a try and I found it to be really good fun.Tokyo Gore Police is intentionally extreme and sensational in its use of blood and gore. If you choose to watch it, be prepared to see almost every part of the human body ripped apart in close up. Luckily the tone of the whole movie is one of black comedy, so although the effects are startling, they should not make anyone feel too nauseous. But if you can't stomach the sight of blood, I would stay away! The story sees a future version of Tokyo in which a new type of criminal is causing mayhem in the city and the futuristic police squad have a special "star officer" who excels in hunting them down. This special type of criminal is infected with a parasitic tumour that enables the host to turn wounds into weapons, therefore it isn't long before the screen is full of outrageously mutated characters who sprout knives, chainsaws and other killing tools from their own twisted flesh.The movie starts as it means to go on with a shock gore effect pretty much within the first two minutes, and it barely lets up for the entire running time. Most of the action is directed at hysteria pitch throughout. In between action scenes there are fake commercials for tasteless products and recruitment messages on behalf of the police force. Japanese horror directors must enjoy parodies of TV advertising, as I had seen this before in "Stacy", which this movie resembles in a lot of respects.There are very few quiet spots, but when they do happen, the movie benefits from a subtle but intense performance from Eihi Shiina as the leading character (the criminal hunter). She looks terrific, even though she spends a lot of the movie hardly saying a word. Mind you she is dressed up in some superbly fetishistic outfits, which also adds to the appeal. The look of the movie, is of course everything. The gore (of which there is a lot) is often jaw dropping, and yet sometimes also hilarious, and as a result the film is NEVER dull. Thankfully the plot is not complicated, and character motivations and fairly clear. I often have trouble unravelling character motivation in Japanese cinema, I assume it's a cultural thing, because they expressions on the actors faces often seems at odds with the translated English dialogue we get, but here it mostly seemed to make sense. I should point out that I saw the DUBBED version of the film where all the dialogue is in English. This seemed very out of place, the American drawl given to all characters seemed very far away from their real cultural identity. I would have probably chosen the subtitled version given a choice, as the lip synching was terrible, as much as the accents were. However having dialogue in English did allow me to focus purely on the visuals. Oh and also the music – the movie features a terrific theme tune, very much like the gladiatorial anthem from "Kill Bill", which crops up throughout, and it really works wonders, elevating the stylishness of the movie still more Watching Tokyo Gore Police made me curious to see more in the same style, so after seeing it I tried "Meatball Machine", which was only half as good, so in my opinion, "Tokyo Gore Police" is one of the better examples of the "high-gore" trend coming out of Japan.

This is a tough one - how do you review a film that basically has no plot? I'll try.A mad scientist has developed a virus that mutates humans into hideous killing machines, and a special paramilitary squad, lead by the sexy and ice cold Ruka, is working hard to maintain order in the streets of futuristic Tokyo.It is over the top to the max with absolutely all the disgusting gore, blood, guts and violence you could ever wish for. I promise you that "Tokyo Gore Police" isn't like anything you have ever seen before, and even though I try very hard, I really can't compare to anything. What I especially love about these Japanese films is the humour; again outrageous and over the top leaving you giggle like a little school girl.But to enjoys it, you will have to love plot less and brain dead films. If you do, I promise you that "Tokyo Gore Police" gives you a wild ride.

Recently, I popped this film into my DVD player, not really expecting much. From the box, it appeared to be yet another Japanese film based on an anime (which I generally don't find that entertaining). In any case, I watch loads of Japanese films, as I'm learning the language. (Incidentally, the original Japanese language title for this film is: "Tokyo Cruel Police.")Five minutes into the movie, "Tokyo Gore Police" had my complete and full attention. I was stunned at what I was seeing. I've seen a lot of Japanese horror films and a lot of blood-soaked movies. But this film takes it to another level. "Tokyo Gore Police" has the ability to shock even those who are jaded and think they've "seen it all." "Tokyo Gore Police" is incredibly bloody and violent---maybe the most gory movie ever made. It makes the films of Takashi Miike seem tame by comparison.And it reminded me, once again, why I am a huge fan of Japanese cinema. Whereas today's Hollywood movies are dull, predictable and follow tiresome rules, you never know what to expect with a Japanese movie.This is particularly true with the horror genre. Hollywood-style predictability has ruined many a horror film for me. That's why many of the best horror films these days originate outside the Hollywood system.Do you think Quentin Tarantino is radical, cutting-edge and dangerous? If so, watch "Tokyo Gore Police." It makes Tarantino look like the over-rated, predictable bore that he really is."Tokyo Gore Police" stars the dazzlingly beautiful Eihi Shiina, who also appeared in Miike's classic, "Audition." She plays a ruthless cop who goes after bizarre, murdering monsters called "Engineers." There's a bit of "Blade Runner" in this film, as well as some Paul Verhoeven-style social commentary. In fact, I'm sure Verhoeven would approve of the over-the-top violence.And there is blood. Lots and lots of blood.If you like horror, blood & guts and bizarre cult films, be sure to check this film out.I give this film 9 out of 10 stars.